The Kershaw House was a Georgian mansion overlooking Camden, originally built circa 1775-1780 by Joseph Kershaw, a wealthy merchant and leading citizen who modeled his residence after the William Washington house in Charleston. During the British occupation of 1780-81, the unfinished structure was fortified and served as headquarters for General Cornwallis and other British officers. The house later served as an orphan school and Confederate supply depot before being burned in 1865. Archeological excavations beginning 1968 located the foundations of the house and the position of the palisade wall, and the house and wall were reconstructed in 1974-77.