William Apollos James House

Front: William Apollos James (1857-1930), prominent local businessman and public servant, lived here from 1904 until his death. James founded the Farmers Loan and Trust Company and was its president for more than 20 years. When Lee County was created in 1902 James was one of the commissioners who laid out county boundaries and built a new courthouse. He later represented the county in the S.C. House in 1913-14. Reverse: This house, built as a one-story cottage in 1903, became a large Classical Revival house in 1911 with the addition of a large second story and wraparound porch. The garden here, laid out by a daughter, Sara B. “Tallie” James, is also notable for its 136 varieties of camellias. The house, donated to the Lee County Historical Society in 1995, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.