History of Blair Plantation also known as "The Oaks"

In the western part of Fairfield County along the Broad River the land is extremely hilly, bordering upon being mountainous. The steep wooded hills and deep narrow valleys make it a rugged county. Hidden among the hills, usually on their crests, like gems in a tiara, are some of the oldest and most historic homes in the county.

One of these is a time-warn, weather-beaten house that was build in 1812 by major Thomas Lyles.

Major Thomas Lyles was a son of Arromanus Lyles, whose father was Ephriam Lyles, one of Fairfield's first settlers. Ephrain, and his brother, Colonel John, took lands at the mouth of Beaver Creek on the Broad River. The family was from Brunswick County, VA originally, but they came to Fairfield from Butte County, NC about 1745.

Ephraim was killed by Indians in his new home and a Negro servant was murdered by them in the yard, but his widow, Ann and her 7 or 8 children who were in the home at the time, were miraculously spared.

Arromanus became one of the first citizens of the district. From 1790 he was one of the citizens who paid tribute to the memory of the Reverend Jacob Gibson, a pioneer Baptist minister, who died that year. Major Thomas Lyles married Miss Peay, a daughter of another of Fairfield's first families. He was a representative of the legislature from 1832 until 1836. In 1839 his family consisted of 3 persons. When the census of 1860 was taken, his plantation was valued at $32,000.

The house that Major Lyles built in 1812 is a sturdy and attractive one. It was constructed to last and to be an heirloom of posterity. The bricks were all made by the plantation Negroes who mashed and packed the red mud with their bare feet. When the bricks were dried and cured, they were laid in wet mud mortar and pointed up on the surface with lime. The walls of the building are entirely of brick and are sixteen inches thick.

The design of the house is typical of the period. It is a compact rectangular structure with a well-braced hipped roof. The roof was originally covered with thick hand-hewn shingles. For decoration, the bricks in the cornice are laid in an angular pattern and a one story porch or piazza extends across the front just below the second story windows. This is supported by a graceful, slightly tapering, round columns. Over the front door is a semicircular fan-light of very small glass panels. The broad entrance steps are of everlasting blue granite.

Originally the front yard was fenced in to protect an elaborately designed boxwood garden through the center of which is a wide brick walk. The fence and trellis over the gate was covered with a profusely blooming rose vine. Brick columns on either side of the entrance were topped with graceful wrought iron urns.

Old houses such as this are filled with stories of romance, history, gaiety, love sorrow, mystery, and well guarded secrets. One of these stories will be told.

In late February 1865 after the fall and destruction of Columbia, Sherman's devastating army moved into Fairfield. At that time, Major Lyles was an old man ill and bed-ridden with a broken hip, and his bed was set up downstairs in what is now the dining room. As the dreaded invaders came near his little domain he sent his family away for their safety. The household treasures were taken with them, His finest stock and the highly bred horses for which his plantation was famous were sent deep into the swamps of the Broad River and carefully hidden. The old man, alone with a few servants, remained on the place to receive the enemy. Before their arrival the bummers had been told that he was a rich old planter, and that in all probability he had much treasure hidden away.

They came like angry hornets swarming all over the place. When they inquired about the owner, the servants told that that their master was in the house and ill, too sick to be disturbed. The usual search for loot ensued; the barns were raided then burned. Stock and poultry that was superfluous for them to carry away was killed and thrown into the flaming outbuildings. The cotton house containing fifty bales of fine staple went up in smoke. The house was ransacked and when no treasure was found, the old man's bed chamber was invaded.

He told them positively and emphatically, that there was nothing of any value in the house or on the plantation. They did not believe him and swore at him telling him that if he did not reveal the hiding place of his loot that they would burn the house over him. To these threats he shouted, "Burn and be damned! I only have a few miserable years ahead of me."

With that some of the men placed a pile of litter under his bed, and set fire to it. He did not flinch but remained in the great canopied bed until smoke began to fill the room. He was too sick and too proud to move. When the soldiers realized this one of the officers said, "That is the bravest old man I have ever seen," and ordered the awe-stricken servants to remove the fire. This was done with all haste, but even today, almost 140 years later, the charred spots remain on the floor where Thomas Lyles' bed stood.

A boy taking the last of the horses to safety in the swamps was overtaken by the plunderers and the beautiful animal was taken from him. The steed was "Zuleika," the pride of the countryside. It belonged to one of the Lyles daughters and was acclaimed to be the best "lady's horse" ever bred in the county. After the Yankees left, this beautiful creature was found dead by the roadside. The vile act was committed by the officer who had appropriated the animal for his own use. He killed the horse because the horse had bitten him and refused to let him mount. The horse was as gentle and easy to manage as a pet kitten when handled by a lady, but it had been trained to bite and refuse to carry any man, except its groom, who tried to handle it.