This is what the Edward Crosland House looked like before it was moved on July 19 to the grounds of Shiness. Owners Dan and Elisabeth McNiel have plans to renovate and turn the house into an Airbnb.
Photos courtesy of Dan McNiel
Light McNiel, left, and Ford Munnerlyn worked to remove the chimney of the Edward Crosland House before it could be moved. Since it was an interior chimney, it had to be removed brick by brick.
Photos courtesy of Dan McNiel
Dan McNiel has always had a love for history.
When he heard that the owner of the Edward Crosland house was thinking about demolishing it or moving it, McNiel had an idea—he would move the house to the grounds of Shiness and restore it.
The Edward Crosland House is the oldest house in Bennettsville. It was built in 1800 by Crosland, who was a Patriot, American Revolutionary soldier and plantation owner.
“I was trying to save the house from being torn down,” McNiel said. The process started long before it was moved on July 19. Talks about the house started before McNiel sold the Herald-Advocate newspaper at the end of September of 2021.
“I was already negotiating with him (Tony Berry),” McNiel said. “It just all kind of came together.”
The Edward Crosland house was initially built on the site where Shiness is located at 100 Fayetteville Avenue.
McNiel wasn’t sure where it was built on the property but said some parts of it had been constructed on the grounds of Shiness. A. J. Matheson, who built Shiness, had it moved in 1903 to what is now Parsonage Street. “We’re just taking it back to where it came from,” McNiel said.
Before the house could be moved, several things had to be done.
Three rooms had been added in the 20th century after it was moved to Parsonage Street. Those rooms were in bad shape, so McNiel had to take those off to move it because they weren’t worth trying to keep.
He emphasized that the process of moving a house is not quick.
Next, the interior chimney in the center of the house had to be removed.
McNiel said they took it down brick by brick.
Another challenge was finding somebody to move the house. The movers, Bentley House Movers, started on South Parsonage Street. The house was taken across the back of the Ohanesian property, which McNiel said they were very gracious in allowing them to go across their property. “We were trying to avoid as many power lines, stoplights, anything like that,” he said. “The Ohanesians allowed us to move it across their property and the school district allowed us to cut across the parking lot area next to Shiness.”
McNiel is relieved that the house is on the Shiness property after having to find a mover, working with City of Bennettsville, Sandhills Connextions, and AT&T to take down the lines.
“I am so relieved that it’s there, but now I am faced with the task of renovating it and making it nice once again,” he said. His next step will be getting a brick mason to construct a brick foundation. Right now, the house is sitting on wooden blocks. Once the brick foundation is completed, the house will be lowered down onto the brick foundation.
When renovations are completed, there will be four rooms downstairs and a two-room loft area upstairs.
McNiel said there will be a bedroom upstairs with a bathroom, and a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living space downstairs.
His goal is to turn the house into an Airbnb.
“I don’t think there is one in Marlboro County,” McNiel said. “People traveling like to stay in those as opposed to a hotel.”
He added it would be a lot less wear and tear on the old house than having it as an apartment. The historical marker for the Edward Crosland House will be put up near it. The marker has a crack in it and McNiel is trying to get it rewelded. McNiel would like to do the work as quickly as possible but there are plans to renovate Shiness and make it an apartment building. “I’m going to work on the Crosland house as I have time,” he said. “I’m going to do as much of that work myself as I can.”
He added a lot of people have been supportive and wanted to see the house saved.
As the chairman of the Historic Preservation Commission, McNiel said he took lot of pride in being able to save the historical home. “I’m going to be able to save an old house that should have been saved,” he said. “I’m just excited about possibilities.”