The Roper House Early Years: 1856 to 1952

The Roper House Early Years
In 1856 Samuel Roper built what is now known as the Roper House near Table Rock State Park. In 1873 Ira Tomas Roper and his new wife, Mary Jane Roper, purchased the house. They were both from old Pumpkintown families—Ira was the son of Charles and Abigail Reid Roper and Mary Jane was the daughter of Alexander and Peggy Keith Edens. The original house contained three rooms and one fireplace, but was enlarged when Ira and Mary Jane Roper moved in. According to granddaughter Ruth Roper Hendricks, Ira died in 1889 and Mary Jane died in 1929.
Manning Roper, son of Ira and Mary Jane, bought the house in 1929 after his mother’s death. Along with his wife, Eva, and his many children, they lived and farmed the Roper property for nearly a decade. To supplement income, Manning built houses and sold lumber. Education was encouraged in the Roper family and the children attended Rock Elementary and New Town Elementary—both one room schoolhouses. Fulton Roper, son of Manning and Eva states that, “Growing up on the farm was pleasant and challenging. We worked long days from early dawn to dusk caring for livestock, plowing and cultivating the crops, grinding cane to make molasses, and bringing in the harvest.” With the Roper farm producing corn, sorghum, hay, and cotton, the farm was able to provide a good life for the Roper family. According to Ruth Roper Hendricks, the family “had mail three times a week and took the Atlanta Constitution, Pickens Sentinel, and Market Bulletin. We went to Oolenoy Baptist Church and often had ministers to take meals and spend the night at out house. Mother cooked chicken, sausage, [b]iscuits and other good foods. She had a pan that held 40 biscuits and there wasn’t any left over.”

The Arrival of the C.C.C. and Table Rock State Park
In 1935, Manning Roper sold part of the property to the state of South Carolina and leased another part to be used by the Civilian Conservation Corp. In 1935 the property continued to be farmed by a hired manager and a share cropper family in order to oversee farm production. People from the surrounding community flocked to see the construction of Table Rock State Park. Most of the sight-seeing traffic flowed by the Roper’s property and the family often became the first people outsiders looked to as representative of the area.
The entire Roper family became involved in the life of the C.C.C. as the camp built the park. Manning Roper acted as construction foreman while the camp built the lodge, cabins, trails, superintendent’s house, shelters, and various other buildings. Eva Roper and daughters cooked for up to 30 people a day at the Table Rock lodge. The boys fetched foodstuffs like chickens and vegetables to help the women. By this time, sorghum production on the farm had ceased and was replaced by “250 laying hens.” This would account for the large size of the hen house that was later used as a bunk house for Camp Oolenoy campers. Pork production had replaced cotton on the farm and a contract with the C.C.C. enabled the Ropers to use the camp’s table scraps as fodder for 260 pigs. In 1937, because of monies received from their labor and rented land, the Ropers were able to remodel their house and send two daughters to the Asheville Teacher’s College. The current house is the result of that remodeling. The Ropers also added stone walkways, retaining walls, and benches—all of local granite and flagstone.
Due to the opportunities provided by the C.C.C camp, Table Rock State Park, and hard work of the family, Manning and Eva were able to send their other children to college. Manning Roper became the first park superintendent after park construction stopped in 1941 and Eva managed the camp Lodge. The family moved to the park’s superintendent’s house, but kept the house and farm. Most of the Roper’s farm land is now covered by Lake Oolenoy. Manning died in the early 1940s and Eva Continued to occupy the home until she moved to Pickens.
The home and remaining 233 acres of land were sold in June of 1952. The 233 acre property was bought by developers and consequently subdivided. In August of 1952, the house and seventeen acres of the Roper property were purchased by Elizabeth Ellison, a Table Rock State Park naturalist. Within two months, Camp Oolenoy was created by Ellison as a “mountain camp” for Greenville Junior High seventh graders and would turn in to a popular private summer camp for area youth.