Borough House, Dry Well Shelter, State Route 261 & Garners Ferry Road, Stateburg, Sumter County, SC

Significance: The Dry Well Shelter (or "Dry Well") is a dependency of the Borough House plantation complex. It was originally used as a natural refrigerator, the cool temperature at the bottom (about 55 degrees F) serving to preserve the freshness of vegetables and dairy products. Built of rammed earth c. 1821, it is one of six dependencies (is addition to portions of the main house) on site to be built of this material. This complex is of potential national significance because of the number of early Greek Revival structures it contains which were built of this unusual material. The Borough House complex was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Stateburg Historic District in 1971 and as an individual site in 1972.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N220
Survey number: HABS SC-364
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 72001224