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One of the oldest brick houses in the country. It was built, circa 1822~28, by Wm. Parham for Joseph Johnston, the original landowner. It displays both Georgian and Federal influences in its style and details. A molded brick water table and elaborate cornice on both the front and back display the exceptional degree of the brick masons' skills. The usual plan of a central hall was eliminated. Instead, two parallel entrances open into the lower rooms, both front and back. The massive exterior end chimneys and tall, narrow profile give the house its imposing appearance. The house has had several owners during its existence but has been owned by members of the Gamble family for well over a century.
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A house of this age would have many stories to tell. Some would be of its early days as the "Big House", the center of a cotton plantation, others would be of the births, marriages, and deaths of its' occupants. Still, other stories might be of the "ghostly" occurrence there, the strange unexplained sounds, the rattling of chains and the mysterious "touching" experienced by John Girault Gamble, who was born in the house.
A pane in one of the transoms had been shot out years before
and was found to be broken many times thereafter requiring replacement over and over. These and the tales of balls of "Foxfire" rising from the nearby cemetery, contribute to the legacy of this old house.
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