Split staircases at the grand entrances of Southern Homes in beautiful places like DeBordieu Colony aren’t there just because they look good. There’s a reason!
Back in the day, in the 1700s and 1800s, southern belles wore big hoop skirts….. think Scarlet O’Hara They had to lift their skirts to climb up the stairs, lest they trip and fall.
It would have been extremely rude of a gentleman to peek at a lady’s petticoat as she ascended the stairs. So front staircases were built with a split landing so that the ladies went up one side, and gentlemen on the other.
If the home did not have “petticoat stairs,” the men would ascend the stairs ahead of the ladies. Incidentally, if a lady’s petticoat were accidentally showing, she would be told “it’s snowing down South.”
The homes on this page all have “petticoat stairs!” And are currently for sale at DeBordieu Colony, a private ocean front residential community just north of Charleston, South Carolina.
For more information, call the TROI KAZ COASTAL GROUP, Jane Chapman at 704-650-9328 or Troi Kaz at 843-455-4523.
DeBordieu Colony is an private, gated, oceanfront community located just south of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, (about an hour north of Charleston) featuring private golf and tennis, saltwater creek access to the ocean, a manned security gate, and luxury homes and villas surrounded by thousands of acres of wildlife and nature preserves.
People who have been here say there will never again be a place like DeBordieu Colony. Come see for yourself! Give us a call and we’ll help you plan your trip.
