“According to family tradition, this house was built in 1854 by the Bivings family, local textile pioneers. In 1869 the house was purchased by John H. Evins (1830-1884). Confederate Lieutenant Colonel, State Legislator, Mayor of Spartanburg, and U.S. Congressman (1877-1884). The house was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970”.
This marker is located at 563 North Church Street. If you are travelling west, it will be on the right hand side of the road.
Dr. James Bivings was born in Edenton, N.C. on April 28th, 1787 and died at his home in Spartanburg County on August 16th, 1869. His obituary is pretty interesting. You can read it at this link.
Dr. Bivings established the mill town of Bivingsville and the Bivingsville Mills. In 1831 Bivings sold the mill, town, and the Bivings house to Dexter Converse (founder of Converse College ). Converse later changed the name of the cotton mill and the surrounding village to Glendale. The former location of the mill is now a popular nature preserve known as Glendale Shoals.
The Evins-Bivings house was built around 1854. It is a two story, white clapboard structure, built in the Greek Revival style that was popular in the area at that time. Also on the property are the original kitchen, slave quarters, smoke house, and well.
Bivings nephew, Colonel John Hamilton Evins, purchased the house in 1869. Evins was a Lt. Colonel in the Confederate Army and he served as a State Legislator from 1862 until 1864. He was also the Mayor of Spartanburg, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1867 until his death in 1884.
The Historic Marker for the Evins-Bivings House was erected in 1986. Today it is a private residence sitting on approximately 3.5 acres next to Wofford College.
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Is there any information on the enslaved individuals of this plantation?