05/30/2026
Born in Charleston in 1823, James Mathewes Legaré came to Aiken as a young man seeking relief from tuberculosis in the region’s dry pine air. Yet Legare did more than recover here, he created.
From his family’s small cottage and studio on Laurens Street, Legaré focused on writing, drawing, painting and inventing. One of his more unusual creations was “plastic cotton,” a material he hoped would revolutionize decorative design. Long before modern plastics, Legaré imagined molding cotton into ornamental pieces for furniture, frames and architectural moldings.
Though he died young in 1859, his life reminds us that Thoroughbred Country, South Carolina, has been shaped by creators, innovators and individuals whose stories echo through our small towns and historic streets.
📷: “To Have a Name Worth Owning,” directed by George Wingard, a Savannah River Archaeological Research Program production: vimeo.com/1039788795 Visit the Aiken County Historical Museum to learn more.
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