Duncannon Plantation – Snelling – Barnwell County

Basic Information

• Location – Snelling, Barnwell County

  728 Duncannon Road (3)
  

• Origin of name – Named for Duncan's ancestral home in Scotland
  

• Other names – Melrose; Walker

• Current status – Privately owned and operated as a special events venue (5)
  

Timeline

• 1802 – Earliest known date of existence when founded by Joseph Harley (3).
  

• 1835 – House built by Colonel Billy Duncan who had married Joseph Harley's daughter Harriet (2, p. 8B) (3) (4).
  

• 1860s – Lore suggests the house was spared by Sherman's troops because a woman and sick child were resting in a bedroom upstairs (4).
  

• 1911 – The house was a boarding house (2, p. 8B).
  

• 1930s – George Herbert Walker, grandfather of President George Herbert Walker Bush (41), purchased the plantation. President Bush used to visit his grandfather at Duncannon as a child (2, p. 8B).
  

• Early 1940s – Walker moved out of the house leaving it to a friend and fully furnished (2, p. 8B).
  

• ? – Walker's friend then gave the plantation to his hunting club (2, p. 8B).
  

• 1952 – Thomas S. "Sandy" and Suzanne Wilson McMillan purchased the house when most of the land was sold to the United States government for construction of the Savannah River Site (2, p. 8B).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 756 in 2016 (3)
  

• Primary crop – Cotton (4)
  

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Colonel Billy Duncan; Easterling; Joseph Harley (1802-?); Thomas S. "Sandy" and Suzanne Wilson McMillan (1952-?); George Herbert Walker (1930s-early 1940s)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

  We are actively seeking information on the slaves who lived and worked at this plantation. If you find a resource that might help, please fill out this form. Thank you.
  

Buildings

• House is a wooden structure with approximately 4,200 square fee. There is also a guest house on the property (3).
  

References & Resources

1. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society

2. Philip Lord, President-Elect Has Ties With Area Through Duncannon Plantation, (Aiken, SC: Aiken Standard Newspaper, December 8, 1988)
   

3. Real Estate Listing - includes photos
   

4. History From The Ground Up
   

5. Duncannon Plantation, Special Events
   

Contact

• Duncannon Plantation
  728 Duncannon Road
  Barnwell, SC 29812
  

  Website: Click here