Bluffton restarts push to restore ex-slave’s home

The Garvin House at Bluffton's Oyster Factory Park on Dec. 16, 2013. Though the structure of the former freedman's home has been stabilized, the effort to restore it has stalled. JAYKARRStaffphoto|BuyPhoto

The town of Bluffton has restarted its push to restore the Garvin House, the earliest-known home owned by a freed slave along the May River.

The town is accepting bids from engineers and architects for a structural assessment and preservation plan for the historically significant cabin, which should be completed in six months, according to town spokeswoman Debbie Szpanka.

The deadline for bids is Jan. 20, the first step in what town Historic Preservation Society president Nick Maxim hopes to be the restoration of the historic home in Oyster Factory Park.

"Of the properties out there right now, this is definitely No. 1 on our agenda," said Maxim, who also serves on the town's Historic Preservation Commission and owns contracting firm Arkbuilt LLC.

"There are voices of concern in the community: 'What's going to happen? ... Is it going to continue rotting?'"

This isn't the town's first attempt to repair the deteriorating piece of history.

In 2009, town planners stabilized the cabin to prevent it from collapsing.

The clapboard structure was rid of termites, supported by heavy beams and covered with a tarp to protect from the rain.

The town then hired the Living History Group of Charleston to create a preservation plan and paid the consultant with a $40,000 matching grant from the S.C. Department of Archives and History, according to town documents.

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Bluffton restarts push to restore ex-slave's home