Located at 801 Bay Street, this prominent Federal-style mansion was built circa 1804 by John Mark Verdier (1759-1827), a successful merchant and planter. Verdier had accumulated significant wealth both by trading indigo and subsequently by acquiring over 1,000 acres used for the growing of highly profitable sea island cotton. This house was a highly visible statement that reflected his rise from a merchant’s status to a wealthy member of Beaufort’s planter class.
Verdier eventually became plagued by financial difficulties from land speculation and briefly was placed in debtor’s prison in Charleston. He remained in Charleston until his death, and the house passed to his son John Mark Verdier Jr. and his wife Caroline. Although John Mark Verdier Jr. died in 1859, his wife remained in the house until the Union occupation of Beaufort in November, 1861. The house became the headquarters for the Adjutant General until it was reaquired by Caroline Verdier at a tax sale near the end of the Civil War. While the house remained in the Verdier family until the 1940’s, it was no longer their prime residence and became a multiple tenant structure. There was significant deterioration and the house was condemned so that a gas station could be built.
A group of farsighted citizens rallied to save the house from destruction and formed what has become the Historic Beaufort Foundation, leading to the restoration of the house and in 1976 to it’s opening as a house museum. Restoration projects and historical analysis continues to this day.
Docent-guided house tours are conducted Monday through Saturday every hour on the half-hour from 10:30 AM until 3:30 PM.
