131 Pritchard Street, located in the historic heart of Bluffton, South Carolina, seemlessly blends rich history with modern luxury and offers an authentic Lowcountry experience with easy acces to the town's vibrant art scene, fresh culinary offerings, river life, and unique "Bluffton State of Mind."
Nestled under 12 live oaks and overlooking the May River, the property includes a covered pier and a floating dock, offering opportunities for fishing, bird and dolphin watching, and enjoying the scenic views. The home's prime location allows residents and guests to walk or take a golf cart to the shops, restaurants, and galleries of historic Old Town Bluffton. It is a historic property that symbolizes the town's resilience, with a history spanning from the antebellum period through a Civil War destruction, a late 19th-century rebuild, and a modern renovation that preserved its original charm while adding contemporary luxury.
Dr. Paul Pritchard, (born 1819), a successful rice planter and a physician in the lower St. Paul's Parish area of South Carolina built the first Pritchard House on the May River bluff as a summer home for his wife, Martha Catherine Kirk, and their six sons. Like most of Bluffton, the Pritchard House was burned by Union forces in 1863.
In the mid-1890s, one of Dr. Pritchard's sons, Charles Teft Pritchard, rebuilt the house on the site. He strategically oriented the house to face the May River to catch the prevailing breezes. At the time, access to the home was only by ferry as there were no established roads. Meaning what was traditionally considered the front of the house is actually the rear. The new home was built in a Carolina-style farmhouse with Queen Anne elements.
After being abandoned and overgrown for more than 50 years, the house was "lovingly restored" by the new owners, who discovered the property while on their honeymoon in 1995. The house has since undergone remarkable renovation and restored under the guidance of a preservation expert following National Register of Historic Places guidelines. The home features original heart pine construction, 12-foot beadboard ceilings, and tall, pocket-style windows. It is uniquely canted toward the prevailing southwest breeze with wider back rooms, uses a "wind catcher" design for climate control, circulating cool air from beneath the pier foundation and allowing heat to rise.
The 1990s restoration added east and west wings, connected by breezeways to maintain airflow and views, replicating the original design. The new wings accommodate a primary bedroom suite with two walk-in closets and oversized bathroom, and the other a large kitchen and dining room. Modern upgrades and amenities have since been incorporated, such as new Viking appliances, mahogany doors, a renovated laundry room, updated guest bath and herringbone brick floors in the mud room.
The home, featuring four rooms with fireplaces flanking a wide central hall and a riverside porch, had uncompromising stewardship by all owners, from the Pritchard's to the restoration owners in the 1990's, and on to the current master gardener owner. All have maintained the culture of The Pritchard House while adding to the graciousness of this incomparable home.
The property, which includes the main house and a separate two-bedroom guest cottage (originally a boarding house built by Charles Pritchard's widow in 1905), is located in the Old Town Bluffton Historic District, which was granted National Historic District status in 1996. In recent years, the guest cottage has been a 5-star rental through Airbnb. The property is well-known and featured on local historic walking tours.
The property was under contract, unfortunately, buyer's contract on their home did not go through.
