William and Mary Style Walnut Drop Leaf Dining Table

18th century top with later base, deep drop leaves with single gate-leg support, single drawer, turned legs with stretcher base and turned feet.

29.75 x 20 x 54 in.; each leaf 23.5 in.

From the Historic Collection of Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina
Limestone College, now Limestone University, was founded in 1845 in Gaffney, South Carolina, by English-born Baptist minister Dr. Thomas Curtis and his son William. Originally established as the Limestone Springs Female High School, it was among the first women’s colleges in the nation and the very first in the state. The institution found its early roots in a former resort hotel near healing springs, later struggling due to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It revived in 1881 as the Cooper‑Limestone Institute, thanks to benefaction from industrialist Peter Cooper, and adopted the name Limestone College.

Top with later hinges; associated base and drawer; some insect damage; top and drop leaves with finish inconsistency and shrinkage cracks.