Historical Markers
in Marlboro County, South Carolina
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Markers are listed below in chrnological order as erected
with links to the marker text, photos, etc.
1. Bennettsville
2. Marlborough County Court House
3. Edward Crosland House
4. Old Female Academy
Capt. Thomas Ellerbe
5. Welsh Neck Settlement
6. Albert M. Shipp
7. Bennettsville Methodist Church
8. John Lyde Wilson
9. General John McQueen
10. Robert Blair Campbell
John Campbell
11. Daniel Calhoun Roper
12. John Lowndes McLaurin
13. Bennettsville Presbyterian Church
14. Battle of Hunt's Bluff
Old River Road
15. Pegues Place
Revolutionary Cartel
16. Blenheim
17. Abel Kolb's Murder
Welsh Neck Cemetery
18. Grave of General Tristram Thomas
Saw Mill Baptist Church
19. Barnabas Kelet Henagan Home Site
20. Old Beauty Spot
21. Will of Mason Lee
Grave of Mason Lee
22. Frederick Charles Hans Bruno Poellnitz
Ragtown
23. Jennings-Brown House
24. Sherman's March
Greene's Encampment
25. Magnolia
26. Marlborough Court House
Old River Road
27. Early Cotton Mill
28. Clio
29. Brownsville Church
30. Brownsville Baptist Church
31. Shiness
32. D.D. McColl House
35-1 Bennettsville
Courthouse and City Hall grounds, Bennettsville
In 1819 the court house of Marlborough District was transferred from Carlisle, a village
on the Pee Dee River, to this more central location. Bennettsville developed around the
new court house in the heart of a rich farm land area. On March 6, 1863, it was
occupied by the 17th Army Corps, U.S.A., commanded by Gen. W. T. Sherman. Erected
by Bennettsville Jaycees-1962
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35-2 Marlborough County Court House
Courthouse grounds, Bennettsville
Four court houses for Marlborough District or County have stood on this square since
Apr. 4, 1820, when it was deeded by John S. Thomas for that purpose. The first court
house, completed before 1824, was replaced by a new building in 1852, which was
occupied by Union troops in 1865. A third building was finished in 1885. The present
court house was built in 1951-1952. Erected by Bennettsville Jaycees-1962
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35-3 Edward Crosland House
204 Parsonage Street, Bennettsville
This marks the oldest house in Bennettsville, built in 1800 by Edward Crosland, who was
born in England and later married Ann Snead. He died in Bennettsville in 1821. He was
a Patriot, American Revolutionary soldier and plantation owner. His youngest son,
William Crosland, was born in this house on April 23, 1800. Erected by Marlboro Chapter
Colonial Dames of XVII Century-1967
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35-4 Old Female Academy
121 S. Marlboro Street, Bennettsville
The oldest part of this building served as Bennettsville Female Academy 1833-1881. It
originally stood opposite First Methodist Church on East Main Street, was purchased in
1967 by Marlborough Historical Society, moved to its present location, and restored by
public donations. Bennettsville Academical Society, organized about 1828, built the
Academy. Erected by Marlborough Historical Society-1968
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35-5 Welsh Neck Settlement
NW side of US 15-401 on Marlboro County side at Pee Dee River bridge
Welsh Baptists from Pennsylvania and Delaware settled on the east bank of the Pee
Dee as early as 1737. Most of the lands in the Welsh Neck, from Crooked Creek to
Hunt's Bluff, had been granted by 1746. A Baptist congregation was organized in 1738.
The first church, predecessor of the Welsh Neck Baptist Church in Society Hill, stood
one mile upstream. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1970
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35-6 Albert M. Shipp
On W side of US 1, 1 mile N of Wallace near Gillespie Cemetery
In Gillespie Cemetery, west of here, is buried Albert M. Shipp, Methodist minister,
professor of history at the University of North Carolina 1849-59, second President of
Wofford College 1859-75, Vanderbilt University Professor and Dean 1875-85, and
author of Methodism in South Carolina. Dr. Shipp's last home, "Rose Hill" Plantation, is
two miles NE. Erected by Wofford College Alumni Association of Chesterfield-Dillion-
Marlboro Counties-1970
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35-7 Bennettsville Methodist Church
E. Main Street, Bennettsville
The first Methodist house of worship in Marlboro County was at Beauty Spot, two miles
north of here, where, in 1788, Bishop Asbury attended a meeting. By 1834, the first
church in town had been built here on 11/2 acres of land donated by W. J. Cook. A
second building was erected about 1871. The present church dates from 1900 and was
extensively renovated and improved during 1955 and 1956. Erected by The
Congregation-1971
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35-8 John Lyde Wilson
N side of intersection of SC 9 and Road 165
Near this site stood Stony Hill, boyhood home of John Lyde Wilson, state senator and
representative, governor of South Carolina from 1822 to 1824, and author of The Code
of Honor (1838), widely used by antebellum duellists. His parents, John Wilson and
Mary Lide, are buried in nearby Wilson family cemetery. In 1957, a tornado destroyed
the home. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1971
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35-9 General John McQueen
Corner of S. Marlboro and E. Main Streets, Bennettsville
This U.S. congressman was born on February 9, 1804, at Queensdale, N.C. After
being admitted to the bar in 1828, he established a law office on this corner in
Bennettsville. McQueen served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1849 to
1860, resigning on South Carolina's secession from the Union. He was a general of S.C.
Militia, a prominent secessionist, and a member of the First Confederate Congress.
Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1972
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35-10
SE corner intersection of SC 38 and SC 381, Blenheim
(Front) Robert Blair Campbell
This U.S. Congressman and diplomat was born at Woodstock (Argyle) Plantation, 31/2
miles southwest. He was a Brigadier General in the State Militia and served in the S.C.
Senate 1822-23, 1830-34. He represented this district in the U.S. Congress 1823-25,
1834-37. He was U.S. Consul to Cuba 1842-50 and to England 1854-61. In 1862 he
died and was buried in London.
(Reverse) John Campbell
This U.S. congressman, the younger brother of Robert Blair Campbell, was born 31/2
miles southwest of here. He graduated from the South Carolina College in 1819 and
practiced law in Brownsville and Parnassus. He served in Congress as a States Rights
Whig 1829-31 and as a States Rights Democrat 1837-45. He died in 1845 and was
buried in the family cemetery. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation
Commission-1972
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35-11 Daniel Calhoun Roper (1867-1943)
SE side of US 15-401 at Road 22, Tatum
This cabinet member and diplomat was born two miles south of here. He graduated
from Trinity College in 1888 and later became head of Marlboro High School, near here.
He was Franklin D. Roosevelt's first secretary of commerce from 1933 to 1938 and U.S.
minister to Canada, 1939. He was author of Fifty Years of Public Life. Erected by
Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1972
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35-12 John Lowndes McLaurin (1860-1934)
NE side of intersection of SC 9 and SC 79
One mile west is the last home of John Lowndes McLaurin, Marlboro County native, U.S.
congressman and senator. He served as S.C. representative 1890-91, S.C. attorney
general 1891-92, U.S. congressman 1892-97, U.S. senator 1897-1903, and state
warehouse commissioner 1915-17. The mill pond west of here bears his name. Erected
by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1972
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35-13 Bennettsville Presbyterian Church
McColl Street, Bennettsville
In 1855 this church was established by members of the Great Pee Dee Church, five
miles southeast of here. Fire destroyed a newly-completed building in 1907. The
present sanctuary was completed in 1911, the educational building and chapel in 1946.
J. Beatty Jennings, elder of this church, was a commissioner to the First General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S. in 1861. Erected by The Congregation-1972
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35-14
W side of Road 57 near Oak River Mill near Great Pee Dee River
(Front) Battle of Hunt's Bluff
On July 25, 1780, a convoy of British boats en route from Cheraw to Georgetown was
captured here by local Patriots. Wooden logs resembling cannon were mounted on this
bluff. When boats appeared, Captain Tristram Thomas demanded unconditional
surrender. At this signal, the Loyalist escort joined forces with the Patriots, making
prisoners of the British troops.
(Reverse) Old River Road
This "River Road" was in existence before the Revolution and was a principal trading
route from the upper Pee Dee basin and N. C. Piedmont to Georgetown and Charleston
on the coast. The road follows the course of the Great Pee Dee River and was traveled
extensively by Patriot forces during the Revolution. Early plantations lay along the road.
Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1973
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35-15
W side of US 1, within 1 mile of North Carolina line
(Front) Pegues Place
About 1760, French Huguenot immigrant Claudius Pegues settled in this area. His
home, Pegues Place, is located one mile west of here. A founder and early officer of St.
David's Episcopal Church in Cheraw, he was elected in 1768 as parish representative to
the Commons House of Assembly and in 1785 was named a justice of the county. He
died in 1790.
(Reverse) Revolutionary Cartel
On May 3, 1781, a cartel for the exchange of prisoners of war taken during the American
Revolution was signed one mile west of here at the home of Claudius Pegues. Lt. Col.
Edward Carrington acted for Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army.
Capt. Frederick Cornwallis, acting for his cousin, Lieut. Gen. Earl Cornwallis, signed for
the British. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1973
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35-16 Blenheim
SE corner of SC 38 and SC 381
This community was named for Blenheim Palace in England, home of the Duke of
Marlborough, for whom Marlboro County is said to have been named. Formerly called
Mineral Spring or Spring Hill for the mineral springs 1/2 mile E, Blenheim traces its origin
to wealthy planters who built summer homes during the antebellum period in this healthy
locality. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1973
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35-17
Intersection of US 15-401 and Road 167 at Pee Dee River off 401
(Front) Abel Kolb's Murder
Colonel Abel Kolb was a prominent Revolutionary War Patriot of this area. A band of
Tory raiders, on the night of April 27-28, 1781, surrounded the home of Colonel Kolb and
his family. He was shot while surrendering himself as a prisoner of war and his home
was burned. His grave is in old Welsh Neck cemetery, one mile north, a short distance
from his home site.
(Reverse) Welsh Neck Cemetery
One mile north on the east bank of Pee Dee River is the site of Old Welsh Neck Baptist
Church and its cemetery, where early Welsh settlers and their descendants are buried.
Two stone monuments and several river rocks mark the few remaining graves of
members of the Marshall, Kolb, and Wilds families. When the church moved to Society
Hill, the cemetery was abandoned. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation
Commission-1973
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35-18
W of Road 209 at its intersection with SC 912
(Front) Grave of General Tristram Thomas
In Saw Mill Church cemetery is the grave of Tristram Thomas, major of militia during the
Revolution. At Hunt's Bluff, ten miles south, a band of Patriots under his command
seized a British flotilla in 1780. He served as legislator, as first brigadier general of the
Cheraw Militia, and as commissioner for locating the county seat.
(Reverse) Saw Mill Baptist Church
In 1785 Philip Pledger donated to the Cheraw Hill Baptist Church a tract of land here
adjoining his saw mill. Pledger's Saw Mill Church was eventually constituted in 1820 as
a separate church. The original congregation relocated in 1832 as Bennettsville Church.
Sawmill Church today is a member of the S. C. Baptist Educational and Missionary
Convention. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1974
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35-19 Barnabas Kelet Henagan Home Site
Intersection of SC 38 and Road 18, Bristow
Governor Henagan (1798-1855), son of Drusilla and Darby Henagan, planter and
physician, lived about one mile northwest of this site; senator, Marlboro District 1834-38;
lieut. governor of S.C. 1838-40; governor of South Carolina 1840; moved to Marion
District 1843; senator, Marion District 1844-46; S.C. secretary of state 1846-50. Erected
by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1974
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35-20 Old Beauty Spot
NW corner of Road 647 and Road 17 NE of Bennettsville
Here stood the first Methodist church of Marlboro County, a single log cabin built in
1783. Here Bishop Francis Asbury presided over and preached at an early Quarterly
Conference, held on February 23, 1788. Camp meetings were held here 1810-1842. In
1883, the church was moved to another site, also called Beauty Spot, two miles
eastward. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1974
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35-21
Intersection of SC 38 and Road 18, Bristow
(Front) Will of Mason Lee
This will, which named S.C. and Tenn. as heirs, was the subject of suits in the 1820s
charging Lee was of unsound mind when making his will. An 1827 appellate verdict
exonerated Lee and established Heirs at Law of Mason Lee vs. Executor of Mason Lee
as the leading case in South Carolina regarding mental capacity in the execution of a
will.
(Reverse) Grave of Mason Lee
Mason Lee (1770-1821), a wealthy Pee Dee planter known for his eccentricities, is
buried in old Brownsville graveyard two miles south of here. He believed all women
were witches and that his kinsmen wished him dead to inherit his property. He felt they
used supernatural agents to bewitch him and went to great extremes to avoid these
supposed powers. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1975
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35-22
Intersection of SC 38 and Road 18
(Front) Frederick Charles Hans Bruno Poellnitz
Born 1734 in Gotha, Germany, this former chamberlain to King Frederick the Great of
Prussia came to America in 1782. Commonly called Baron Poellnitz, he lived in New
York City nearly eight years before moving four miles W. of here on the Pee Dee River.
He and George Washington exchanged ideas about farming projects and equipment.
(Reverse) Ragtown
Located four miles west, this plantation of 2,991 acres was acquired by Baron Poellnitz
in 1790 in exchange for some 22 acres in Manhattan, N.Y. Tradition says that deeds for
the transaction were drawn in Alexander Hamilton's law office. Poellnitz continued his
agricultural experiments at Ragtown. He died in 1801 and was buried on the plantation.
Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1976
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35-23 Jennings-Brown House
121 S. Marlboro Street, Bennettsville
In 1826 Dr. Edward W. Jones bought a lot at S. Marlboro and present E. Main and built
this house thereon shortly after. Owned by Dr. J. Beatty Jennings when Union forces
occupied Bennettsville 1865, the house is said to have served as their headquarters.
The house was moved here c.1905, purchased by Lura G. Brown 1930, and opened by
Marlboro County Preservation Commission as a house museum in 1976. Erected by
Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1976
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35-24
Just N of intersection of US 1 and SC 9, Wallace
(Front) Sherman's March
Units of the Union Army under Maj. Gen. Wm. T. Sherman crossed the Pee Dee River
near here during March 1865, leaving Cheraw for N.C. The 17th Corps advanced to and
occupied Bennettsville; the 15th Corps marched about four miles and camped at
Harrington's Plantation; the 14th and 20th Corps crossed the river several miles north of
here at Pegues' Crossing.
(Reverse) Greene's Encampment
During December 1780, Major General Nathanael Greene, commander of the Southern
Army, brought a number of troops to a "camp of repose" near this spot. Here he hoped
for abundant food and improvement of strength, discipline, and spirit of his men. Greene
departed camp on January 28, 1781, to resume active campaigning against the British.
Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1976
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35-25 Magnolia
508 East Main Street, Bennettsville
Constructed in 1853, this house was the home of William D. Johnson, a Bennettsville
attorney and one of three Marlboro County signers of South Carolina's Ordinance of
Secession. He served in the state Senate 1862-1865 and was elected chancellor of the
Equity Court in 1865. According to tradition, Magnolia was occupied by Union troops on
March 6, 1865. The house is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Erected
by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1978
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35-26
On US 401 and 15 at intersection of SC 912
(Front) Marlborough Court House
Located about one mile N. of here was the original county seat of Marlborough County,
established in 1785. Tristram Thomas conveyed two acres of land to the county for the
erection of public buildings in 1787, and the court house and jail were built there shortly
afterward. The county seat was removed to a more central location in 1819. No trace of
the original town remains.
(Reverse) Old River Road
This river road follows the course of the Great Pee Dee River and crossed U.S. 15 here.
It was in existence before the Revolution and was a principal trade route from North
Carolina and the Upper Pee Dee to Georgetown and Charleston. Early plantations lay
along the road and it was traveled extensively by Patriot forces during the American
Revolution. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1978
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35-27 Early Cotton Mill
On SC 385 about 2 miles N of Bennettsville at Road 372
About 1836 William T. Ellerbe, John McQueen, and John N. Williams built a cotton mill
approximately one mile northwest. Power for operation of the mill came from the waters
of nearby Crooked Creek. Ellerbe and Williams sold their stock in the mill to Meekin
Townsend in 1844. The mill was destroyed by fire in 1851, but Burnt Factory Pond
remains today. Erected by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1978
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35-28 Clio
On SC 9 at corner of Main and Society Streets, Clio
McLaurin's Muster Ground, located at this crossroads, became a polling place in 1825.
According to local tradition, the community was later called Ivy's Crossroads. A post
office named Clio was established here in 1836 and the town was incorporated in 1882.
The Florence Railroad Company extended its Latta branch line into Clio in 1895. Erected
by Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1979
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35-29 Brownsville Church
About 2.1 miles NW of SC 38 from Bristow on Road 18 at junction of Road 44
In 1788, this Baptist congregation, while still a branch of Cashaway Church (1756),
purchased this land from the Rev. John Brown. The branch became an independently
constituted church in 1789 named Muddy Creek and by 1829 was known as Brownsville.
Welsh Neck Baptist Association was organized here in 1832. The church moved 2 miles
NE in 1860. Erected by The Congregation-1989
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35-30
On SC 38, 5 miles SE of Blenheim, at church
(Front) Brownsville Baptist Church
In 1788, this Baptist congregation, a branch of Cashaway Church (1756) founded by
Welsh Neck Church (1738), purchased land two miles SW of here from the Rev. John
Brown. The congregation was independently constituted in 1789 and named Muddy
Creek. The church, which was known as Brownsville by 1829, moved here in 1860.
(Reverse) Brownsville Baptist Church
Completed in 1979 to resemble the 1860 church, which burned in 1977, this building
contains the original pine pews & pulpit furniture from the 1860 building. Both the Welsh
Neck & Pee Dee Baptist Associations were organized in Brownsville Church in 1832 and
1876, respectively. Prior to 1832, Brownsville belonged to the Charleston Association.
Erected by The Congregation-1989
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35-31
100 Fayetteville Avenue, Bennettsville
(Front) Shiness
According to a plaque placed on its western wall at time of construction, Shiness was
built in 1903 by Alexander James Matheson and named for his paternal grandmother's
home in Sutherlandshire, Scotland. Matheson was born in Marlboro County in 1848,
became a successful businessman and large landowner, married Sarah Ellen Jarnigan
in 1870 and became the father of nine.
(Reverse) Shiness
children. He died in 1918 and is buried in McCall Cemetery in Bennettsville. Shiness
was sold in 1939 to J. L. Powers, who converted it into apartments. A key structure in
Bennettsville's 1978 National Register District, Shiness was purchased by William Light
Kinney, Jr., in 1984 for adaptive use as business offices and retail shops. Erected by
Marlboro County Historic Preservation Commission-1991
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35-32
D.D. McColl House, 1826
West Main St., Bennettsville
(Front) This house, built in 1826 on Darlington St. (now Main St.), was first owned by H.H. Covington.
It was sold in 1871 to Duncan Donald McColl (1842-1911), prominent Marlboro County lawyer and
businessman; the McColls lived in this house until 1884. Later moved to S. Liberty St., then McColl
St., and finally to its present location by Hugh L. McColl, Jr., the house was donated to the county by
McColl in 1991.
(Reverse) D.D. McColl House, 1884
This Queen Anne house, built in 1884 for D.D. McColl, features local brick made from yellow clay and
stained to simulate red brick. McColl organized the S.C. & Pacific Railway in 1884, served as its first
president, and brought the railroad to Bennettsville and nearby areas. He also helped organize the
Bank of Marlboro in 1886 and the Bennettsville Cotton Mill in 1897, and the town of McColl was
named after him.
Erected by Pee Dee Committee of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina,
1998
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Pee Dee Resource Conservation and Development Council
2002 Pee Dee Resource Conservation and Development Council.
This page was last updated on September 28, 2002
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