Skip to main content
Menu

Historic Columbia

search toggle

Donate
menu close

Historic Columbia

Donate
collapse

Navigation

  • Tours
    • House Tours
      • Robert Mills House and Gardens
      • Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens
      • Mann-Simons Site
      • The Museum of the Reconstruction Era
      • Modjeska Monteith Simkins House
      • Hours and Pricing
    • Garden Tours
      • Garden Database
      • Plant Sale
    • Offsite Tours
      • Bus Tours
      • Walking Tours
    • African American History Tours
    • Online Tours
    • Group Tours
  • Events
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • House Tours
      • Bus Tours
      • Walking Tours
      • Early Adventures
    • Traveling Trunk
    • Homeschool Friday
    • Scout Troops
    • Summer Camp
    • Adult Education
  • Preservation
    • Current Projects and Initiatives
      • Bull Street Campus 
      • Columbia's Green Book Sites
      • Veterans Administration Regional Office
      • Women’s Club of Columbia
    • Preservation Awards
    • Resources for the Public
      • For Property Owners
      • For Neighborhoods
      • Take Action!
  • Support
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Membership
      • General Membership
      • Palladium Membership
      • Corporate Membership
    • Volunteer
    • Partners and Donors
  • Rent a Venue
    • Gardens of the Woodrow Wilson Family Home
    • Seibels House and Garden
    • Robert Mills Carriage House and Gardens
    • Gardens of the Hampton-Preston Mansion
    • Recommended Vendors
    • Contact Us
  • About
    • Blog
    • Board Members
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • Gift Shop at Robert Mills
      • Online Store
    • Local History
      • Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative
    • Newsletter
    • Staff Directory
  • Frequently Asked Questions

4101 McCords Ferry Road

Kensington Mansion

Colonel Richard Singleton, a wealthy cotton planter, lived at the 1853 Italianate plantation home overseeing the production of cotton, rice, potatoes, wheat, corn, rye and oats. The sprawling mansion’s details reveal international elements of wealth and luxury reflective of the original owner’s tastes. In addition to the main house, there once existed 54 buildings on the property, which included 40 cabins for enslaved workers and 13 farm buildings. In 1981, Union Camp Corporation, later superseded by International Paper, purchased 4,000 acres in Richland County, which included Kensington Mansion, to build a wood pulp and paper mill. The paper company restored the house and partnered with the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation six years later and offered tours of the mansion on select days of the week. Today, the site retains several extant buildings including the original kitchen building and one slave cabin; however, International Paper dissolved its partnership with the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation and the future of Kensington Mansion remains unknown.

  • Kensington 1890s

    Descendants of M.R. and Martha Singleton pose in 1892, shortly after Martha's death. Image courtesy Russell Maxey Photograph Collection, Richland Library

33.8778354, -80.6594771

Newsletter Signup

newsletter signup

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for events, news, and updates from Historic Columbia!

  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
Historic Columbia

© 2021 Historic Columbia

1601 Richland Street,
Columbia, SC 29201

(803) 252-7742
Website by Cyberwoven