The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-07-28
Removing heLandmarks.
ANOTHER LOSS BY FIRE IN Able
VILE.
Loss Between $4,000 and $4,000.
Insurance, $4,000.

Colonel J. T. RobertsOn's Fine
Dwelling Bnrned-.IIor. Armistead
Burt's Personal Property Goes
with 1t
The mansion of Colonel J. T. Robert
son was burned to the ground this morn
ing about three o'clock. The alarm of fire
was sounded, and soon the cry of fire
spread from mouth to mouth, until every
citizen of the town was aroused and out
of bed, when many hurried 10 the scene
and aided in removing the furniture and
rendering such other services as might be
needed. In n little while the contents Of
the house. in a somewhat broken ondi-
ton, was thrown into the street in front
of the dwelling.
The fire originated in the pantry from
an unknown cause, and had made great
Roadway before it was discovered-so
much in fact thar it was useless to make
any effort to save the house. The struet-
ure being q wooden one, and the fire orig
mating in n Of the lower apartments it
was but a very few minutes until the
whole was in flames. Insurance in the
Germania, $1,000, in the Niagara, $4,000.
It seems that Abbeville is a doomed
city. From 1850 10 1860 a majority Of the
fine houses of the town were erected, and
within the past decade, from 1870 to 1850,
it seems that nearly the whole Of them
have been destroyed by fire. We will
mention a few of the finer and more On
pensive buildings that have been destroy
ed in that time. Tho Marshall Hotel on
the corner of the Public Square, brick,
three stories high, vas burned; four of
the seven brick stores on Granite Range
were destroyed a year later; since then
the fine residence of DR.. j. w. w. Mar
shall on Magazine Hill was also destroy
cd later still the elegant mansion of the
late Thomas G. Perrin, the finest resi-
dence in upper South Carolina, was
burned; and now the dwelling of Colonel
J. II. Robertson has become food for the
%devourlng element. Colonel Robertson's
dwelling was one of two of the largest
and most expensive dwellings in town,
and occupied a commanding eminence,
surrounded by an elegant growth Of trees
of every variety. In it's destruction one
of the ornaments of the town has been
removed. The loss of such a building Is
to be lamcuted by every friend Of the
town. This will he remembered as the
dwelling which the Hon. ]. Foster Mar
shall erected in 1850, soon after his return
from Mexico.
It was in this house that the HON.
Armistead Burt lived. He was absent
in Cashiers Valley, North Carolina, at
the time. His suite Of rooms being on
the second story, and the fire having
made such Roadway before it was dis
covered, everything of his in the house
was destroyed. The fire was approach
ing the stairway when Colonel Robert
son and his faulty were awakened by
the progress Of the flames.
An incident of tho fire was the burn
ing of the Colonel's faithful watch dog
Leo, which remained in one of the rooms,
and whose piteous cries were enough to
touch the heart Of the least susceptible.
All efforts to remove him or to induce
him to leave the room was fruitless. He
remained and persisted.
Colonel Robertson had no insurance on
his furniture. The pictures belonging to
Mr.. Burt, which were in the lower part
of the house were saved. Everything in
the upper part Of the house was destroy
ed.