History:
Benson Street in Anderson, South Carolina, was named for the Benson House, which was one of the early hotels in Anderson. The Benson House was built by H.M. Rice around 1835, and named in honor of James Prince Benson, one of the first landowners in Anderson. It occupied the corner of West Benson and South Main Streets until it was demolished in the 1890’s to make room for storefronts. The original hotel was damaged by fire in 1845 which destroyed much of western Anderson, but it was quickly rebuilt. Although ownership in the hotel changed over the years, the name remained the Benson House.
Benson Street is an east/west street that intersects Main Street just south of the plaza and courthouse. It extends for two blocks on either side of South Main street, ending at South Murray street in the west and South McDuffie Street in the east. It forms the southern side of the square and its boundaries have never changed.
East Benson Street – 1884
East Benson Street, circa 1876. This block shows the following buildings from left to right: Fant & Son (128 East Benson), Centennial House/Christopher Orr Hotel (124-127 East Benson), B.F. Crayton Store (123 East Benson, site of the Bank of Anderson). Of these, the Crayton store was the first to be demolished.
During the 1880’s, East Benson Street consisted of about a dozen storefronts and buildings. The buildings were numbered 123-137. The final two, 136 and 137 were vacant lots.
123 East Benson: Bank of Anderson. Former site of the Baylis F. Crayton store. According to local legend, Crayton opened his wine cellar to Union troops in May 1865. This kept the men drunk and they did not burn the town.
124: General Store. Sometimes considered part of the Centennial Hotel.
125-127 East Benson: The Centennial House/Christopher Orr Hotel. This hotel had been built by Christopher Orr in the 1830’s. Orr had been born in Craytonville, and he was a pioneer settler in the city of Anderson. He moved to Mississippi in the 1840’s but the hotel retained his name. By the 1876, it was also home to several businesses including a tailor, hardware store, jeweler, and clothing store. While it was commonly known as the Christopher Orr Hotel, in 1876, the name was changed to the Centennial House in honor of the United States’ Centennial Celebration.
East Benson Street (Sanborn Map 1884)
128 East Benson: General store
129 East Benson: Dry goods store
130-133 East Benson: Hiram Lodge. No likeness of this building has survived. At this time there were four vacant storefronts in the first floor of the lodge. The location had played host to a community center and a Civil War hospital. It was also the site of French’s Tavern, a popular stop along the wagon road which existed before Anderson was founded.
134 East Benson: General store
135 East Benson: Dry goods
Despite having two additional numbers, 137 and 139, East Benson effectively ended here.
This unique photograph shows the construction of 106 East Benson, circa 1887. This had been the location of the part of the Centennial House.
East Benson Street – 1890
East Benson showing the newly completed Masonic Temple and storefronts 116,114, 112/110, and part of 102, circa 1890.
By the end of the 1980’s, East Benson had undergone a dramatic renovation. Gone were the old buildings, the Centennial House, the Crayton store, and the old temple. By 1890, East Benson Street was full of new storefronts and establishments.
The new three-story masonic temple had been completed. Atop the third floor was a magnificent cupola, and the building housed Anderson’s first opera house. There was an unbroken line of equally sized storefronts lining the street making East Benson one of the commercial centers in town.
East Benson Street, circa 1890. Note the tower atop the Hiram Lodge.
The businesses located on East Benson in 1890 were:
102 East Benson: Bank of Anderson. The actual address of the bank at the time was 202 South Main Street.
104 East Benson: Orr & Gray. Pharmacy owned by Dr. Samuel Marshall Orr, a son of Governor James Lawrence Orr. Dr. Orr’s home, Little Arlington, still stands on West Market Street.
106 East Benson: Leader Dry Goods.
108-110 East Benson: Lesser & Company.
112 East Benson: C.S. Minor 5&10.
114-116 East Benson: Morrow-Bass.
118 East Benson: Hiram Masonic Lodge.
East Benson Street – 1950’s
Many of Anderson’s downtown landmarks were given face lifts during the 1950’s. On East Benson Street, these included the Bank of Anderson and Hiram Lodge. Details on their renovations are provided below.
East Benson Street – 1970’s
When the Anderson Downtown Historic District was surveyed and created in 1979, East Benson Street was included. The buildings included in the district were:
102 East Benson: Bank of Anderson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been significantly modified over the years, losing many of the original Italianate motifs and decorations. The corner entrance facing the intersection of East Benson and South Main Streets was removed in favor of a central entrance facing East Benson Street.
104 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, Victorian, bracketed cornice, 2/2 windows with pediment.
East Benson Street, looking west to Main Street (Brian Scott, 2012)
108 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, two-story, brick and stucco, originally identical to 130 East Benson, remodeled after 1968 fire.
110 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, two-story, brick and stucco, originally identical to 130 East Benson, remodeled after 1968 fire.
112 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, two-story, brick and stucco, originally identical to 130 East Benson, remodeled after 1968 fire.
114 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, two-story, brick and stucco, originally identical to 130 East Benson, remodeled after 1968 fire.
130 East Benson Street. Although the entrance has been altered, 108, 110, 112, and 114 were identical before the 1969 fire. (Brian Scott, 2012)
116 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1890, two-story, brick, bracketed cornice, 2/2 windows with pediments.
118 East Benson: Hiram Masonic Lodge. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. 1889, replaced an earlier temple on the same site, three-story, brick, dome and detail work have been removed.
128 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1900, two-story, brick, first floor facade altered.
130 East Benson. Listed as a contributing property in the Anderson Downtown Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. Circa 1900, three-story, brick and granite, bracketed cornice with dentil detail, 2/2 arched windows.
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