FOREST ACRES, SC,THE BEGINNING

The founder of what is now Forest Acres was Virginia born Thomas Taylor, who was a Colonel in the American Army during the Revolutionary War, was wounded and captured at the Battle of Fishing Creek in the upstate, and escaped on his way to imprisonment in Camden. Following the war, he was a member of the convention that adopted the United States Constitution and served in the state legislature.

In 1785, the state offered to sell land for $10.00/one hundred acres, and in concert with other notable Midlands figures, Wade Hampton and Timothy Rives, purchased 18,500 acres on both sides of Gill Creek. As they divided the land, Taylor took the land now known as Forest Acres, which was later divided into Quinine Hill, Edgehill, Bethel Church, and Dents Pond, now known as Forest Lake. But this acquisition along Gill Creek was only part of the larger holdings of Taylor, who sold land back to the State for the planned capital city of Columbia. In 1791, Taylor escorted President Washinton from Columbia to Camden on Camden Road, a portion of which is now known as Forest Drive. Still to be seen near Old Mill Circle are an original mill stone and the ruins of a mill built by Taylor in 1796.

The area became a place of country homes and plantations for Columbia's wealthy and the streets pay homage to the early settlers of the area, but perhaps no more noteworthy character is associated with the beginnings of Forest Acres as John Hughs Cooper, born in 1885 to a family that had prospered before the American Civil War, but arrived difficult time for the pre-war aristocracy and landed gentry. Cooper studied law at the University of South Carolina and was admitted to the SC Bar in 1910, followed by post graduate studies at Columbia University. Gaining a reputation as a skilled lawyer, he set about education his siblings, he was one of eight, and their children, but not his own, as he never married. A testament to his commitment to education, which provided his way to prosperity where farming had failed, is the John Hughs Cooper Library. In 1920, he established the Forest Land Company, which still operates in Forest Acres today from offices adjacent to the library, and he purchased Lakeview, around the former Dent's Pond, now Forest Lake. As time went on, he purchased more land in the area that became Forest Acres. In the shade of old-growth pines and hardwoods, the City of Forest Acres was incorporated in 1935, and today still it conveys the feeling of a small town oasis in urban surroundings.

Beyond Forest Acres, the legacy of the Forest Land Company continued in the development of Spring Valley, Woodcreek Farms and other areas of the state. The Stallings & Smith Group at Russell and Jeffcoat Real Estate has had the privilege of working with the Forest Land Company in Rockbridge Village, and looks forward to future relationships. Please visit us at www.StallingsandSmithGroup.com and please share and forward  this post.

 

Tommy Stallings 803 331 3062
Walt Smith 803 622 5210

ROCKBRIDGE VILLAGE IN FOREST ACRES

A rare find in Forest Acres, this is a strategically located gated community of new home construction, finely crafted by Sovereign Homes. A fifteen minute drive to the State House, a two mile drive to the center of Forest Acres shopping, convenient to Interstates 77 and 20, zoned for award winning Richland County School District II Schools, this is where the intown buyer wants to live. Nestled between Forest Lake Presbyterian Church and Rockbridge Club, with its tennis courts, pool and club houses, Rockbridge Village is entered from Rockbridge Road. A boardwalk nature path leads to Spring Lake, where a large community dock is perfect for a late afternoon gathering of friends and neighbors.

Sovereign Homes is the upper end builder for Mungo Homes, a Columbia and Northeast builder with fifty-five years of stability, offering the best service after the sale in the Midlands.  In the sales office at 149 Mayhaw Drive, you will meet Tommy Stallings (803 331 8062 or Walt Smith (803 622 5210), who can carry you through the building plans that have been assembled toward a finished neighborhood of complimenting homes with stacked porches and selections of brick and mortar in a spectrum of color choices, stacked stone, and hardiplank. Inside the homes, buyers will be surprised by the standard features that are the extras of other builders...tray and boxed ceilings, nine foot ceilings upstairs and down, granite counters in the kitchen and master bathroom, double vanities, floors of hardwood, tile and carpet, energy saving features including a tankless water heater, and a screened porch.

For a virtual tour of the model, go to  http://tour.circlepix.com/home/UW65QT
Prices are in the $400's and great lots in a great location are still available. For more about this attractive home building opportunity, visit the model at 149 Mayhaw Drive in Rockbridge...turn onto Rockbridge Road from North Trenholm Road at Forest Lake Presbyterian Church and take your first left into Rockbridge Village or look at this and other listings at www.StallingsandSmithGroup.com. Please share this post and forward.

Tommy Stallings 803 331 3062
Walt Smith 803 622 5210

CAPE SUMMERSAIL ON LAKE MURRAY, SC

A steady wind from the west carried the Smiths on their sloop to Fourth of July festivities at the Columbia Sailing Club and evening thermals brought them home, just as the Boylestons pontoon boat arrived from dinner at the Rusty Anchor at Lighthouse Marina. Fiery sunset views were a prelude to the evening fireworks display over Bomb Island. Lake Murray plays host to big money fishing tournaments and regattas that draw competitors from as far away as Canada. It is a popular recreational venue year round, but cruising available lake properties is a favorite past time for many. Most recently, Cape Summersail at Tryst Point has captured the attention of people. A new paved road, public sewer, underground utilities and zoning for Blue Ribbon decorated schools, Lake Murray Elementary, Chapin Middle and Chapin High Schools in Lexington/Richland School District 5 are a huge draw for people wanting to build a new home on the lake, with their investment protected by reasonable covenants and restrictions. Comprised of eight remaining lots, three off water, 1.5 acre lots priced at $69,900, one lake view lot ($149,000), and four dockable waterfront lots,from $264,900 to $299,900, Cape Summersail will be a small community of new homes subject to architectural controls. Many have seen it from the water. Come walk your lot. From US 76, take Wessinger Road to a left on Old Lexington Hwy. Turn left onto Jake Metze Road to its end at Old Forge. Turn right and continue 50 yards past where the pavement currently ends and veer left onto Tryst Point. There you will see the available lots to your left and a sign showing the lot layout. Or, visit the property from the comfort of your home by a visit to www.CapeSummersail.com. To learn more about this property and other offerings, please visit www.StallingsandSmith.com, and please share and forward this information.