Basic Information

• Location – North of Aiken, Aiken County

  Intersection of Wire Road and New Bridge Road (1, p. 1)

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – Richardson Place, Dawson-Vanderhorst House, New Bridge Farm (1, pp. 1-2)
• Current status – Privately owned

Timeline

• 1785 – Earliest known date of existence (1, p. 3)

  Englishman Charles Richmond received a grant for 150 acres (1, p. 3).

• Circa 1785-1800 – House built (1, p. 1)

  Soon after acquiring the property, Charles Richmond built a one and one-half story house constructed of cypress clapboard and is believed to be possibly be the oldest house in Aiken County (1, p. 2).

• 1812 – Charles Richmond deeded the plantation to his wife Susannah (1, p. 3).
• 1842 – Mrs. L.E. Aveile, from Charleston, purchased the plantation (1, p. 3).
• ? – Another Charlestonian, author Sarah Rutledge, purchased Zahara as a gift for A.V. and Caroline Dawson (1, p. 3).
• 1858 – The Dawson's daughter, Mary Huger Dawson, married famed botanist Henry Ravenel at the plantation (1, p. 3).
• 1859 – Ann Vanderhorst purchased Zahara from the Dawsons with Henry Ravenel acting as the trustee (1, p. 3).
• 1877 – James Powell purchased the plantation (1, p. 3).
• 1901 – Zahara passed into the Richardson family who ran the plantation as a farm until 1976 (1, p. 3).
• 1976 – The heirs of Claude Newman, a Richardson descendant, were owners of record (1, p. 1).
• 1976 – Nancy Wilds purchased the property, which now goes by the name New Bridge Farm, and restored the house years later (2).

Land

• Number of acres – 150 in 1785; 5 in 1976 (1, pp. 1, 4)
• Primary crop – ?

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Web Resources

1. National Register of Historic Places
   – Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1976
   – Photographs, architectural overview

2. Stephen Delaney Hale, Features Hint At House's History (Augusta, GA: The Augusta Chronicle, August 31, 1999)

3. 1976 Photos - PDF