John Perrie, who came from Ireland, acquired in Christ Church Parish. He named the plantation after Youghal in County Cork. At his death in 1713, the plantation passed on to his daughter. Her husband conveyed the property to Captain George Benison in 1740. It is believed that he built the house. In 1755, Charles Barksdale acquired the plantation. This family controlled the property for the next century. In the 1850s, Mary Barksdale and her husband, James McBeth were the owners. He probably changed the name to Oakland. In 1859, Philip E. Porcher bought the property. His descendants have owned it since. Recently a portion of the land has been converted to commercial development. Also about of natural habitat has been set aside under a conservation easement.
Architecture
The plantation house is a -story frame house with gambrel roof. The top one and one-half stories are frame construction on brick piers. It originally had chimneys on either end, but only one remains. Five steps lead up to a portico with a hip roof supported by two Tuscan columns that were added at a later date. It has a paneled door in the center of front facade with a four-light flush transom. Two nine-over-nine windows are on each side of the door. A kitchen wing was added to the structure in the 1920s. This has a similar gambrel roof. The wing has a circular window and double casements on the front. Doors connecting with the house replace windows. The rear elevation is similar to the front elevation except that it has a shed-roof porch supported by square stucco columns. The wooden floor of the porch has been replaced by a ground-level concrete patio. The left side elevation has three nine-over-nine lights on each level. The central windows replace the chimney that was removed. The interior has four rooms without a central hallway. The door opens to a small foyer with staircase. The second floor has three bedrooms and a bath. The fireplaces with original Greek-motif mantels are in the corners of the room. The original, detached kitchen, two smokehouses, and an oak-lined avenue remain. Additional pictures are available.
