About the R.L. & Annie Sturgis House

Built in 1910 for R. L. Sturgis, a prominent local planter and prominent businessman, and his wife Annie, the Sturgis House is a strong example of Colonial Revival architecture in the East Main neighborhood of Rock Hill and the first residential work and first extant work of renowned architect Nathaniel "Nat" Galliard Walker.

Richard Leroy (R. L.) Sturgis was born outside of Rock Hill near the Catawba River in 1864.   His great-great-grandfather, Daniel Sturgis, was an early settler in the area with a homestead on the west side of the Catawba River.   The early generations of the Sturgis family farmed, ran a trading post, and operated a ferry across the Catawba.   R. L. Sturgis was raised at his ancestral home and farmed there before moving to the city of Rock Hill at the age of 29, where he became active in business and society while maintaining his farms.   By 1905, he had become the president of the Farmer’s Association and at one point was considered one of the largest cotton planters in the area.   In 1908 he married Annie Adams of Norfolk, VA, and they welcomed a son the following year.  He also served as Mayor of Rock Hill in 1917 during WWI.