Russell Farmstead

The Russell house was a busy Appalachian farmstead in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Vacationers flocked to the area that is now Highlands, NC, to escape the hot South Carolina summers. At the old log house, the Russell Family provided overnight lodging and good home-cooked meals for weary travelers. As many as 80 visitors stayed in the house at one time when the Chattooga River, just up the road, was too deep to cross. The self-sufficient farmstead included ten outbuildings clustered around the main house. Many of life’s necessities were made in the sheds and the blacksmith shop. The spring house provided drinking water and served as a refrigerator. A fire destroyed the main house and three outbuildings in 1988, leaving only a chimney of the main house. The farmstead is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. An interpretive sign on the site details the layout of the farmstead as well as much of the above information.