Step Inside History at the Hampton-Preston Mansion

Historic Columbia will offer tours of the Hampton-Preston Mansion on Sunday, March 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tours are free for Historic Columbia members and residents of Richland and Lexington counties and will be offered at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Guests will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis, with no advance registration available. The event is made possible with support from Richland County and Councilman Jason Branham.

Built in 1818 by Columbia merchant Ainsley Hall and his wife, Sarah, the mansion was sold five years later to Wade Hampton I, one of the South’s wealthiest planters. Over the next 50 years, the estate grew to become Columbia’s grandest residence under the Hampton and Preston families and the many men, women and children they enslaved. In the century following the Civil War, the property had multiple owners, including colleges and a tourist home, before opening to the public in 1970 after extensive rehabilitation. It is now owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia.

Location: 1615 Blanding St., Columbia. For more information, visit HistoricColumbia.org/events/2026/2026-03/free-sunday-hampton-preston-mansion.