Mystery shrouds Wespanee. This former plantation whispers tales of a time long past. Wespanee, originally called Westpenny, was derived from the Native American name for the area. The land, nestled southwest of Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, holds centuries of stories.
Francis Blanshaw, the first recorded owner, received a grant for 200 acres of Wespanee in 1697. Over the years, Wespanee passed through numerous hands. From Blanshaw to Peter LeSade, then to Anne LeSade Girardeau, and later her second husband, Andrew DeVeaux. DeVeaux, it seems, resided at Wespanee for many years, likely until his death around 1770.
Ownership shifted again. Alexander Perronneau Jr. took possession around 1772. By 1776, Wespanee became part of Ann Horry’s trust, renamed Fairfield. The plantation continued its journey through the Horry family, eventually reaching Harriet Horry Frost. A significant change came in 1916 with Charles Stevens Dwight. He purchased Fairfield, reverted the name back to Wespanee, and constructed a new house on the property. Dwight also began dividing the vast land into residential tracts, foreshadowing the Wespanee we know today, a residential subdivision.
The plantation endured through the 20th century, changing hands a few more times. In 1963, after Dwight’s passing, the Wespanee Land Corporation acquired the property. Then quickly sold the house and surrounding area to C. Capers Smith in 1965. Finally, in 1972, Col. Walter B. and Ellen P. Clark became the owners. They remodeled the house and added a kitchen wing. Wespanee, once a grand plantation, is now just a memory, its lands fully developed. A silent testament to the plantation’s former glory remains: the breathtaking avenue of live oaks immortalized in painter Beth Verner’s artwork. Tragically, these magnificent trees were felled to make way for an interstate connector. Wespanee, a name whispered on the wind, a story etched in the land itself.