Billy Graham's Grandfather's House
Billy Graham's Grandfather's House
This log house was the ancestral home of the world's most famous evangelist, Billy Graham. It was the home of his grandfather, W. Crook Graham, a well-known Fort Mill citizen and Confederate veteran.
In his autobiography, Just As I Am, Billy Graham describes his grandfather, William Crook Graham, as "a hard-drinking hard-cursing veteran whose service with the Sixth South Carolina Volunteers left him with a Yankee bullet in his leg for the rest of his life." But he was an honest man. Billy Graham continues: "They [his eleven children] all grew up to be deeply religious, and a number of [his] grandchildren became preachers -- I being the first."
Billy's great-uncle, Robert Graham, also a Confederate veteran who lost his leg in the war, earned the name "Peg-Leg" Graham. He was know in this area as a colorful character.
This log house, built around 1780 from American Chestnut trees, was moved to the Greenway in 1999 from its original location on Highway 160 about two miles from here. It was lived in with many modifications for about 200 years.
Submitted by Linda Nutman.