The Edgar Fripp House is said to have been built just before the Civil War by Edgar Fripp, James Fripp?s brother. It was intended to serve as the Edgar?s summer home, as the summer heat and mosquitoes in his St. Helena Island plantation can be intolerable.

Also known as the Tidalholm, the Edgar Fripp House has also become a home to James Fripp for a time. However, when the Civil War broke out, it was taken by the troops and used as a Union hospital. After the war, Fripp tried to reacquire the estate, but someone already beat him to it. It is said that he was so devastated by the event that the new owner, a Frenchman, decided to just give the deed to him.

The Edgar Fripp House has served as a guesthouse from 1930s to 1974. After that, it was restored and turned to a private residence.