Blythewood Historical Society and Museum

05/31/2026

Sharing a recent post about our Dr. Portia days from our sister museum in Ridgeway.

We were happy to welcome the family of Dr. Portia who visited the Isaac C. Thomas Historical Museum in Ridgeway on Tuesday. They had their picture taken with a rendering of the old depot by local artist Harold Branham. This is the spot where the train depot once sat. It is here that the Portias met and later married per the reading by one of the family members from the book written about Dr. Portia. Dr. Portia lived-in Ridgeway on Smallwood Road.
The family members came from California, Colorado, , Wyoming and other states.

05/29/2026

Our May newsletter.

05/28/2026

Dr. Portia an Oral History

The following is a 1-hour lifetime oral history that was recorded by Nancy Whistler of the American Association University Women in August 1975 of Dr. Portia Lubchenco (1887-1978). Please scan the QR Code to be taken to the Soundcloud file recording. The audio recording is also available through our Blythewood History Society and Museum website. https://www.blythewoodhistoricalsociety.org/

In the recording she talks about growing up, meeting her husband and traveling to Moscow. She talks about the Russian Revolution and traveling back to the United States by boat, where the captain detained her and her children because they were suspicious, she was a Russia spy. She proves the children are hers by nursing them and was able to continue on to the San Francisco. She describes seeing the US flag upon arrival. Lubchenco served as the doctor in Sterling, Co for 50 years and was the first chief of staff of the Sterling Hospital.

05/25/2026

Memorial Day-Remembering the Wall that Heals 10 years later

Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings, and participating in parades.

Ten years ago, Blythewood hosted the Wall that Heals for 5 days, so that citizens could bring their families to explain what we mean by Memorial Day.

The Wall That Heals Published May 2016 Country Chronicle Robert White

It has been an emotional weekend for Blythewood, that was a year in the making. The town experienced, in a more personal and immediate way, the true cost of freedom that we enjoy every day. Blythewood hosted the Wall that Heals for 5 days, so that citizens could bring their families to explain what we mean by Memorial Day.

Visitors flocked to see the replica of the Vietnam Memorial wall and read the names of the 58,000 soldiers, a chance that many would not have if the wall had not traveled to them. I witnessed Veterans taking pictures of names of friends that did not come home. People would stop at the mobile education center and stand completely still while reading about a soldier who died 50 years ago. A soldier who answered the call and for a moment existed once more in the eyes of a witness to his sacrifice.

The Vietnam war was an unpopular war that for years many people did not want to talk about, even now with most soldiers of that era in their 60’s and 70’s they still suffer from their experiences, 50 years later. The Wall that Heals and the people that travel and tell the stories in our memorial services this weekend, had a message that was repeated over and over again. “Let’s talk about it!”

During the Memorial service, in Doko Manor, a former Airborne Ranger, now in a wheelchair came to the podium during the service in tears, just to thank the man who saved his life. Retired Marine and Blythewood Resident, Fritz Jolly, was interviewed for a documentary about his experiences in Vietnam and wanted people to know, “For a long time [soldiers] wouldn’t even admit they went to Vietnam, now they are talking about it.” His voice, and the presence of the Wall that Heals inspired 26 others to come forward and share their experiences with the documentary crew.

There are many people to thank for bringing the wall to Blythewood; The Mayor, and town council, and all the volunteers who built, and staffed the Wall. We would be remiss however if we did not single out Hazel Kelly, town administrative assistant, for her tireless work in organizing and scheduling the volunteers, and Councilman Eddie Baughman who pushed, for over a year, to bring the wall to Blythewood. The experience truly helped bring so many people closer together.

Bobby Farmer, Chaplin of the National Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, and the Founder of Project Josiah, said it best in his invocation to the Memorial Day service. “Heavenly father help us to remember all those that have fallen in battle, that were our friends, our families, our brothers, our sisters. As we remember their ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today and remember the families and the loved ones of the fallen.”

05/21/2026

May is National Historic Preservation Month

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archeological resources.

George P Hoffman House in Blythewood, Town Hall) is a historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The property is significant for its association with the theme of Exploration/Settlement. This listing highlights the historical importance of the site within the context of Richland County.

Pics are from the BHSM and Robert White.
Hoffman, George P., House

National Register Listing
Street Address:
N of CR 54, Blythewood, SC (Richland County)
NRHP Nomination Form
Record Number:
S10817740080
Description and Narrative:
The George P. Hoffman House, reputedly built ca. 1855, is the oldest building in the present-day town of Blythewood and is significant for its association with the early development of the community. The construction of the house preceded Blythewood. A settlement known as Doko developed in this area around a stop of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad line, which was completed in 1852. In 1879, the village was incorporated as the Town of Blythewood and in 1918 Blythewood was included in a section of Fairfield County that was added to Richland County. The original owner, George P. Hoffman was a native of North Carolina. In 1860, Hoffman owned six slaves and was farming 34 acres. By 1870, he was operating a substantial sawmill that employed an average of twelve hands. The house is a one-story braced-frame Greek Revival style residence that has been enlarged and remodeled in several phases, but the original structure is largely intact. The house has a central, five-bay block with weatherboard siding and a masonry foundation. A pedimented porch spans the three central bays of the façade. This porch has paneled piers and flushboard siding. The central entrance has a rectangular transom and sidelights. Listed in the National Register March 27, 1986.

Period of Significance: circa 1855
Level of Significance: Local

Area of Significance: Exploration/Settlement ;Architecture

National Register Determination: listed

Date of Certification: 1986-03-27

Date of Boundary Increase:
No Boundary Increase

Location:
Richland County;Blythewood

05/18/2026

BAR will meet again tonight to discuss the historic Wilson's/Langford Store at 300 Main St.

The Board of Architectural Review is meeting on Monday, May 18, 2026, at 5:30pm at Doko Manor. Please visit our website for the full agenda and more information.

05/16/2026

Ms. Zelma and Ms. Ellen joined us today for some family research in our library. We are open from 10 am-2 pm every third Saturday of the month.

05/16/2026

Turn on your audio. Please visit the Blythewood Historical Society and Museum at 100 McNulty St.

05/14/2026

Blythewood Historical Society celebrates Dr. Portia
By Robert White - The following article appeared in the Country Chronicle newspaper 05-14-2026 edition

Last week, the Blythewood Historical Society and Museum (BHSM) dedicated a week to one of Blythewood’s most memorable citizens, Dr. Portia McKnight Lubchenco.

While the BHSM has held events in the past celebrating the good doctor, this event connected with a large group of Dr. Portia’s descendants who travelled from all over the country to the Blythewood area to explore Portia’s roots, exchange information with historic society members and work to enhance the family's extensive genealogy.

The BHSM held two public programs “Blythewood in the 1920’s” on May 5th and Dr. Portia on May 6th. Both events were well attended with audiences of 60+sending the members looking for additional chairs to accommodate the crowd.

The public events were led by BHSM’s Bob Wood. Wood said of his role in the Blythewood in the 1920’s talks, “I am a history buff, not a historian. If I were a historian, I would point out that a talk like this involves facts, interpretation, and opinion. And as a serious historian, I would make sure to tell you when I was leaving the realm of facts and moving into interpretation and on to opinion.”

Wood continued foreshadowing his Dr. Portia presentation, “Tomorrow night, as a mere history buff, I will add a fourth item to the list of fact, interpretation, and opinion, and that is the all-important embellishment. So, tonight, please feel free to raise your hand as needed and add “Corrective Comments”, but tomorrow night, when we talk about Dr. Portia in particular, and I am adding the all-important embellishment, please just sit quietly and chuckle.”

The talks during the two events often shifted from a scholarly speech from Wood into the exchange of opinion and facts from an audience of studied subject matter experts.

Dr. Portia was a pioneering woman in the medical field, a world traveler and at the forefront of some of the twentieth centuries most notable events. Portia, would become the first female graduate of the Medical College of North Carolina, graduating second in her class in 1912 after being rejected for being female at the Medical College of South Carolina.

Dr. Portia’s saga includes being wooed by a traveling Russian agronomist named Alexis Lubchenco, who stepped off the train in Ridgeway, and upon meeting a then named Portia McKnight, never got back on again.

The couple’s movie worthy adventures include Alexis fortunately missing his passage on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, as well as escaping from the outset of the Russian Revolution with their three children. Portia and Alexis fled the revolution through Siberia into China. From China, they managed to get a ship to the United States.

The Lubchenco’s returned to South Carolina in 1918, where Portia’s family helped Alexis begin a new cotton plantation. Unfortunately, the Great Depression, Spanish Flu and a boll weevil invasion which destroyed most of the cotton crops in South Carolina would drive the Lubchenco’s to eventually move to Colorado in 1931.

Portia was very successful in Colorado. She opened her own office in Sterling in 1936 and traveled throughout Northeast Colorado to deliver babies and heal patients. Portia helped renovate and modernize the Good Samaritan Hospital in Sterling and became the hospital’s first Chief of Staff.

In 1954, Portia was named Colorado Mother of the Year, not only for raising five exceptional children, but for her extensive medical work with mothers and children. Portia also became the very first woman to become a member of the South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology.

The museum dedicated a table for visitors to see their Dr. Portia collection as well as space for the many cousins and grandchildren of Dr. Portia who attended the event to share their extensive research with Society members.

The week’s events included a driving tour of Blythewood and Ridgeway as well as a tour of the brick home in Blythewood Dr. Portia built after her return from Russia. A small group also took a horseback tour.

One member of the audience who has done extensive work to publicize Dr. Portia is screenwriter Millie West. She has written a screenplay entitled “Dr. Portia (based on a true story)” along with Alexia Lucas. West obtained the legal rights and based the screenplay on the book, Doctor Portia; Her First Fifty Years in Medicine as Told to Anna C Petteys.

The screenplay plays out on four continents and has won several awards including first place in the feature screenplay division of the Fifth annual South Carolina Underground Film Festival, first place in screenwriting at the Northeast Mountain Film Festival and won Best Unproduced Screenplay at the second annual Freedom Festival International.

The forename Portia lives on and has been used extensively in the family history with 10+ examples in the family tree including the most recent Portia Curlee-Korte born in 2015.

Visit the Blythewood Historical Society and Museum located at 100 McNulty St. to learn more about Blythewood and Dr. Portia.

05/11/2026

Here is a story from BHSM member Ann Marie Mullis Watson on the trials and tribulations of tracking down your family history.
The Blythewood Historical Society and Museum has a dedicated library and research room to help with your local genealogy project.

The Allens-Ann Marie Mullis Watson
William Stark Allen was hard to track down. I think he intended it that way. He was born in Fairfield in 1820 and married my great great grandmother Martha Bagley. They had three children together, James Stark, Hiram Sylvanus and Sarah/Sally Nancy Allen-Joyner. Then on paper, he disappeared. There was no record of his death or burial. On the 1880 census, Martha is living with her daughter and claims she is a widow.
Somebody said his mama was Keziah. I traced that pathway too many times to Mississippi and back to South Carolina. There is a tendency to believe things regarding your ancestors just because other family members have heard it too. I picked it up from my cousins at my mom’s funeral. I had never heard of her before. They were pouring over the photo albums I had brought to show them. I had scanned, cleaned up, and catalogued all of our family photos in some sort of organized presentable fashion. It was a hit. It generated a lot of discussion and sharing of family stories.
Nothing definitive ever came following Keziah and I moved on to other projects. Then one day I got a notice on an ancestry website. Guess who I found right in Fairfield County? Great great grandpa William. He was not deceased. He was living with another woman and had several more children. Their dates of birth line right up with the first three children he had with Martha. One of those children’s descendants had also submitted her DNA and it matched with mine.
I have no doubt that when Martha told that census taker she was a widow she wasn’t lying. William was dead to her.
Helen Lucy Ann Jemima Hogan and Martha and William’s eldest son James Stark Allen marry in 1868. He is 23. She is 18. Her parent’s home has been burned by Sherman’s army.
The little cabin they build around this time would become and remains the home place for the Allen family. It is the anchor for the family. The mantra of our ancestors that live through the Great Depression is instilled in us as children. The land is everything. You may not have much money, but with land you can sustain yourself. After all, we had always been sustenance farmers.
Over the next 20 years, James and Helen multiply by 10. As the family grows, they add on a porch and an enclosed room. A separate kitchen is constructed. Over time they rebuild what Sherman destroyed. Multiple barns and outbuildings are rebuilt. They farm. The older children move away and build their own lives.
Photo of James and Helen Allen in front of their home. Taken in 1911.