To spot The Anchorage, just look for the grand, two-story house in front of you, with towering white columns, a sky-blue porch ceiling, and thick palmetto bushes on either side of the front steps.
Now, let’s get swept away to the year 1776-while most Americans were busy declaring independence, right here in Beaufort, William Elliott was building this stunning home. Imagine wooden wagons rattling down this very street, workmen shouting over the humid air, and that porch ceiling already painted blue-a Lowcountry tradition meant to trick haints, or ghosts, into staying away. The Anchorage is large, stately, and a little mysterious, as if it’s been keeping secrets for over two centuries. This house has watched every parade, every hurricane, and every whispered story in Beaufort’s history.
During the Revolutionary War and beyond, its halls echoed with the patter of elegant shoes from ballroom dances and the whisper of major historical moments. Fast forward to 2014, and you’d find Frank and Amy Lesesne falling in love with this old beauty, determined to give her new life. You might wonder-does she creak on stormy nights, or does she sigh with relief at every sunrise? Who knows! But The Anchorage, oh she’s seen it all, from redcoat soldiers to rumbling classic cars. Every time you pass, give her a nod-you never know what stories she’s holding behind those big front doors.
