On this site in the Town of Edgefield, Moses Harris built the town's first tavern in 1787, and some evidence suggests it was replaced by a larger structure in 1812. Throughout the 19th century the property continued as a tavern or hotel under various owners, including James Longstreet, father of the Confederate general, Col. Benjamin Frazier, Dr. John Harwood Burt, and the Ryan family. During the antebellum period it was known as the Planter's Hotel, and later for many years as the Ryan Hotel. That early frame structure was destroyed in the fire of 1892, and the site remained vacant until 1919, when the present building was constructed as the Dixie Highway Hotel by a stock company organized by local leaders, with William A. Strom playing a major role in securing financing. Soon after opening, the hotel faced severe financial difficulties caused by the agricultural depression brought on by the boll weevil, and in 1922 it was foreclosed upon and bought by the Farmers' Bank. In 1937 State Senator Strom Thurmond purchased it and sold it in 1947. From its construction until the 1960's, the hotel was an important part of the community's social life, regularly hosting dinners, receptions, and celebrations. In 1960 W.W. Mims purchased it, owned it until his death in 2006, renamed it the Plantation House, and during the 1960's and 1970's it operated primarily as a home for Army veterans.