Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Velner.
Hi Beth, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Historic Hampton House 1908 at 307 Hampton Avenue in Pickens, South Carolina has been a big part of Pickens’ history and will now continue to make history and memories as an elegant event venue with southern charm.
The History
Built in 1908, the property was originally The McFall House. It was built by Vesta Mauldin, the widow of Waddy Thompson McFall who was the mayor of Pickens, S.C. when he died in 1905. Vesta Mauldin was the daughter of Picken’s first sheriff and the sister to Judge Mauldin.*
After a few ownership changes, the house was last owned by Margaret Duncan Gilstrap, a prominent business woman in Pickens. Margaret was an entrepreneur, a real estate investor, as well as the owner and operator of the Pickens Flower Shop. While she owned the house, Margaret was known to host elaborate Christmas celebrations and tours at the house. After Margaret passed away, her family put the house up for sale. At that point, the property was in need of repair. The roof was leaking, the termites were feasting, and the house needed love.
The Turning Point
In the spring of 2021, Beth Velner, an Upstate real-estate investor walked through the property and got excited. Beth loved old houses and she was able to see past the collapsed ceiling, rotten walls, dated decor and squishy floors. She saw the original glory of the house. She saw potential – the fantastic woodwork, original built-in buffets, ten-foot pocket doors, massive rooms with fireplaces, wrap-around porch, and eight-car garage were just a few highlights.
Beth purchased the property in May 2021 and immediately started working on the property. The Gilstrap family had given her the original blueprints of the house and she used it to guide her renovations. Beth had intended to renovate the house and turn it into a grand southern home for a lucky family moving to Pickens.
From Vision to Reality
As Beth was finishing up the renovations and getting ready to put the house on the market, several people asked if she would consider hosting weddings at the property. After a lot of research, analysis and conversations powered by extra-strong coffee, the Historic Hampton House 1908 was born! The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce officiated a grand opening ceremony on November 5th 2022. That is when Margaret’s daughter, Vicki Porter, said that her mother had the vision of turning the property into an event venue someday. The stars have aligned and these two different generations of visionary real-estate investors finally turned a vision into reality.
A New Chapter
307 Hampton Avenue has a special place in the local community’s heart. So many long-time residents have stopped by the house to share their stories about the house – my aunt lived in one of the rooms there; I learned piano in that house; I had to go into that dining room to pay my rent; I went to a Christmas party there; I cut through that backyard walking home from school; I picked pecans in that backyard; etc.
Going forward, the Historic Hampton House 1908 will generate a lot more stories – we got married under that tree in the backyard; I had my baby shower at the house; your mom and I met at a wedding party there; we hosted grandma’s 80th birthday in that house; etc.
Here at Historic Hampton House 1908, we feel privileged to be a part of Picken’s community, history, and ongoing story!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Renovating an old, 1908 house was full of surprises and challenges.
We found the original water cistern in the attic, a hundred-year- old 1200lbs safe, and pulled out 14 old toilets from under the house!
In terms of renovation, the house had an addition which was built in the 1940’s but it had a lot of leaks and rot. It took some creative thinking to reimagine the space. Fortunately, with the help of the original blueprints and an architect friend, we were able maintain the structure of the original house and redesign the space into an expansive gathering room adjoining a spacious chef’s kitchen.
The biggest challenge was figuring out how to go from 2 bathrooms to 4.5 bathrooms, a necessity in a 5,000sqft home. A porch, an old trunk room and sewing room were reincarnated as luxurious, spa-like contemporary bathrooms.
On the business side, establishing ourselves as a new business in the region was not an easy feat …
Getting our name out there as a venue took a while. Even though we have a sign in the front lawn, people still tell us that they drive by our property every day and don’t realize we are an event venue! We made it a point to engage with the Pickens community by joining the Chamber of Commerce and making Historic Hampton House 1908 a proud business within this community.
As you know, we’re big fans of Historic Hampton House 1908. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
WHAT SETS US APART: ELEGANT VENUE WITH SOUTHERN CHARM
Our space is unique because it is a magnificent blend of old 1908 elegance with contemporary luxuries. In some ways, it feels like a miniature Biltmore House… but with luxurious new bathrooms and a spacious, modern kitchen! We have great photos of our space but everyone tells us that our photos don’t do the space any justice — you have to come into the space to experience the grandeur and magic!
As a venue, HHH1908 offers one-stop shop for weddings and events. We have a gorgeous bridal suite, groom’s room, multiple spaces to accommodate the wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, and best of all, fabulous overnight accommodations for up to 14 in 5 extra-large bedrooms and a studio loft.
We’ve also built a great reputation for our impeccable Southern hospitality. We are committed to exceeding our guests’ expectations and making sure every who steps foot on this property leaves happy and satisfied!
WHAT SETS US APART: INCLUSIVE VENUE
HHH1908 is an inclusive wedding and event venue. We have a lovingly-restored historic house and grounds where we are committed to hosting safe, responsible events with grace and dignity regardless of race, faith, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Last year, when we hosted a GLBTQ+ event with a drag show, a local church protested on our property, posted hateful Google reviews and asked the community to boycott us. It was challenging! It is important to us to be inclusive and safe space for all people to make memories, have fun and be joyful. We are grateful for the incredible relationships we have made with the City and the police department. Despite the hate, many in the community continue to support Historic Hampton House 1908 as an inclusive venue.
WHAT WE ARE PROUD OF: INTENTIONAL RENOVATION
We are proud to be able to bring Waddy MacFall’s vision for the house back to reality. The intentional renovation was done with the goal of restoring the house back to its original glory! I think we have accomplished that — Historic Hampton House 1908 is now an exceptional property in Pickens. We even won the Best Restoration Award from the Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce last year. In addition, we have done that by preserving as much as the original character as possible. Personally, a leading principal for the renovation is to repurpose everything as much as possible. We did that by refinishing an old kitchen sink we found in the woods on the property to a lavatory sink, an accent wall is finished with siding reclaimed from an old barn on the property, the bathtub installed in the 1940’s addition was reglazed and installed as a soaking tub in one of the new master bathrooms, and original cedar siding from the house was repurposed as the cover for the range hood. And there are many more unique features and stories. If only these walls could talk …
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My love of old homes started young! My parents ran an architectural salvage business on the side. Some of my most memorable childhood memories include learning how old 1800 and 1900 houses are constructed, by deconstructing them! In one deconstruction project we removed a newel post from the stairway, we were surprised to find endless bottle caps pouring out of the bottom, like a jackpot machine! It turned out that the family used to pop their bottle tops off the newel post and put the caps inside the cavity!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.HHH1908.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historichamptonhouse1908/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historichampton1908/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_n4-UhHoeF8XxEy5OJLBOw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hhh.1908
