Remnants of a large earthwork originally more than 100 yards long remain visible south, west, and northwest of the Frampton House. Constructed in 1861-62 by Confederate troops in the Department of S.C. and Ga., this battery formed part of an extensive system of lines intended to defend the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, a vital route through the Lowcountry. The house stands on the site of The Hill Plantation, owned by John Edward Frampton (1810-1896), a cotton planter, state senator from 1842 to 1845, and delegate from Prince William Parish to the Secession Convention. The main houses here and at Frampton's other plantations in what was then Beaufort District were burned by Federal troops in early 1865. This house was built in 1868.