Westchester first got its name in 1797. What’s known now as the West Side of Charleston, was originally a farm owned by John Whetstone. He had purchased it from William Davis for $600 on January 20th that same year.
In the early 20th century, some of Charleston’s wealthiest families built grand mansions on Middleton Place and Sans Souci Plantations. The University of South Carolina was founded in 1801 as a public school for boys; it became co-educational in 1880. In 1996, USC merged with underfunded Methodist College to form the University of South Carolina at Columbia (USC).
The town itself began to be developed when George McCall bought up 900 acres in 1835 and divided them into plots for sale with the intention of developing an upscale residential area along what is now called Meeting Street Road, which became one of the most expensive areas in Charleston near historic homes such as Magnolia Plantation House built around 1800 or Burke Hall built around 1850s. Other neighborhoods like Radcliffeborough were also made affluent but then there are some other neighborhoods not too far behind.
