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| Historic Home Faces New Future |
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Plans move forward on Bradley-Boggs house sold in auction An antebellum home steeped in Pickens history could see new life in the coming years. Two entrepreneurs have purchased the Bradley-Boggs house, a large two-story home that sits on West Main Street in downtown Pickens, and are moving forward with plans to restore it and make the house a vital part of the community once more. Scott Bork and Rhonda Duncan, partners in Innovations in Healthcare who also own DunBurks Premier Events in a building they restored in downtown Easley, purchased the Boggs house in September for $52,000. Bork said the building, while run-down and dilapidated, is “just incredible.” He said they bought the house not knowing anything about it, but what they’ve found is a rich and important history. Wayne Kelley with the Pickens County Historical Society said local lore was that the house was built in 1880 by David Bradley, who was the founder of the Pickens Sentinel and who also served as a state senator and representative. But an investigation with Mike Bedenbaugh, executive director for The Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, showed Bradley must have purchased and added on to the home, revealing that portions of it were older than previously thought, according to Kelley. Bedenbaugh said they don’t know exactly when the house was built but said he thinks the core of the home was some time after the 1840s. “The front two-story frame work definitely dates from the antebellum period,” Bedenbaugh said. He said evidence suggests the home was moved to its current location, probably from old Pickens – called Pickens Court House, which was moved in 1868 from where Keowee Toxaway is now to the present day Pickens. And what will the aging structure’s future hold? Bork said they don’t know what they are going to do with the house yet, but he said they are sure of one thing. “We want to preserve it,” he said. “We will not destroy it in any way.” They hope to find a concept that makes the site “a center point for Pickens that could serve the community and also be successful as a business,” Bork said. Kelley said the house can become a centerpiece for the town and county if it’s “restored and brought back to its original splendor,” describing how he would love to see it opened as perhaps a restaurant or bed and breakfast. Duncan bought the Bradley-Boggs House at an auction in September that was set up by court-appointed receivers of the house, former Pickens Jaycees members Bob Lofink and Wade Greer. The no longer active Pickens Jaycees owned the house, which they had used as a haunted house for several years as a primary fundraiser through the 90s, Lofink said. He said the money from the sale will be distributed to Jaycee charities including Jaycee Camp Hope and Pickens parks and recreation. Bork said remnants of the property’s past, including its days as a haunted house, are still evident with temporary walls and other items in place. “There’s a front end of a Chevy in there. There’s an old piano,” he said. “But on the other hand I think it has 10 fireplaces. It’s really remarkable.” While Bork said they don’t have a timeline for when the property will be finished, he said work has already started. They are getting the yard cleaned up now. “We think it will take a year just to get it to a place where we can step back and assess and say, what is this really, what kind of a project is this going to be?” he said. Staff writer Julie Howle can be reached at 864-298-4303 |
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