[© THE STATE]
By ROBIN COWIE NALEPA
How do you make one of S.C.’s most historic houses a home?
According to Gov. Mark and Jenny Sanford’s sons—the young occupants of the Governor’s Mansion—you follow some rules and watch out for the antiques.
But on occasion you slide through the marble hall in your socks, you dress a bust of former Gov. Ibra Blackwood in wigs and hats, and you raise a yellow-bellied slider turtle in the backyard fountain.
A new book, written by Marshall, Landon, Bolton and Blake Sanford, “Mischief in the Mansion …” chronicles the storied history of their very public home and their occasional private adventures.
At the book unveiling Monday, Jenny Sanford spoke about the importance of the Governor’s Mansion and noted that tours of the property have been down in recent years. The book, she said, was another way to share the residence and its history with the public, especially children.
Each public elementary and middle school library in S.C. will receive a copy of the book, through the “Reading is Fun” program. Monday, Sanford was flanked by Bolton, 11, and Blake, 8, and the family’s two black labs, Julius and Jeep. Cocoa the cat, made a brief appearance before the excitement became too much.
Blake talked of the time he spent 45 minutes stuck in the home’s elevator and had to be rescued by the fire department –and fielded inquiries from the curious press.
“It wasn’t too bad, actually,” he said of the ordeal. “I was just sitting there.”
Blake and his brothers shared the workload on the book, each coloring the illustrations (real photos turned to coloring sheets).
In a short tour of the grounds, Bolton pointed out different areas of the property mentioned in the book, including a fountain area where the Sanford boys tried to raise a baby alligator smuggled from the coast (unbeknown to mom). Unfortunately, the alligator went missing before it could be returned. Bolton speculated that a fox or hawk could have made a snack of the creature.
“We’ve never found it,” he said. “Luckily, we’ve never read in the paper that someone got hurt by an alligator.”
The proceeds from the 36-page, color book ($15.95) will benefit the not-for-profit Governor’s Mansion Foundation. An initial press run of 5,000 books was printed. What about a “Mischief in the Mansion II?”
“Only if we had some really good stories,” Bolton said.
Reach Nalepa at (803) 771-8507.