Belfast Plantation in Allendale, SC

Impressive Belfast has witnessed the ravages of time, the elements, wars and man, for almost two centuries. Most probably the sturdiness of her remarkable architecture is responsible for her longevity, as well as the fact that she is far removed from the beaten track, in her secluded position in the forest's depths.

Records reveal that in the year 1744, an Irish gentleman by the name of Scarborough came to America from Belfast, Ireland, in search of property. It was he who acquired numerous small tracts from owners who had grants from the King of England, and welded them together in the formation of a huge estate which he called "Belfast" for his beloved home land.

The ground level floor of the house is constructed of brick with walls two feet in thickness. The upper story, which is reached by a wide step leading from the ground to a porch supported by large square columns, is constructed of wide pine boards. The combinations of brick and frame is attractive.
A scientific work of art is the framework of Belfast. Joists, sills, uprights and beams all well notched deeply to fit, are secured with wooden pegs. Over head beams thirty feet in length are arranged in tent-like formation with a common center and spreading in every direction like the drives of an umbrella, is frame work for covering the great house. ' Doors, hand-wrought molding, cornices, balustrades and massive hardware, are distinctive features. Floors are of wide yellow pine boards. A revived Palladian Greek Art, by the famous Andrea Palladian, is used over doors, windows, and in gable ends. Mantels of the original Adams Period lend charm to the great open fireplaces while a concealed base board heating system adds comfort to the high ceiling rooms of Belfast.

Mr. and Mrs. Lightsey conceived the unique idea of paneling each room in a different kind of wood, all felled from trees on the estate. Soft red cypress paneling in one room is in widths from 36" to 38" wide. Other wood used are yellow pine, fragrant cedar, honey-tinted sycamore, burly maple, ash and other native wood.

The floor plans of Belfast are typical of their era. Wide halls separate the bed rooms on one side from parlors, drawing room and dens, on the other. The ground floor contains a master's office, a den, a gun and game room, closets, pantry, freezer locker room, utility room, and an enormous banquet hall.

A vault or dungeon-like pit formerly occupied space on the ground floor, was used to store valuables, and, also, probably for protection in times of danger. Altogether, scrupulous attention has been given to preserving Belfast in its entirety. Much of the handsome furniture adorning the house came from the parental home of Mrs. Lightsey in New Orleans, La. Exquisite taste has been used by the Lightseys in furnishing the place, not one modern piece of furniture mars the scheme of furnishing and decorations. The kitchen keeps its traditional atmosphere despite the use of modern facilities; tile baths, a freezer locker system, and other devices have been installed in making Belfast comfortable and livable.

Judge and Mrs. Lightsey are at present enjoying their estate on week-ends and holidays, commuting from Columbia, their home. Joining them frequently, are their daughter, Miss Ellen Glenn Lightsey, of the Musical Therapy Department, State Hospital, Columbia, and their son, Dr. H. M. Lightsey, his wife and H. M. Lightsey III of Allendale. Dr. Lightsey, manager of Belfast Plantation, resides in the town of Allendale where he maintains an office in his practice of Veterinary Medicine.

Four thousand acres of the plantation might justly be termed the forest primeval. Throughout the years quantities of fine timber have been utilized on the place and also marketed. However, this almost semi-tropical land is conducive to lush and fast growth of all vegetation, thus we find much timber remaining. Evidence of that which has been cut are the dead stumps dotted throughout the woods. This vast swamp and the accompanying ridge are "Meccas" for the hunter, the angler, the naturalist, the ornithologist, the scientist, and the geologist. Trees of many types and kinds interlock branches in excluding almost all sunlight except that which filters through.

Beneath the forest lies a ground floor jungle almost impenetrable in its unbroken tangle of vines, low growing shrubbery, palmettos and cones; the last named providing a succulent food for cattle. The density of the area frequently causes large herds of deer to resort to adjoining hill sides in search of food or to seek refuge from the deep morass by way of some well trodden devious paths. A veritable glory to wild life is this haven so seldom frequented by molesters. Wild turkey, duck, quail, snipe, abound in plenty, while some pheasants are also found.

The treetop world is alive with birds of brilliant plumage and medley of song. Cranes, tall white ones, blue herons and gan-nets feast upon minnows, small fish and frogs, in the sluggish waters, while monstrous alligators and snakes of various kinds browse along the banks of streams. An angler's paradise are the streams and lakes on this estate where fish to suit the most fastidious taste are caught upon slight invitation. Bass, bream, red breast, blue and channel cats are a-mong the most numerous. Red fish so large as to resemble fallen logs in the water depths, are frequently caught.
Despite the preying animals of this forest and swamp, nature in all her wisdom has managed to keep an even balance in this forest domain. Most animals only eat to live, few slaughter for other reasons. Every specie of animal peculiar to lower Carolina, abides here. In addition, the less common wildcat, the hog bear, and the cougar, with its fearsome shreik inhabit the depths. Huge owls, monarchs of the tree world, haunt the stillness of the area with their menacing threat and admonitions, adding to the eeriness of the situation.

The topography of Belfast lends itself well to the drliling of flowing wells, twelve of which were secured at an average depth of two hundred feet. Materials brought to the surface in digging procedure are indicative of the geological changes through which the area has passed in remote ages. On the Georgia shore opposite Belfast, excavations have unearthed fossils of extinct emphibians, of giant oysters and other life, attesting further to cycles of bygone ages.

Upon the lush pastures maintained on the plantation, four hundred brood sows, with their squealing families close by, browse in a sort of self - service method, from acres of unbroken corn and other crops planted especially for that purpose on the 2000 acres under cultivation. The present precision and well ordered arrangement of Belfast is in striking contrast to that of periods in her vascillating history.
Records of ownership reveal a panorama of progress; decadence during which the only sign of life on the huge estate was in forest and stream. Dr. H. M. Lightsey, Jr., has done much valuable chronological research of the country from the times of settlement by Indians, the tribes of early explorers and of settlers following them.

Chronicles reveal constantly fluctuating acreage of the place, frequent changes in deeds and titles of the various tracts which were formerly individual grants until acquired by William Scarborough, a wealthy merchant of Savannah and Charleston, and incorporated with the original Belfast tract.
Savannah River, long, broad, and navigable, was a natural lure to the early explorer. History reveals that as early as 1554 less than half a century after the historic voyage of Columbus, the very first steps leading to development of plantations were taken here. Hernand DeSoto is said to have crossed the river near where Belfast is located in search of riches and trade with the Indians.

Accounts of DeSoto's journey state that he entered the land with one hundred men and one hundred horses and pushed into an Indian territory. When his entrance was discovered it was made known to tribes below and above in the traditional manner, whereupon DeSoto's party was met by a delegation of Indian braves demanding his intentions. In answer to the query "Peace or War?" he replied "Peace", consequently he was escorted to the Indian Queen where gifts were exchanged with ceremony.

However, DeSoto's search proved futile and he returned to his native land. The courageous Dr. Henry Woodward, missionary and trader, plied up and down the stream in pursuance of his work. After the Yemassee War, the section was practically cleared of hostile Indians and by 1749 the impact of white settlers pushing inward from over-crowded Coastal Carolina was being felt. At the end of that glorious period of exploration and the beginning of pioneer life within this vicinity we find most intimate accounts of the life of the settlers, the possibilities of the country, and the beginning of trade.

There was said that cattle roamed over the forests; wild horses roamed the plains, and wild hogs were in the forest depths. Accounts of cattle roundups and brandings, the lassoing of horses for sales and exchange, and the butchering of hogs for home consumption as well as for market, are intriguing. Other common commodities for sale were staves, pork, and beef.

Among the names recorded on transactions, we find: Hammonds, Dunbars, Brathwaite, Brown, Gordon, Fennel, Middleton, Lamar, and many others whose descendants are numerous within Carolina. Roads were described as mere trails over which wooden-wheeled carts and slides, traveled to strategic points inland while the mighty Savannah remained the highway of trade, transportation, and travel. Thus, Belfast Plantation, nostalgic of history fraught with memories and mysteries of bygone decades, remains to the charm of the countryside and awakes to a heritage precious in the chronicles of Carolina history.

The late Mr. J. J. Walker came into possession of Belfast Plantation in 1911. He and his family made their home there until Mr. Walker felt that the great swampy area was detrimental to the health of his family. Consequently, he moved to Allendale, still owning and maintaining the place until 1948 when it was purchased by Judge and Mrs. Lightsey and Mr. E. C. Glenn (Mrs. Lightsey's brother.) The place now owned solely by the Lightsey's has undergone a thorough and complete change. The fine old house has been restored to its original with few changes except the paneling used on interior walls and ceilings, replacing plaster of former days.

Numbers of acres are under pasture and fence while two thousand acres of cleared land are cultivated in growing crops for feeding livestock. Modern machinery is used exclusively on the plantation. Included is the plan of restoring and caring for cemeteries on the place which in themselves are authentic records of historical value, in this, then Granville County. Near Belfast House in the shade of moss draped oaks standing sentinels of security is the interesting tomb of William Scarborough who departed this life in 1810. The unique epitaph follows: "When the storm of adversity bore too heavily upon his brow, He retired to this then wilderness. Behold about you what his industry and perseverence have accomplished." History is traditionally repeating itself in that Belfast Estate has fallen into appreciative hands who will a-rouse her from her long state of lethargy, preserving her heritage and restoring her economic status.

Judge H. M. Lightsey, son of the late Mr. Perry Lightsey of an influential pioneer family of lower Carolina, graduated at the University of South Carolina and Carolina Law School after which he was actively associated with athletics, serving as coach of the University and other schools for a number of years. Mr. Lightsey has served as Master of Equity of Richland County for the past twenty years.
Judge Lightsey is also a brother of Mrs. Ray B. Edenfield, of Allendale. Mrs. Lightsey, the former Ellen Glenn, also made her home in Hampton County for a number of years, prior to her marriage to Mr. Lightsey.