2403 Cross Keys Highway, Union SC 29379

Behind the gates at 2403 Cross Keys, a 1925 fieldstone Tudor sits on 13 private acres like it was carved out of the hillside, which, in a sense, it was. Nicholson Mansion was built for textile magnate Emslie Nicholson and designed by Robert & Co. of Atlanta, one of the few Upstate homes built almost entirely of stone, and it has been restored over two decades with the Tudor Revival detail left intact. Inside, nearly 7,000 square feet unfolds through a beamed and paneled foyer, a carved staircase, a formal living room that runs nearly 30 feet, a dining room lit by the original chandelier from the Newberry Opera House, and a warm chef's kitchen that opens to a breakfast nook and sunrooms. Four bedrooms, seven baths, a primary suite with dual walk-ins, plus offices and a lower-level recreation room. Outside is where it earns its keep: a stone terrace under a porte-cochère, formal boxwood gardens, a columned stone gazebo, sweeping lawns, and a separate cottage. The property's roots run back to a King George III land grant to Col. Thomas Fletchall, with the original grist millstone still in the yard and a state historical marker at the gate. Rare as a residence, and with obvious appeal for a private inn or event estate for the buyer who sees it.