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Visit Rose Hill Plantation House, Belfair Point and beyond.
The Hilton Head Choral Society’s 24th annual Christmas Tour of Homes celebrates Lowcountry history, making calls upon the Rose Hill Plantation House, Belfair Point and beyond, to homes in Moss Creek, Hilton Head Plantation and Port Royal Plantation.
The best of Lowcountry living will be on festive display from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 7, with six stunning homes gorgeously wrapped in their holiday best.
This year’s centerpiece, the historic Rose Hill Plantation House, has long held a treasured place in Lowcountry history, honoring and preserving our past.
It’s easy to imagine you’re traveling through the Lowcountry as it used to be, as the drive winds gently through
grounds sheltered by majestic oaks.
Many have journeyed here before, some by carriage, to visit this fine Gothic Revival home, originally slated to be built in the 1850s by planter and physician Dr. John Kirk and his wife Caroline, the home a wedding present from Caroline’s father, James Kirk.
Work was halted by the Civil War, and while occupied, the interior was never completed until 1946, when new owners John and Betsy Gould Sturgeon finished it in grand style.
In 1980, the Welton family purchased the land and the house was later listed in the National Register of Historic Places. But in 1987, a terrible fire devastated the house. The copper roof melted and caved in. The roof was replaced, but only the interior central domed hall and spiral staircase were restored. The rest remained charred and unfinished until purchased by the Middleton White Foundation, owned by Robert and Robin White.
Today, the house is being restored and welcomes visitors on history tours conducted by Robin.
Known as “The Dream,” the Rose Hill Plantation House was bought by Robert for his future bride Robin on her birthday, April 12, 1996.
One year later, on April 12, they were married there, in the conservatory.
Robin’s bridal portrait, painted by Robert as a gift on their second wedding anniversary, hangs in the ladies’ parlor, a wonderful receiving room with rose velvet chairs, against mint-julep colored walls, ivory silk and an ebonized Victorian mantle.
In the gentlemen’s room, the mantelpiece is German/Austrian, circa 1597. An old library table displays relics found on the property, amid hunting mounts and antique rifles.
The grand entry’s original open stringer spiral staircase is period grandeur; the 1858 elongated rosewood piano the same age as the home.
See the portrait of James Brown Kirk, painted by granddaughter Emily, at the request of her mother, Caroline. She also did the portrait on the right wall of her father, Dr. John Kirk.
The Kirk family returned the portraits, as well as other family heirlooms as restorations by the Whites began. It’s Christmas at Rose Hill Plantation House, as the grand tree holds center court, glimpsed from the drive, welcoming another splendid holiday in this historic home.
The Choral Society’s Christmas tour has always recognized the incredible beauty of the area’s surroundings, and this year’s tour honors that tradition.
From Rose Hill Plantation House, continue to the Belfair Point home of John Donaldson, located on the former grounds of the Belfair Mansion and the River House cottage, a Lowcountry rustic with open-beam ceilings and cypress walls.
The grounds include pasture, horse barn, oyster pavilion and pool house with views of Callawassie and Spring Islands over the waters of Colleton River.
Spend a glorious day, enjoying Lowcountry scenery, including the stunning Rose Hill residence of Ron and Donna Manzo, the charming Moss Creek manor of Kent and Toni Harrington, Paul and Sandy Koepke’s Hilton Head Plantation Glenmore Place, and the Country French home of Jerry and Connie Voight by Port Royal Sound.
“We have outstanding homes, with collections ranging from antique oils to the pop art of Andy Warhol protégé Ronnie Cutrone,” said Tour Chairwoman Mary Lou Hiatt. “Best of all, Lowcountry history comes alive, from the grounds of Rose Hill Plantation House to the beauty of Belfair Point. It truly is a tour like no other.”
For information on Rose Hill Plantation House visit rosehillmansion.com or call (843) 757-6046. For home tour information call (843) 341-3818, or visit hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.
AT A GLANCE:
A Tour like no other! Visit Bluffton and Hilton Head Island homes in true Christmas splendor, including the gracious and historic Rose Hill Plantation House.
Holiday Refreshments: Served at Rose Hill Golf Club’s Villa Rosa Ristorante at 1:30 p.m. with a special concert by the Youth Choir, and again at 3 p.m. with music by the Choral Society Ensemble.
WIN A MARK ROBERTS FAIRY: Free drawings at each residence for a magical Mark Roberts Fairy donated by Pyramids, the Christmas tour sponsor.
TICKETS: $20 in advance, $25 at door, available at Lowcountry outlets including Burke’s Pharmacy, Christie’s Hallmark; Group 3/Pyramids; Markel’s Gift Shop, Paper & Party Plantation, Pretty Papers, Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center, and Rose Hill’s Villa Rosa Ristorante on day of tour. Call (843) 341-3818, or visit hiltonheadchoralsociety.org.
