The Earle Town House—also spelled “Earle Towne House” in some sources—is one of Greenville’s oldest and most architecturally significant residences.

• Location: 107 James Street, Greenville, SC. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since August 5, 1969.
• Construction: Likely built between c. 1829 and 1834 (earlier beliefs pointed to 1810), probably by Samuel Green or Elias Drayton Earle, family affiliates. Earlier tradition attributing it to Congressman Elias T. Earle is now disputed.
• Style: A refined late-Georgian / early-Federal frame house with:
  • Two stories, five bays, with a central Palladian window on the second floor
  • Distinctive double front steps, sidelights, transom above the entrance
  • Hand‑carved mantels, six‑panel doors, 9/9 and 9/6 sash windows
  • Framed in wood with raised seam metal hip roof, brick foundation, and a later‑enclosed piazza on the west.

Ownership & Notable Residents

1. Elias T. Earle family: Landowners since late 1700s; Elias brought the property into the family, and his descendants—including Joseph Haynsworth Earle, a future U.S. Senator—were connected to it.
2. James A. David and family (purchased in 1856): His son, Charles A. David, a merchant and humorist, lived here until 1922.
3. Mary Chevillette Simms Oliphant (acquired in 1927): A prominent historian and granddaughter of William Gilmore Simms. She oversaw a careful Colonial-style renovation by adding upstairs rooms, removing a wing, and restoring architectural integrity. She successfully got the house listed on the National Register and campaigned to preserve the James Street area from highway development Original plantation setting now lies within the Colonel Elias Earle Historic District (NR-listed in 1982), alongside other early-19th-century houses like nearby Whitehall.

The property retains a park-like landscape: shaded old trees, decorative gardens with a rear fountain inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s Richmond garden, paved walkways, an ivy-covered iron grill gate, and a historic magnolia planted circa 1856. Private residence, not open to tours—best viewed from James Street. Recognizable by its white‑frame façade, historic landscaping, and piazza. Nearby is historic Whitehall (310 W. Earle St.), another early residence worth seeing. One of only two residual early-19th-century homes within Greenville proper, showcasing late-Georgian design in an urban setting. Connections to the Earle political family, local merchant and journalist Charles David, and historian Mary Oliphant—reflecting Greenville’s social trajectory. A cornerstone of early preservation efforts, both through NR designation and local activism by Oliphant that saved the surrounding district