Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-03-07
HISTORIC HAUNTED House
Robinson Old Mansion Near BehnGtts.
vile.
BUILDING MATERIAL FROM ENGLAND
Was stopbins Place on the Old Stage
Road to Washington city-Marauis
Lafayette Spent Several Nights


There-Now Owned by Ex-senator
McLaurin. %. e..
J,P, Gibson in the Charlotte Observer.
I am undertaking, in this article, to
describe one of the most historic
places in the Pee Dee section, and no
doubt this will be read with much in
,terest by those who relish stories OF
sthis kind. There has been much con-
troyersy about the construction Of the
new road from Bennettsville, 5. c" 10
Cheraw, S. c. crossing the swamp be-
low McIaurin's mill, instead OF the old
route on the dam. This old place Is
the most historic Of any place in MARI
boro county. It was q stopping place
in the old stage coach days On the
road from New Orleans to Washington
city. The material in the main body
of the house, and the brick in the large
chimneys were brought from England
before the revolutionary war. The
building is standing today in a splen-
did state of preservation. There was
not a nail used in the construction OF
the original house, being put together
with wooden pins. The boards In the
dining room floor have been left to
show how it was done. They can be
seen now. ..... ,......, .a;..a.
The property was owned by Drury
Robertson who came from Virginia
soon after he arrived In this country
from England. Mr.. Robertson had q
nls mia for building water mills and
constructing large expensive dams ne
! having constructed and owned at least
half a dozen of these mills in Marlboro
county, S. c., and Richmond county,
= N. c, Mr.. Robertson was the possess
sor of extensive grants from the king
of England, embracing lands from
Gardner's bluff to Grassy islands, on
Pee Dee river, and north above Eller-
: be Springs, N. c., including thousands
of acres Of Sind hin country. Indians
resided on the river and in the sand
! hills deer and all kinds of wild animals
some bears, wolves and pa. theirs.
There is an old wolf pit in this origin
al grant, and one of the townships in
Richmond County, N. c., is named
wolf Pit"
The mother Of Hon. w. T. Ellerbe,
former state senator and lieutenant
governor. of South, Carolina, was a
= Robertson, and IT was through her
that Colonel Ellerbe inherited this vast
estate. His grave is on the creek side
under a large magnolia tree, near this
old Robertson home (now the proper
ty of ex-U. S. Senator John L. Nc
,Iaurin.) In the settlement of the FL
,lerbe estate the dwelling, mills and
several thousand acres of land were
purchased by Capt. Henry Easterling.
This dwelling wac occupied by his son
Robert. C.. Easterling.
There are many interesting stories
connected with the old place, which
was the home of culture ord hospital
ity for many years. Several hundred
slaves lived on this estate, and they
ghosts and spooks. ..rs.
One OF the gallant young men who
lived there before the civil war, after
q convivial night at Cheraw, probably
on q wager, undertook to ride his
blooded horse straight from the river
to his home. He entered the mill pond
several miles away at the upper end.
The horse came out on the other side
at the mill, and the unfortunate rider
fioated down to the food gates, and
was taken out and buried near where
Colonel Ellerbe now lives.
Old Uncle Johnnie Pearson died
several years ago. He lived to be over
ninety years of age. have talked
with him, and he said that he remem-
bered going with a crowd to meet La
F2yette when he visited America.
They met him at the North Carolina
line, and he was escorted to this old
mansion, where he rested for several
days before resuming his ride from
Philadelphia to Charleston. There is
an old one-legged negro, named Wade
Hampton living on this place. His
Inotner, aSeQ hnsty-IOur, was IN pos
session of her faculties up to her
death, three or four years ago.
One of my great pleasures used to
be to go up to this romantic place
with senator McLaurin and eat fish
dinners and suppers. Old Hamp was
his cook, and there never was better.
l have often talked with Hamp and
his mother about the skeletons found
between the ceiling ard the roof of a
shed room, which was torn away so
years ago. The skeletons of woman
and child were found where they had
evidently been since the early days of
stGge coaches. No one ever knew any
thing about these skeletons. They
probably came from far away and
simply disappeared. This finding add
ed much to the belief that this was a
haunted house; also the strange noises
and the proximity to the old grave
yard made it place greatly dreaded
1T night. The dark, gloomy swamp
came near the house. This Senator
McLaurin has cleared up to get rid