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An excerpt from "Fine and
Decorate Arts Collections of the Governor's
Mansion"
by Lynn Robertson
in The Governor's Mansion of South Carolina 1855-2001
Tangible Links to the Past
All houses have stories to tell, and great houses tell great tales.
The narratives emerge in different ways, but the stories of the South
Carolina Governor's Mansion share some important themes. They unfold
mostly across a backdrop of the state's political history, through the
lives of first families, and through the objects of fine art,
furniture, and decorative arts that have filled
the Mansion for more than 130 years. To examine the furnishings that
adorn the Mansion is to learn much about the lives and values of those
men, women, and children who have lived there. Because the Governor's
Mansion is an historic public building that belongs to the people of
South Carolina, it is a place to
learn stories about the changing fortunes of the state and its
citizens.
Throughout America's history, household goods accounted for much of a
person's wealth. Written inventories were created to list and appraise
personal property to
determine a person's wealth and, often, his or her legal obligations.
Most inventories were created as part of
probate actions to aid in disbursing inheritances. Inventories are
important primary historical records that
provide evidence of wealth, social status, religious and cultural
values.
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