He Built This House as a Wedding Gift -- Now It's a Civil War Landmark ( Cheraw SC.)

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:12]These cedar trees have been standing right [music] here for over 200 years.

[00:00:17]A man named Erasmus Poe planted every single one of them.

[00:00:22]And he didn't plant them for the town, he planted them for his daughter as part of her wedding gift.

[00:00:28]And that gift was that house, [music] right there.

[00:00:47]>> [music] >> Hey, y'all. I'm Carolina Tony. Today, the road brings us right here on the town that I live in, the place that I call home, Cheraw, South Carolina. And we'll [music] step into a really good story right after this station identification.

[00:01:24]All right, before we can talk about this house, y'all need to know something about the man that built it.

[00:01:30]His name was General Erasmus Poe. And in the early 1800s, right here in Cheraw, the name Poe meant something.

[00:01:41]Erasmus Poe was born right here in Cheraw in 1768.

[00:01:45]Now, think about that for a second.

[00:01:47]1768.

[00:01:49]This man was born before the United States of America was even a country.

[00:01:54]And by By time he was a grown man, he had served as a brigadier general in the War of 1812.

[00:02:01]He was a man of standing in this community.

[00:02:06]And right here on McKeever Street, he had not just one home, but two. His own personal residence was just right there, just a few steps away.

[00:02:16]And the house at 143 McKeever, this house, this is the house that General Sherman himself used as headquarters when his army rolled through Cheraw in March of 1865.

[00:02:30]But, that's a story for another day.

[00:02:46]It's around 1815, the War of 1812 is over, and General Erasmus Powe has come back home to Cheraw, and his daughter Martha is getting married.

[00:02:59]Now, imagine you're a man like Erasmus Powe. You've been to war, you've got resources, you've got land, and your daughter's about to start a new life with her husband, John Ellerbe.

[00:03:11]So, what do you give them?

[00:03:13]Well, you build them a house, of course.

[00:03:22]Now, not just any house, mind you. He builds them an upcountry farmhouse right here at 135 McKeever Street, and then this is part that really gets me.

[00:03:34]He goes out front, and he plants a whole avenue [clears throat] of cedar trees.

[00:03:40]I've lived here for the last 50 years, I never knew that.

[00:03:52]Every one of those cedar trees Erasmus Pro put them in the ground for his daughter over 200 years ago and they're still here today right in the media of Cedar Avenue.

[00:04:14]Now, how was that for a wedding gift?

[00:04:19]A house and 200 years worth of shade trees.

[00:04:23]I wonder sometimes if Martha and John Errolbe used to sit out here on this porch in the evening under these trees and think about what her daddy had done for them.

[00:04:33]I'd like to think that they did.

[00:04:37]Y'all, if you enjoy uncovering stories like this, history's hiding here in our town in our own backyard in South Carolina, make sure you subscribe to Carolina Tony.

[00:04:47]There's stories like this all over this state, right here down these back roads and these streets that we drive every single day. Hit that subscribe button and you won't miss a one.

[00:05:00]Now, let's fast forward about 50 years.

[00:05:02]It's March of 1865, the Civil War is almost over.

[00:05:07]But nobody in Cheraw knows that yet.

[00:05:09]What they do know that William T.

[00:05:11]Sherman and his army are coming.

[00:05:18]Sherman rolls into Cheraw, his army needs a place to set up.

[00:05:22]Sherman himself he takes Erasmus's house right next door.

[00:05:30]But his second command, General Oliver Howard, he walks right down to this house. It's called Enfield and this home becomes his headquarters.

[00:05:43]Think about that.

[00:05:45]A house that was built as an act of love, a father's gift to his daughter on her wedding day, and now it's being used as a military headquarters in one of the most destructive marches in all of American history.

[00:06:01]It's a long way from a wedding gift to a war headquarters. But that's what history does sometimes. It takes the most personal things, the most private moments, and runs right through them.

[00:06:15]Now, the years after the war weren't kind to Cheraw, and they weren't entirely kind to this house, either.

[00:06:24]Record tells us that in Infield survived not once, but two major disasters over the year.

[00:06:30]A significant fire, the great Charleston earthquake, which were about 3 hours away, but it was felt here in Cheraw. It was so big.

[00:06:41]And yet, this house is still standing.

[00:06:47]For a good long while after the war, this was the home of Dr. J. J. Wilson.

[00:06:52]The people around here started calling this part of McIver Street Wilsonia, named right after the doctor.

[00:07:01]The neighbors charged that the name changed, but the house didn't go anywhere.

[00:07:07]Today, this entire neighborhood, 213 acres of Cheraw, South Carolina, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it has been since 1974.

[00:07:21]And right here at 135 McIver Street, these same cedars that Erasmus Flow planted are still standing watch over his daughter's wedding gift. You know, I've driven down this street my whole life.

[00:07:35]Grew up right here in Cheraw, for the most part of it. And when you live somewhere long enough, you stop seeing it. You stop asking questions. You just drive right past.

[00:07:47]But, every one of these old houses has got a story.

[00:07:51]A wedding, a war, a father who loved his daughter enough to plant 200 years worth of shade right out front.

[00:08:01]And, I think that's worth stopping for.

[00:08:07]Well, that's going to do it for our trip to Enfield in Cheraw, South Carolina. Be sure you give us a big old thumbs up.

[00:08:14]Y'all share this video with your family and friends. And, if you have not yet subscribed, please do so because there are a lot more stories like this right here in South Carolina.

[00:08:24]I am Carolina Tony. I'll see you on our next adventure. But, for now, y'all have a good day.