The Historic Hampton House 1908

The Historic Hampton House 1908 at 307 Hampton Avenue in Pickens, South Carolina has been a big part of Pickens’ history and will now continue to make history and memories as an elegant event venue with southern charm.

The History

Built in 1908, the property was originally The McFall House. It was built by Vesta Mauldin, the widow of Waddy Thompson McFall who was the mayor of Pickens, S.C. when he died in 1905. Vesta Mauldin was the daughter of Picken’s 􀃞rst sheriff and the sister to Judge Mauldin.*

After a few ownership changes, the house was last owned by Margaret Duncan Gilstrap, a prominent business woman in Pickens. Margaret was an entrepreneur, a real estate investor, as well as the owner and operator of the Pickens Flower Shop. While she owned the house, Margaret was known to host elaborate Christmas celebrations and tours at the house. After Margaret passed away, her family put the house up for sale. At that point, the property was in need of much repair. The roof was leaking, the termites were feasting, and the house needed love.

The Turning Point

In the spring of 2021, Beth Velner, an Upstate real-estate investor walked through the property and got excited. Beth loved old houses and she was able to see past the collapsed ceiling, rotten walls and squishy floors. She saw the original glory of the house. She saw potential – the fantastic woodwork, original built-in buffets, ten-foot pocket doors, massive rooms with 􀃞replaces, wrap-around porch, and eight-car garage were just a few highlights.

Beth purchased the property in May 2021 and immediately started working on the property. The Gilstrap family had given her the original blueprints of the house and she used it to guide her renovations. Beth had intended to renovate the house and turn it into a grand southern home for a lucky family moving to Pickens.

From Vision to Reality

As Beth was 􀃞nishing up the renovations and getting ready to put the house on the market, several people asked if she would consider hosting weddings at the property. After a lot of research, analysis and conversations powered by extra-strong coffee, the Historic Hampton House 1908 was born! The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce of􀃞ciated a grand opening ceremony on November 5th 2022. That is when Margaret’s daughter, Vicki Porter, said that her mother had the vision of turning the property into an event venue someday. The stars have aligned and these two different generations of visionary real-estate investors finally turned a vision into reality.

A New Chapter

307 Hampton Avenue has a special place in the local community’s heart. So many long-time residents have stopped by the house to share their stories about the house – my aunt lived in one of the rooms there; I learned piano in that house; I had to go into that dining room to pay my rent; I went to a Christmas party there; I cut through that backyard walking home from school; I picked pecans in that backyard; etc.

Going forward, the Historic Hampton House 1908 will generate a lot more stories – we got married under that tree in the backyard; I had my baby shower at the house; your mom and I met at a wedding party there; we had grandma’s 80th birthday in that house; etc.

Here at Historic Hampton House 1908, we feel privileged to be a part of Picken’s community, history, and ongoing story!