The Barnett House

Along Warren Street in Sumter, Corinthian columns rise across the front of a two-story home, framing porches that have witnessed generations of change. Known historically as the Barnett House, the residence belonged to one family for more than a century, connecting its rooms to the city’s agricultural, business and Jewish history.

The family’s arrival in Sumter dates to 1880, when B.J. Barnett moved there with three of his grown children and opened a general store. His earlier years had taken him from peddling to shopkeeping in nearby Manville, where he acquired acreage for cotton farming. He later served on Sumter’s city council, establishing a presence that extended from the surrounding farmland into the town’s public life.

The house’s earliest history carries some uncertainty. A 2019 account in The Sumter Item places its construction in 1880 on North Washington Street, followed by a move to Warren Street in 1912. Later accounts identify 1912 as the construction year and include differing family recollections about an earlier Barnett residence. The surviving stories agree on the family connection, even as the building’s original timeline remains unresolved.

By 1950, the Warren Street home was entering another generation of family life. Henry “Bubba” Barnett had returned from World War II to take over the family farms. He married Patty Levi, and the couple settled into the house. In 1956, the year their oldest son was born, Henry Barnett planted his first peach tree. That planting grew into Barnett’s Peaches, eventually one of South Carolina’s largest peach orchards.

Patty Barnett helped expand the business by finding local buyers for peaches too ripe to withstand shipping. Her work also reached into Sumter’s cultural and religious life through service to the Sumter Museum and years of teaching at Temple Sinai. The family’s influence continued well beyond the boundaries of its Warren Street property.

Inside the house, original hardwood floors and tile remain, preserving familiar surfaces through the transition from private residence to guest accommodation. In 2017, Tracey and Tommy McLaughlin purchased the property from the Barnett estate and opened 1912 Bed and Breakfast the following year.

Today, the house offers visitors more than a view from the street. Guests can stay beneath its roof, walk across its original floors and spend time inside this longtime Sumter family home.

Anna Garrison is a heritage photographer, author and storyteller based in Columbia. She is passionate about keeping history and human experiences alive through documenting the quiet details of historic structures, preserving forgotten architecture or sharing stories that connect us. Garrison is the founder of Her Story, Her Voice, a literary showcase that connects local women authors with the community to share their writing and their creative journeys, and is deeply committed to celebrating both the physical and human history around us. To connect with her, email [email protected] or follow @walking_through_yesterday and @herstory_hervoicesc on Instagram.