SC's Civil War governor slept (and likely burned papers) here. Group fixing up home in Union is raising money for next phase as craftsman pours TLC into windows

(Clockwise from top left): Two completed Dawkins House windows, dowel use in sash, front door transom needing work, wartime Gov. Andrew Magrath and 18th century nails (Courtesy Robert Schmitt and Preservation SC)

Words I never thought I write here when I started this blog: Glazing points, rabbets, sashes, cedar dowels, mortise and wooden pegs.

But here we are 16 years later and I am all ears as craftsman Robert Schmitt describes the work and passion he is putting into repairing windows on a home that once served as the office for South Carolina’s governor during the Civil War.

The restoration expert has removed rot and repaired 10 windows from the front of the Judge Thomas Dawkins house in Union. The town south of Spartanburg briefly served as the capital of the state after Columbia fell to Union forces in 1865 and Gov. Andrew Magrath fled traveled to Union.

Schmitt, in his mid-70s (right), is doing the work for the nonprofit group Preservation South Carolina, which has undertaken a massive task in saving and fixing up the house for future use as an alumni center for the University of South Carolina-Union.

"There is some exceptionally good glass in some of the sashes that I just finished, and the glazing points used were definitely original to the 1840s,” said Schmitt. 

Glazing points are used to hold a window in place before new putty or caulk is installed. “The old style glazing had a bad way of cracking and falling out.”

Schmitt has been working in the house’s yard in a “between” stage of the house restoration. The $300,000 state-funded Phase 1 shored up the building.

Preservation South Carolina (PSC) and the campus soon will launch a campaign to raise up to $1 million for the next phase. No state or federal funds are currently available, officials said. Schmitt has temporarily stopped his contributions until more funds come in.

Bill Comer, a Union native and head of the PSC’s Dawkins House rehab project told the Picket a contractor in November braced and stabilized the front porch's roof, which had begun to sag and pull away from the front wall of the house.

“Since the roof will need to be completely replaced once Phase 2 stabilization construction begins, we chose to not work on the roof during the Phase 1 stabilization phase. But it's pulling away from the house was beginning to damage the front wall, which make it essential to make repairs,” said Comer.

Schmitt has identified nails that were used in the original section of the house built in the 1700s, and some that were used to build the 1845 addition.

Some of the glass panes are original to the 1845 house, but Schmitt has taken about a dozen from his stock for replacements.

Unlike modern windows, these are single-pane products without built-in insulation.

While the 10 windows he has repaired are from the 1840s, Schmitt has his eyes on a couple dating from the mid-18^th century in the back (photo, left)

House fireplaces burned more than wood

The Dawkins House, on North Church Street, was nicknamed “The Shrubs” and was occupied by Judge Dawkins and his English-born wife Mary Poulton Dawkins. The 1850 Federal slave schedule indicates they owned about 30 enslaved persons before the war. 

The property is best known for several weeks in spring 1865.

Gov. Magrath, before fleeing Columbia as Federal troops closed in, got in touch with college chum Dawkins about using the home and others nearby to conduct business amid the chaos.

House in May 2020 before porch roof repair and windows removed; house last month (PSC, Robert Schmitt)

From about Feb. 15, 1865, until sometime in March or early April, Magrath ran the state from the Dawkins House. He apparently worked in an informal library near the drawing room. Chaos ruled across South Carolina.

According to histories and local legend, Magrath and his subordinates burned possibly incriminating documents and correspondence in the fireplaces. (The home served as South Carolina's capitol while the city was briefly is capital.)

Magrath and his staff raced away from Union as Federal troops moved in. He was eventually captured on May 25 and imprisoned at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Ga., until release that December.

While the house was occupied after the war it has been vacant in recent years and became dilapidated.

Unrepaired windows, old entrances and cool brick chimney (Robert Schmitt)

Group will create fund-raising videos

Phase 2 of the ambitious project will be much more extensive and expensive than the first. The aim is for PSC to eventually hand over the house to the university for finishing and customization.

Joanna Rothell, director of outreach and preservation for PSC, previously said Phase 2 will include:

-- Installation of new piers on concrete footings in the crawlspace;

-- Strengthening of porch, first and second floor framings, the roof system and all walls;

Window hook to hold a lower sash; wear on a since repaired window frame (Robert Schmitt)

-- Installation of the required framing for a new interior staircase where the original historic, spiral staircase was located in the central hall. This will entail strengthening the floors and walls in this area, including any necessary new footings in the crawlspace.

“We are putting the bones back in it where the bones should be,” said Comer.

When Judge Dawkins built his residence in 1845, he expanded upon a pre-existing, two-story structure,” the organization said in a newsletter.

“Further examination has revealed that the materials used in the construction of the older portion of the house dates closer to 1760, rather than the previously estimated 1800s.”

As the campaign to raise money and fix up the house restarts, Rothell and Comer soon will be making some short videos of people talking about what the Dawkins house means to them and why people in Union County and elsewhere in South Carolina should support the efforts.

One of the front windows near front door before repair; glazing points (Robert Schmitt)