Legare-Morgan House

Front: One of the oldest houses in Aiken, this was home to the Legare family, including writer James Mathewes Legare (1823-1859), who lived here beginning in 1846. Portions of the house date to as early as 1837. The south wing was built c.1852 as a detached workshop for James Legare, who was also an inventor and painter. The north wing was added c.1900, after the workshop was moved and attached to the house. Reverse: While living here, James Legare published his best-known work, Orta-Undis, and other Poems (1848). He also produced several inventions, including a cotton-based plastic he called “lignine.” In 1870, the Legare family sold the property to Thomas Charles Morgan (1824-1905), an English naval officer. His son, attorney Thomas Redman Morgan (1863-1931), was Aiken mayor from 1899 to 1900 and lived in the house for a number of years.