City Directories and History: 1917 – Vacant, 1948 – Alister E. Smith, 1975 – Ira C. Smith
Listed as #632 on the 1922 Sanborn maps of Irby Avenue. This was the home of Lauren’s prominent M.D., William Claudius Irby who gave the street its name. Constructed about 1887, this fine Queen Anne style home was very impressive architecturally and dominated the street along with other Irby family homes.
Dr. Wm. C. Irby, born Jan. 23, 1849, died oct. 26, 1916; son of James H. Irby and Henrietta Earle Irby, he married Laura Vance (1841-1914), the daughter of Robert S. and Nancy Farrow Vance. The house was constructed in 1887 after the death of his father in 1886. Following his death members of the family lost the home.
Built ca. 1890, the Dr. William Claudius Irby House is significant as an excellent example of a residence featuring the influence of the Eastlake style of architecture. The home is a two-story, frame residence sheathed in weatherboarding with a cross-gable roof. Distinctive features on the exterior include the two-tiered porch on the façade, single-story porches on the side elevations, and pedimented window and door surrounds. The elaborate ornamentation includes turned posts and balustrades, turned frieze with perforated panels, perforated bargeboards, perforated brackets with pendants, and sawn appliques over the windows. The main entrance has a single door, sidelights, and transom. A two-story addition has been made to the rear of the house. Several fireplaces on the interior have ornate, Eastlake style mantels with beveled mirrors and glazed-tile surrounds and hearths. Dr. Irby (1848-1916) was a physician who practiced in Clinton, South Carolina, for a number of years before moving to Laurens; in his later years he devoted much time to his extensive farming interests. To the rear of the house is a fieldstone outbuilding. The house is located on a large lot in a quiet, residential neighborhood in the city of Laurens. It has had few alterations and retains integrity from the time of its construction. Listed in the National Register November 19, 1986. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]
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