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Just below on the Ashley, on its north bank, was the plantation of the Wrights now called "Oak Forest",and below that the residence of one of the branches of the Izard family called "Cedar Grove",well known for the style of its buildings and its gardens. Above and beyond the road to Bacon's Bridge was the seat of another one of the Izards, on the old grant to William Norman, and called "Burton", and afterwards "Fair Spring", where are still to be seen the remains of a laroe brick house. Above this was the site of the original grant to Benjamin Waring, the ancestor of the Waring family, and which during the Revolutionary War was owned by Dr. David Oliphant, a member of the Council of Safety and Surgeon-General of the Continental forces in South Carolina. Above this again was the old grant and residence of Col. Andrew Percival, always known as "The Ponds" - the chief pond now being "Shulz's Lake". The most pretentious buildings and mansion were those at "Newington", the old Axtell settlement, which through Lady Axtell'ss daughter, Lady Elizabeth Blake (Lady as the wife of a Landgrave and Lord Proprietor), had descended to Col.Joseph Blake. The Newington house was said to have been one of the largest brick houses built in lower Carolina at that period, and with its double avenue of live oaks and wide gardens was at the time of the Revolutionary War one of the "show places", so to say, of the country side. The Ralph Izard who settled at "Burton", afterwards "Fair Spring,", about a mile and a half distant, had married a daughter of Col. Blake, and a straight road or avenue led from one house to the other.
West of Newington, across the swamp and within a few yards of the present public road, now called the Orangeburg road, was the brick mansion of "Mount Boone", devised by Lady Axtell to another daughter, Mrs. Joseph Boone. By his will in 1733, Mr. Boone directed himself to be buried at Mount Boone, and his broken gravestone is still there, adjacent to the foundations of the house, with the inscription placed over him in 1733.
A number of other settlements stretched up along the Cypress Swamp to the north, where a number of grants had been made to the Ways, Warings, Postells, Ford, Verditty, Boisseau and Porcher to the point well known on the old plats and in the old Statutes as "Izard's Cowpen", another large estate of the Izard family where the public road crosses the Cypress Swamp.
To the east of Dorchester was the settlement and mansion of Robert Miller, on that afterwards was known as "Rose Hill", and that of Mr. John Branford at the point where stands the house formerly owned by the late Dr. Brailsford. South of which was the place belonging early in the last century to Sir Hovenden Walker, and generally called his barony. West of this again, and nearer Dorchester, was the seat of Richard Walter, which was after the Revolutionary War acquired by Capt. Matthias Hutchinson, and by him named "Traveller's Rest", and opposite this, on the east of the public road, was the seat of Mr. Richard Waring, originally called "White Hall", but afterwards "Tranquil Hill", and noteworthy for its choice site and elaborate garden.
At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War Dorchester, altho' still a mere village, was next to Charles Town and George Town, the largest village in South Carolina.
The Council of Safety, in July, 1775, directed its survey and fortification, and in October, 1775, part of the public store of powder and ordinance with the public records were lodged there for safety. In November, 1775, the fortification being completed, Capt. Francis Marion was ordered to garrison it with two companies. In May, 1778, Gen. Moultrie formed his camp at Dorchester, and a year later, in May, 1779, Gen. Moultrie, then hastening to Charles Town to meet the invasion of the British under Prevost halted and reformed his army at Dorchester.
In February, 1780, Sir Henry Clinton landed and advanced to the siege of Charles Town, and as part of the general defence Gen. Moultrie constructed a redoubt on the high land on the east side of the Ashley River, at Bacon's Bridge, so as to command the bridge and prevent a crossing there on Dorchester. The remains of this redoubt are still visible.
All the American forces being withdrawn to the city, Tarleton, commanding the British Cavalry, marched, practically unopposed, up the Ashley, crossed the river at Bacon's Bridge and took possession of Dorchester on the 13th April, 1780.
Lieut. Allaire, of Ferguson's Loyal Americans, describes the town then as a small village, containing about 40 houses and a church.
With the capture of Charles Town and the subjection of the Lowcountry to the British, Dorchester became a British post occupied by a British garrison. To the period of the British occupation is assigned the construction of the earthwork that is situate about a third of a mile northeast of Dorchester, at the junction of the public road leading to Charles Town and the road leading to Goose Creek (now commonly called the Ladson Road), between Eagle and Dorchester creeks. This earthwork commands both roads at this junction.
The writer has never been able to find any record of its construction, and it is only by tradition ascribed to the British. It resembles other redoubts constructed by the British at the time, especially one on the old Fair Lawn, or Colleton, barony at the head of Cooper River.
On July 14, 1781, Dorchester was occupied by Col. Lee ("Light Horse Harry") with his region, capturing many horses and a good supply of ammunition, but was again occupied by the British when Gen. Greene concentrated his troops prior to the movements resulting in the battle of Eutaw Springs.
On December 1, 1781, Col. Wade Hampton advanced against Dorchester. The British garrison of 400 infantry and 150 carnally did not await his attack, but during the night destroyed everything, threw their cannon into the river and retreated to Charles Town, and Dorchester passed finally under the control of the American forces.
During the occupancy of Dorchester by the British a party from that garrison or from Charles Town visited the Fair Spring mansion house (near the public road, a little above Bacon's Bridge) for the purpose of capturing Mr. Ralph Izard, then an Aide-de-camp to Col. Lee, of the Legion, of whose presence at his home they had been apprized. He had scarcely time to conceal himself in a clothes-press before the house was entered by the British soldiers. Nothing saved him but the composure and urbanity of Mrs. Izard (a Miss stead who maintained her self control, notwithstanding the threat to her of personal indignity and the plunder of her house. Affected by her behavior credence was given to the information that Mr. Izard was not there. The party being drawn off Mr. Izard crossed the Ashley in the rear of the house and gave alarm to a body of American troops. The enemy had again returned to the Fair Spring house for another search, and again retired, but not in time to evade the pursuit of a body of American cavalrly, who had been pushed across Bacon's Bridge, and overtaking the returning enemy completely routed them.
After the close of the Revolutionary War Dorchester decayed rapidly. Several reasons conduced to this.
Its military and defensive position entirely departed with the growth of the middle and upper country and the extension of the frontier. With the development and increase of roads and the accompanying river navigation, Dorchester ceased to be a point of any commercial importance, the points of reception and distribution of merchandise being shifted with the growth of the country. The country immediately around Dorchester is neither fertile or populous, and its population was composed of planters who could and did deal directly with Charles Town. Finally its location was an unhealthy one, and entirely unsuited for the purposes of a simmer resort for the surrounding planters. There being no reasons based on health, business or defense for its perpetuation it rapidly ceased to exist. On March 5, 1788, scarcely five years after the close of the war, the following entry is made in Bishop Asbury's journal:
"March 5, 1788 I passed Dorchester where there are remains of what appears to have been once a considerable town. There are the ruins of an elegant church and the vestiges of several well built houses".With the decadence of Dorchester, and perhaps accelerating it, came the foundation and growth of the town of Summerville, situated at first about five miles off, on the headwaters of the same creek that flowed by Dorchester, and on a part of the grant originally made to Gershom Hawks in 1705. From Hawks it passed in some way to Daniel Axtell, the one who ran the saw mill, for in 1729 Daniel Axtell and his son, Daniel Axtell, Jr., of Bristol, in Dighton County, Massachusetts, conveyed it to Daniel Stewart, whose son, Daniel Stewart, in 1766, conveyed it with some lots in the second division of the Dorchester 4,050 acre tract to Michael Geiger. From Michael Geiger it descended to his son, Jacob Geiger. After Jacob Geiger's death it was, in 1811, under proceedings in the Court of Equity for partition conveyed to Jacob Williman.
Prior to this date (1811) its occupancy had begun. The planters of the neighborhood, in search of some healthy retreat during summer, where security could be had from the malarial disorders that beset their fertile but unhealthy plantations, found that the pine land ridges of Summerville answered the purpose. There was a thick growth of the long leaf or yellow pine, and a succession of dry sandy ridges, with a sufficient fall in the water courses to carry off the excessive rain and moisture. It was found to be free from the pest of mosquitoes, and the nights, even in summer, fresh and invigorating.
From about 1790, little by little one planter after another made a summer settlement and built a house, and the abandoned and decaying houses of Dorchester (from which materials, and especially bricks were removed) formed the basis and furnished the foundations of this new town,until nothing but crumbling piles of broken fragments of brick were left to mark the sites of the hearths of the old one.
Jacob Williman, in his life, parted with some of the pine land, and on his death the remainder was conveyed to Thomas Moore, by whose direction a part was laid off as a town in 1832. The part laid off being what was formerly called "Old Summerville", lying west of a line beginning about the house now occupied by Mr. L. A. Emerson, at the corner of First South and Palmetto streets, and running in a southerly direction to the house now occupied by Mr. E. P. Guerard, on Sumter Avenue and Sixth South Street, and thence easterly across Red Hill.
About the same time as Moore had "Old Summerville" laid out and platted the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company had "New Summerville" laid out as a town adjacent to and east of "Old Summerville". This lay on part of the grant to Robert Fenwicke in 1701, which part of the grant, with one of the lots in the second division of the Dorchester tract of 4,050 acres, became the property of Gershom Hawks and descended to Moses Hawks by whose executors they were conveyed in 1737 to Daniel Stewart by whose son, John Stewart, they were in 1760 conveyed to Samuel Wainwright, under will they passed to his nephew, Richard Wainwright. Under an execution against Richard Wainwright they were sold in 1802 to Robert Dewar, and, on a division of Robert Dewar's property in 1831, were sold to the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. By that company the portion adjacent to and on each side the railroad was laid out for a town, and now comprises the larger part of the town of Summerville.
The town of Summerville, altho' in some respects the descendant of Dorchester, as being in part situate upon the original Dorchester grant, and in part upon land granted to or owned by persons affiliated with the original Dorchester settlers (Hawks and Stewart) and in part originally constructed from materials derived from old Dorchester, yet was settled by entirely different people. The effect of the exodus to Georgia was such that among the earlier settlers of Summerville there is not one bearing the name of any of the "Church" who migrated from Dorchester, Massachusetts.
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