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| Kilburnie
circa. 1898 |
Kilburnie, believed to be the
oldest surviving dwelling in Lancaster, South Carolina, began as a federal-style cottage
built about 1827 by Lancaster dentist Joseph Lee. Ann Beard Phifer-Crawford,
daughter of Elizabeth Locke and Col. Martin Phifer and recent widow of John Crawford of the Waxhaws, purchased the
property on North White Street in 1834, probably provided its name
honoring her husband, after the
ancestral home of the Crawford's, Kilbirnie Castle in the Parish of
Kilbirnie, Scotland. The spelling of the name was altered as was the
Crawfurd family name. (for more Crawford information please go to
the bottom of the page) She added a second
story and piazza to the house thereby transforming Kilburnie into a Greek Revival structure, giving it the style of
Robert Mills' splendid courthouse nearby. Its "grounds" were the
entire east block of North White Street, bordered by Meeting and
Barr Streets. In February 1865, the federal army occupied Lancasterville, and surviving letters describe how the Crawford
family hid in the attic, watching the Union Calvary ride into town.
Kilburnie was sold to John D. Wylie
in 1869, who rented the house to a number of families over the
years, including William and Julliet Boyd Drennan - whose daughter
Amanda married John Edgar Craig at Kilburnie in 1883. The building's
current owner is one of that couple's descendants. Kilburnie was
deeded in 1898 to Wardlaw T. Witherspoon, who embellished the
exterior with Victorian ornamentation. In 1909, the dwelling passed
into the ownership of Miss Annie Witherspoon, a member of the old
Presbyterian Church whose Missionary Band of children met at
Kilburnie every month. In 1926, Kilburnie was sold to Mrs. Essie M.
Williams, who with her husband William Greene Williams restored the
dwelling and resided in it until the late 1950s.
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Moving Kilburnie
to historic Craig Farm from downtown Lancaster, Feb. 6, 1999 |
Kilburnie was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1979, its significant
antebellum architecture being described as "outstanding in its style
and grace." After standing vacant for nearly forty years, Kilburnie
was faced with demolition in 1998. With the encouragement of
numerous Lancastrians, it was rescued by John E. Craig, Jr. and
Johannes L. M. Tromp, who moved the structure on February 6, 1999 to
historic Craig Farm just north of Lancaster. The meticulous
restoration of the old structure and construction of an
architecturally sympathetic rear addition included faithful copying
of the parlor's original elaborately modeled ceiling in the restored
parlor and dining room.
At the official opening ceremony on May 21, 2000,
South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges cut the ribbon opening Kilburnie,
the Inn at Craig Farm, and with his wife Rachel and sons, joined
Lancastrians in celebrating the restoration of a much-loved
structure.
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South
Carolina Governor Jim Hodges at the official opening of
Kilburnie, the Inn at Craig Farm, May 21, 2000 |
Kilburnie is now a celebrated bed and
breakfast with rooms named for the personalities and families of
old Lancaster County history and the building's architectural
forbears. Each guest room features a collection of prints, maps, and
paintings reflective of its namesake's life, and the public halls
feature artist Jim Shore's paintings based on historic events in
Lancaster. The owners' hope is that guests will encourage friends,
relatives, and business associates to think of Kilburnie, the Inn at
Craig Farm, as a "home away from home"- a place to step back in time
and history, in the quiet and comfort of a unique private dwelling.
THE CRAWFORDS AND THEIR NAME
(The following information was provided by Mr. Jack Bethea, June
2006)
Although some difference of opinion
excists on the part of experts as to the origin of the surname
Crawford, most antiquarians suppose it to have been derived from the
Gaelic Cru meaning bloody, and ford a
pass or way thus standing for "The Pass of Blood." This, probably,
was reminiscent of some warlike conflict between the Roman invaders
and the Aborigines in in ancient Britain. A few other authorities
have derived the name from the ancient words CRODH and PORT, which
when combined signify "A sheltering place for cattle." Early in the
12th century the most remote ancestor of the family of Crawford in
Scotland, Reginald, youngest son of Alan, the fourth Earl of
Richmond, accompanied King David the First to the north country, and
there received extensive grants of land in Strath Cluyd of
Clydesdale. There his immediate descendants remained, adopted the
name of Crawford, and formed one of the largest baronies in all
Scotland.
The first Crawford to use the
surname was one Galfridus de Crawford, this name first appearing as
the signature of a witness to a Scottish document executed about the
year 1189. Thus it appears that the family of Crawford, established
at a place of that designation, adopted the fixed surname of
Crawford; and as time passed and surnames were more commonly used it
became the family name.
In Scotland the Crawford's were
barons; and while Scotland remained a separate kingdom they ruled
the country as members of the council of barons.
Reginald de Crawford, known also as
"Reginald the good", was great grandfather to Margaret Crawford,
wife of Malcolm Wallace, and mother of that world-renowned Scottish
hero, William Wallace. It was Thomas Crawford who on the 2nd of
April, 1578 took the castle of Dumbarton, an achievement remarkable
in the annals of medieval Scotland, since Dumbarton at that time was
considered impregnable.
Kilburnie Castle and Kirt
were possessions of the family in ancient times. There at the
castle, on the front of the gallery, and emblazoned the armorial
bearings of twelve families with with the Crawford family allied.
The name Crawford, so favored in
the annals of Scottish history, find honorable mention in the
chronicles of America as well. Many Crawford's came to this country
in colonial times. Earliest of them, and recognized as the common
head of the American family, was John Crawford born in Ayershire,
Scotland in 1600. He emigrated to Jamestown, Virginia, and was
killed in 1676 during Bacon's rebellion. He had one son, David, born
in 1625. This son had two sons and three daughters; the sons where
Capt. David and John. Capt David married Elizabeth. they had three
sons: David (1698) who married Ann Anderson, John (1707) who married
Elizabeth Terrell of South Carolina. In America the name of Crawford
has taken on numerous spellings. The more frequently recognized
forms of the original name are: Crufford, Croffard, Craffard, Caford,
and Crofut.
Inter marriages of different
branches of the family have rendered predominant certain Crawford
traits and characteristics. A high moral sense and a sense of
personal dignity is common throughout the family. Physically they
are recorded as being of large stature, strong, and of considerable
endurance. Dr. N. H. Crawford, a family historian, refers to the
"firmness, and fearlessness" of the Crawford's. Longevity is another
Crawford trait. One historian records that those who arrived at
maturity lived to an average of 87 years, while one Crawford is said
to have lived to the age of 115.
Christian names appearing
frequently in the annals of the family are: Ann, Charles, David,
Elizabeth, John and Robert.
Crawford's from New York who took
part in the American Revolution were Alexander, Ais, Daniel, David,
Henderson, James, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Nathan, Robert, Samuel,
Stephen, Thomas, Uriah, and William. There were Crawford's from
other states also.
