Back in October 2023, I stumbled across what appeared to be an antebellum plantation house being prepared for demolition. I grabbed my camera, found a hidden place to park my car, and started to explore.

I spent the next several hours checking out multiple buildings on the property, including workshops, two mid-century homes, the pool & carriage house, the mansion – its wings and its seemingly super creepy basement.

After returning home and doing some research, I discovered that the building I had explored was not some mid-19th century survivor, but the Sally Abney Rose mansion built for the Abney Mills heiress by her father in 1948. During her lifetime, Sally Abney Rose was a local socialite, philanthropist, and art collector who threw many parties at the mansion to support charitable causes.

After her death in 2005, her son sold her extensive collection or art and antiques, while the home fell into a state of disrepair. While he intended to use some of the proceeds from the estate to restore the home, it became a victim of vandalism and the damage became too severe, while the property skyrocketed in value due to its location on the main road between the interstate & Clemson University’s stadium. Faced with choosing between the nigh impossible task of restoring a mansion in a town he doesn’t live at a massive expense, or receiving a multi-million dollar pay out, he took the money.

As of mid-2025, all the existing buildings on the property were torn down. Developers will use the land to build a mixed-use commercial property with hotels, restaurants, and shopping to serve fans of college football.

You can still see the mansion in all its glory, in miniture at least, at the Anderson County Museum. Read about about the home’s history and fate in the Greenville Post & Courier, or read Sally Abney Rose’s obituary if you want to know more about its owner.