Murrells Inlet Historic District – Fairey House

City Directories and History: Click here to learn more of the history of Murrells Inlet’s Historic District and this structure.

Cedar Grove Plantation after it had been converted into a dining room at Pawley’s Island. One of many area restaurants that attracted tourists to the beautiful area. Courtesy of the AFLLC Collection – 2017

The Murrells Inlet Historic District contains a significant concentration of buildings which visually reflect the transition of the area from adjoining estates of two nineteenth-century rice planters into a twentieth century resort community. In the mid-nineteenth century, homes were built for two prominent Georgetown County rice planters, Jacob Motte Alston and Dr. Allard Belin Flagg.

Swimming in the inlet in front of the Quantz House, ca. 1955

Fairey House: remodeled after each hurricane…. Mrs. Howard E. Buxton of Murrells Inlet (Capt. Buxton’s wife), contacted Isabel Fairey in St. Matthews, S.C. and told her of the cottage for sale.  The note to Mrs. Fairey was dated Aug. 14, 1940.  The Fairey family purchased the house later that year.  See letter this page!

After the lands began to be subdivided in the early twentieth century, a small community of summer houses developed. Today the historic district contains two antebellum houses, which are local interpretations of the Greek Revival style, as well as a collection of early twentieth century vernacular resort buildings. Residential in character, the historic district contains approximately nineteen houses. Although they exhibit some diversity, the prevalent use of wood as a building material, the large screened porches, and the setting of moss draped trees, marshland, and piers provide a visual unity. Since most of the buildings overlook the creek and marshland to the east, and since the creek and marshland provide the essential setting, a substantial amount of this area has been included in the potential historic district. Besides being crucial visually to the area, the marshland has played an integral part in the historical development of Murrells Inlet. Listed in the National Register November 25, 1980.  [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]

NATIONAL REGISTER – IMAGE(S)

Members of the Quantz, Peterkin and Fairey families have been enjoying Murrells Inlet for decades. It began with the purchase of what later became the Nye house by Jacob Risher Fairey and his wife Kitty Moss Fairey. Without children, they often had their extended family and friends to also visit the village. The William and Julia Peterkin family from Fort Motte, who were neighbors of the Fairey family from Calhoun County, also joined the vacationers at Murrells Inlet. Other extended family members followed with purchases of summer dwellings; Theodore and Cam Quantz and his first cousin, Mrs. Philip W. “Isabel” Fairey.  Members of the Fairey and Quantz families in 2015 own three homes in the historic fishing village.

Unfortunately, one of the oldest dwellings, the Fairey – Nye home, reported to have dated to the 1850’s was dismantled to make room for a new home.

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R&R HISTORY LINK: the Jacob R. Fairey house at Murrells Inlet

Please enjoy this structure and all those listed in Roots and Recall. But remember each is private property. So view them from a distance or from a public area such as the sidewalk or public road.

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