Reynolds Visits Mrs. Black {History Lesson}

As some of you know, my hubby Andrew is the GM of the Inn at USC -> an elegant boutique hotel located on the historic campus of the University of South Carolina in the heart of downtown Columbia. {I took that part from their website ;)}

What many of you may not know is that the Inn started out as a humble dwelling.  Built in 1910, the “Black House” was residence to the Thompkins family where young daughter, Mary, grew up.  A four-thousand square foot home, which didn’t include the ball room where many a sorority party was held (and is now the attic) or the basement, which was Mary’s roller-skating rink as a child.  She married George Black in the formal living room which is now the back office of the Inn, and the cake was cut in the dining room, which is now where the front desk check-in is located.

Mary and her husband took over the residence in 1966 from her mother, where they lived until 1974 when the City and USC seized the home.  In an article from The State newspaper that Mrs. Black gave Andrew, it stated that the home was going to be torn down in order to build a parking garage.  {I’m happy to report that the garage is behind the home}  A quote from the daughter of the home’s builder (John Cain) stated, “All this beam work is Honduras mahogany”.  It’s still there.

If you visit the Inn today, you will enjoy the original floors and windows of the home, a library which houses original artifacts from the Thompkins-Black family and can even take a history tour by one of the staff members.

Mrs. Mary Murray Thompkins Black is now 91 and just as spry as she can be.  She still lives independently, drives around occasionally – even visiting the Inn for breakfast or to drop off her home-made cheddar biscuits {which are amazing!} and volunteers at her Church library.  We like to visit her every now and then, as she is one of Andrew’s biggest fans.  We’ll sit and listen to her tell us stories about what it was like growing up in the Black House, the parties they had when she was in college and about the big bash they threw just before being kicked out of their home.

Here’s a snapshot of the invitation that was sent out for  “One Last Fling”.

I took some pictures a couple of weeks ago as we visited with Mrs. Black, of course with her holding Reynolds, who was about half her size this time around!

She is a delightful lady, with a way about her still that will charm your socks off and make you want to sit and listen to her for hours.

For more history on the Inn, click here.