Ancestor’s 180 Year Old Home Destroyed - Demolition of the John M. Charles House 

😢..I cant believe these ppl dont restore it...in my area we have Antibellum houses that are gorgeous..yes we're Confederates and we love and restore our properties and we have generations still living in them 😢

All that beautiful hand cut and notched wood and beautiful brick. All in the name of "progress". How incredibly sad. I pray your family cemetery is protected.

Sorry for your loss.😢 We have to do a lot better as a society to appreciate and protect our history.

My mothers family originated in Greenville and Spartanburg. I’m sad to hear your ancestors home is gone. Also that Greenville is not preserving its history. Shame!

I am blessed to be able to see the homes my ancestors lived in my great great grandparents built a home in 1867 I was told there was six family bedrooms one for parents and 1 for every child I know they had at least one servent another home was built with bricks made on the property in the early 1800s

So sad! Native of Greenville here and it is wonderful that you want to preserve history. Love your videos. Keep them coming.

We need to start taking care of our history and protecting it also😢😢😢😢❤❤❤❤

At least you have a memory of it.Its a shame you found out after demolition.Too bad you didn’t have a metal detector and possibly find coins and relics that your ancestors once held.

I could be wrong, but.... There might have been old growth wood members in the house that were quite valuable upon re-milling? The floors, the King or Keel Beam??? At the very least... To have killed such a large and ancient Wisteria when it could have been moved... Horrible Waste!!! How are they going to develop the land with all your ancestors buried there!!!??? Will the graveyard be saved!?

'G'day from Australia. Are you ok? I would be devastated. Your an awesome young man. I am so glad that you got the video of this majestic building before it was destroyed. It is incredibly sad that it is gone now. So old, and so much love in building it way back in the day. Your ancestors will be so proud of what you did, and that it will continue to be a part of the family history due to your decency in wanting to preserve it in some manner. Knowing your ancestors or the slaves touched the wood and brick that you saved its so powerful. I believe you were meant to meet Gary, and learn more about the area. I do hope your ok, and thankyou for sharing this with us. Take care, warmest regards Sue

I agree with you. We are moving forward and we are letting our history go to ruins. Many people today look at an old building and say eww it’s outdated. They would rather live in an ugly and usually not as strong house than an old strong and beautiful house. I’d like to be able to save some historic places if I can.

How terribly sad! Too bad more of the brick and some of the wisteria couldn't have been saved to make some kind of memorial structure (maybe an archway) for the cemetery, hopefully they won't disturb their final resting place ... you're a good man with a heart of gold! 💜

I hope you can get the cemetery protected.

My heart hurts for you and your cousins and future family. What a shame. As a historian, every piece like this is a loss for future. If you picked up enough, maybe pulling out screen shots of the home from your video, and donate a piece to the local museum. That will give others to see it. And all that wisteria that was in bloom in front, makes me sad. Please talk the city and state to put some time into preservation of the cemetery. It's needed.

if we had more kids like you that cared . the world would be better

this made me cry~ so sad... my husband takes down buildings many old he too lets people watch and some family has come an asked for things like you did... he also bring me home things i love old stuff.. and tell the storys of were i got them and how and who they belonged to long ago.. thank you blessings.. much love from eastern oregon ..

Sorry to hear this, it’s a shame that greed tends to override history, I’m watching the restoration of Hopwood House in Manchester England which is 600yrs old, so this beautiful old home could have been saved if they wanted to, but sadly greed took over here. It makes me wonder what they’re going to do with the cemetery is their greed going to just build over the top of it for the sake of their own greed, it saddens me greatly at the thought of this occurring. 💕from 🇦🇺.

You do your ancestors a great honor by caring so much about the house. I'm sure it's heartbreaking but I don't think there is anything you could have done. There are a lot of companies here in NC which take down old houses or barns and then sell the old wood and bricks. I'm surprised that's not happening there.

Watched with tears streaming down my face.

Such a beautiful house! So sad! 😢😢

Dig up the flowers and plant 🪴 them where ever you live if you end up moving dig them up again and transplant them again etc. Each time you movie that way you will always have something from the old house.

Just a thought, have you ever considered taking the video you have of the Charles House to a reconstruction artist to visualize and paint a portrait of the house as it may have looked in it's heyday with those beautiful wisteria 🤗 to pass down and keep in the family?

Just discovered your channel and have been watching your videos. I’m a neighbor to your south in Charleston. The home I’m sure was beautiful in its day. It’s a shame that it wasn’t saved. It’s horrible to think of people vandalizing the cemetery. Thank you for helping to clean, repair, and preserve it the best you can. The history is so interesting. Subscribed and will be following your journey.

Oh, that's just heartbreaking! I'm glad you got to keep some pieces, knowing those are original to the place. It would have been nice if you could have taken a few starts from that wisteria and plant it where you live now. I once had a house that was over 100 years old and the previous owner (who was there 50 years) planted wisteria next to the porch. But that may have been planted by one of your ancestors too.

So sorry for your loss. Perhaps you could find early photos to share of the place and allow it to live on in cyber space. Thanks for your videos

I hope you could save the stepping stone. My grandparents were poor. They had a house built, but used the wood from a house coming down in town. The removed each nail for the new home. My grandfather at first didn't want a basement, but changed his mind after they started building the house. He crawled under the house and hand dug the basement. A mason friend of thiers cute the stone for the basement fireplace. That house was destroyed for PA 60

So sorry I’m glad I saw your video before this thoughts are with you and your continued adventure😢

It's your family's cemetery, that's what I'd be concerned about. What are you going to do about that? There's your family's history! Don't let anyone take that from you. Let us know what you decide man.

What a flipping waste! The Wisteria, (a living treasure), should have been saved!

I really hate to hear that buddy I was hoping that you could get the house 🏠 and restore it and I'm sure everyone could have donated and you could have got it..bless your heart you are a good man. I really feel for you man.

You're an amazing young man! Thank you for sharing your stories.

Please do say a prayer to your great grandfather to express your thoughts to him and compliment him on the extremely well built house. I have an impression that he was very proud of it.

I am so glad you got some things from the house. I know how you feel about this situation . Here in Canada they don't care either it is just tear down and build more. Some things are saved but people had to fight for years to get it preserved. I hope you can find out more about the cemeteries and what will happen. I watch another you tuber who finds many lost cemeteries in Georgia and it is shocking that these are just left to be over grown. You are such a mature person and I am grateful someone your age cares about history. I look forward to more of your videos,. You do a great job!

I am sorry for your loss. I hope that maybe one day you can incorporate the pieces that you salvaged into the building of your own home.

glad to see you took a few pieces of wood. Pity you couldn't carry away that 20 ft long 6"x6" beam you saw the demo man set aside That could be cut up into a mantlepiece for a fireplace or other architectural feature in a house you might own in the future. But, regarding the smaller pieces of wood you did save, I think that sooner or later you will run into a master fine woodworker/ joiner who could cut those pieces of wood you have saved, into planks, smooth them off and build you something like a nice storage box for jewellry, or a. revolver or precious bits and pieces. I am sure some idea will come to you. 200 year old clear grain wood will look might fine polished up. Good Luck. Oh - what DID happen to that Step up stone? Looks like plenty of folks around here want to know. :)

Right you are. Everything has an expiration date. You are a good man, with family awareness. Never be silent about your family heritage or lineage. Please make sure to be a family genealogist and put these vids with it along with a brick etc. with it. You might see if there any pictures of the house when it was whole. As a former recruiter, you might inquire about working with a historical preservation society or even the state. You have a passion for it. Coming from the past, the 1950’s, what is most important is the love of one’s family, nuclear and extended. Also, an appreciation for one’s past and current surroundings. It might be worth looking for the slave cemetery. It could be of interest to the state or to national groups to be marked as a historical landmark. Do put this experience in your life’s photographs. Don’t mourn it, but rather celebrate the lives of your ancestors, they lived, loved, and experienced all that life has to offer.

Beautiful house. A shame they don’t care about the history of it. I’m in the area and was wondering if it is along Augusta Road? I drive by so many cemeteries on the corners of busy roads. It’s so sad they are in such horrible overbuilt places. I hope respect is shown to your ancestor’s resting places.

As many others have asked, (I'm asking again to get notified), does the new property owner also own the cemetery? if not is it still in the Charles family? You mentioned wanting to be buried there. Does that mean the new development can't touch the cemetery?? 🤞🏼

I am so relieved that you saved that beam with the nails in it, I kept saying please save that notched beam all the way up to the point where you did. 😊

Such a beautiful home, awesome design! So many great features! I can relate to your story, I've been through similar situations. I'm happy that you were able to have pictures, video and you were there to retrieve some bricks and beams, those items retain memories. I believe your ancestors are very happy to know your love and honor for your families history. Great respect.. Great video! Ty.

I am devastated for you. :(

I had watched the previous video you took and can't remember what you called that stone in the yard they used to get onto horses and into buggies but I hope you got i! I paused this video to comment so haven't watched to the end. If not, please go back and get it! What an awesome thing to have in your family for all the years to come! Also, I think I may have commented this last time but you should also dig up the daffodil bulbs. They will continue to multiply everywhere they're planted. They might get bulldozed and built over on that property. The reason you see them sometimes on the sides of roads is because they got bulldozed and the bulbs were spread in the soil. When you see them on the side of the road you can bet an old house stood somewhere nearby! I'm 65 but still have plants I dug from my grandparents homes. I've dug some of them up & planted again during several moves and shared with others, too. I'm so happy to see that a young man of 21 cares so much about his family history! I was born in AL but my dad's job took us to Greenwood when I was about 12. I became interested in my family history about age 18. I always felt cheated to not live around my cousins like all my friends. Fast forward after 40+ years of genealogical research, I've discovered I had cousins all around me! Turns out a couple of my high school friends are distant cousins. Two hundred years ago, my family WAS in SC but my direct lines moved into GA and AL. My roots are really deep in Old Pendleton Dist, Laurens Dist and Greenville Dist. All were Districts when my families settled there before they became counties. I'll stop rambling now but PLEASE go get that stone! And consider digging those bulbs before they die back. They might get bulldozed before they come back up next Feb. And they might end up under a building or parking lot never to bloom again!

Sorry for your loss. 😢

At 21 years of age you have a phenomenal respect for ancestral history. I researched my ancestors for 25 years which gave me a great appreciation of who I am and who my ancestors were. Imagine my shock and amazement when I discovered that on my mother's side there are four branches that ascend through British kings back to William I (William the Conqueror.) I am also descended from Charlemagne. And to top things off, I am descended from an actual Roman from around 200 AD. My only actual physical ancestral home is in Columbus, Ohio that was built in the early 1800's. It has been restored, preserved and protected by architectural and historical zoning laws. It is currently owned by a restauranteur who has made it his corporate headquarters. I share your sorrow in seeing an ancestral home gone forever. Your videos are extremely interesting to an "ancestor hunter" like myself. You do great work!

So sad.. I have a book about Greenville, from 1966, before the Daniel building downtown was finished, and it shows a lot of the beautiful old houses that are no longer there. I knew a guy that did the roofing on the Charles house back in the 80’s; he fell through and broke his leg, but he was okay, lol

I would've taken the stone that was used to get on the carriages and put it in my yard.

You should come back and metal detect and find old coins that would be cool

It was a grand ol house for sure.

you need an attorney that was against the law. That house was a historical land mark, also that slave cemetery is a national land mark, you need to save as much as you can, and make the developer pay for it all to be rebuilt

You should grab the upping stone; and take it home with you!

As sad as this is, it gives me hope to see the younger generation wanting to preserve and honor their history.

speaks to the quality of building materials used back then and the quality of the construction.....hew builds these days would not likely stand the test of time.

Maybe you can get the upping stone it wont mean anything to anyone else they will just toss it away try to get it

If you were to try and save the house when you had the opportunity I’m guessing you would’ve had to buy the property back since it was sold to developers.Just imagine all the wood timbers that made up the house were most likely from the trees that originally were on the property.The family graveyard is hopefully looked after better.

This is heartbreaking.

❤❤❤❤❤❤😢😢😢😢😢😢so sad and sorry for your loss dear!!!!!!!😢

Most Excellent.... 😪 🕯️........

Omg it was extremely beautiful OMG ❤😊

What a magnificent house it was! Sp wonderful that you were able to film it before it was lost. And ,oh my, what a gorgeous wisteria! I know that smelled heavenly. I wonder if some of it is still there? I would think so, they are pretty invasive if not kept under control. Perhaps you could dig some up and place it in the cemetery.

I wonder if someone within your family would have an original picture of the home or old friends?Google map of the area, ad in your local paper or museum??? Don’t give up hope. Wish you all the best ❤️

I watched you’re last video a while ago, absolutely heart wrenching, even more of our history destroyed, and for what? A couple of poorly built townhouses?

I really enjoyed your video. I’m sorry that you couldn’t save it. Just a quick note….could you please slow down when panning the rooms and such? I started feeling queasy and getting a headache from trying to take everything in. Thanks in advance!!

I subscribed hoping to see your restoration work you were really interesting and would be a lifetime sub keep it up 👍 P.S. film the process please

You could let the family know, that you would be interested, if they have pieces that originally came from that house? I have always loved going to thriftstores, etc., and sometimes I will pick up something, like an old wall clock, and think, that it is really a shame, that this was not kept in the family it came from... At some point, that clock was a rather big investment, and was in pride of place in the home. But today, because it did not match with someones Ikea furniture, it was donated to goodwill... So to especially the younger people, if you have an interest in your family history, and would like to own some things from your familys history - then say it! Some uncle might just have some things of interest in the attic, or in a cubboard. But if no one cares about it, it will just end up in a landfill or at the local thrift store. And the history is just lost forever. I just went back and watched the video of the house, and it is sad, that a house like that was just abandoned.. Those huge bushes, with the blue/purple flowers, that is an enormeous, very old wisteria. If you ever go back, keep an eye out, you might be able to find a surviving wisteria plant, that maybe you could save, and eventually plant by your house? I hope, that maybe some day, you are able to save an old house from the same fate. I follow a channel here on youtube, called Restoration nation, you might find interesting. They restore several old homes, where others have given up.

Such a grand amazing house it must have been in its time. Such a shame what time and vandalism does to something something so beautiful. It's ashame you didn't get the step-up stone too. I'm sure that will be lost with time also.

I'm so sorry for the sad story you've told. We need progress, of course, but it is tragic when that includes destroying history.

I shall continue to watch and subscribe.

I’m so sorry

If the cemetery is on the same piece of property which I’m assuming it is, I would be very concerned with what the plan is for that when the property is developed!!

Is there a good historical society in this area? They might have pictures of the house you could copy. I'm so glad for you. I've had to have bldg torn down that were part of my history. God bless you and I hope you will still persevere in cherishing your family history.

They can’t do that any structure over 100years old can’t be demolished it’s against the law

what are they going to do with the cemeteries?

Oh no! This is such a loss for you and history. Maybe they will let you have some brick and the stepping up stone . It would be wonderful to build yourself a house like your ancestor sis. It bugs me that your cousins cared so little about such a family treasure.

We feel your wow.

Sad

Very sad indeed.

Hope you saved more than just the one timber. There was lots of good pieces still there. Hope you filled your truck.

Wow..that made me sad, sry you had to go threw that, is there not a historical society in the area?

that sucks, feel for you.😪

😢

Very few people want to save anything to do with history

you could have gotten it listed as a historic landmark

my friend . u have not made more vid. y ??

Shame you didn't grab more original house bricks and build a memorial to your ancestral house over at the cemetery.

The upping stone?

Why did they decide to demolish the house now

what state is this in?

You had 6 months to buy it or try to save it.

Junkies and drug addicts do this to a home when the squat in them and go there to get high!!! They call the old house trap houses.

Did someone buy the property?