1326 & 1330 Gregg Street
Fair-Rutherford and Rutherford Houses
In 1905, freedman William H. Rutherford, a teacher, barber, and manufacturer of fraternal regalia and cigars, purchased as a rental property the circa-1850 Greek Revival style cottage originally owned by Dr. Samuel Fair. This building was demolished in 2004.
In 1914, his son Harry B. Rutherford, Sr. acquired adjacent property and within a decade, Harry’s widow, Carrie Rutherford, built the Rutherford House at 1330 Gregg. In 1982, this structure was rehabilitated as a dental office operated by one of William Rutherford’s great-grandsons. Three generations of the Rutherford family, which still owns the property today, became respected educators and administrators, illustrating the progression of one family from enslavement through social prominence and material achievement.
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1330 Gregg Street. Historic Columbia collection
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Dr. Fair's residence was later purchased by William H. Rutherford and improved by successive generations of his family. C. Drie's Bird’s Eye View of the City of Columbia, S.C., 1872. Image courtesy Library of Congress
