Modern Living in the Old South

Col. J. H. Averill House

102 Hickory Street | Built ca. 1880 | Current Owners: Matthew and Michelle Tyler

On Hickory Street, beneath intricate Victorian fretwork, the Col. J. H. Averill House stands with quiet assurance. Built around 1880 in the Queen Anne and Eastlake styles, its clapboard façade and broad porch reflect the confidence of a growing railroad town.

The home is most closely associated with John Henry Averill, who owned it from 1884 to 1904. During the Civil War, Averill remained with the South Carolina Railroad and was appointed Master of Transportation for the Confederate Army, overseeing the movement of troops and supplies by train. Though he did not serve in combat, the authority he held over rail lines earned him the honorific “Colonel.”

It is believed he positioned the house near the tracks so he could walk outside and board the train to Charleston; a small station known as the West End Station once stood nearby and served as his office. Later, Averill assumed leadership of the railroad and served on town council, advocating for drainage canals that would eventually shape what is now Azalea Park.

The house survived the 1886 earthquake — an event Averill experienced firsthand in his study as the structure shifted off its foundation. Approximately seventy-five percent of the visible wood remains original, including heart-of-pine floors and parlor doors. The distinctive star motif carved into the fretwork, believed to be the builder’s signature, continues to distinguish the home today.

Under the stewardship of Matthew and Michelle Tyler, the Averill House remains both historically grounded and carefully preserved.