House of the Dead – Abandoned House

Traveling across the Southeast, you might notice that in many small towns, the most magnificent properties are funeral homes. This luxurious Victorian mansion in Marion, South Carolina was once hailed as the prettiest spot on the rail line between Wilmington and Columbia. The home was constructed in 1895 by livestock farmer Jesse Gray Holliday.

Jesse Gray Holliday was born in Gallivants Ferry, South Carolina on September 26, 1860. With his father and Governor W. H. Ellerbe, he ran a large livestock business in Marion for many years. Jesse Holliday built this Victorian home for his first wife, Sarah Norman Davis. The couple had four children together. Tragically, two of their children died at a very young age. In 1892, their second daughter, Jessie Holliday died in her infancy. In 1896, their first-born son, two-year-old Little Frank Holliday, died from phosphorus poisoning after eating matchheads. He became sick and a physician was called to the home, but the effects of poisoning could not be counteracted. In 1901, five years after their son’s death, Mrs. Sarah Norman Davis Holliday died. During a surgical procedure at Sumter, she did not survive. Her untimely death was felt with great sorrow throughout Marion.

In 1903, ownership of the property was transferred to the Pace family. Mr. Pace, a well-known figure in Marion, opened the town’s first funeral home, Pace Funeral Home. The same year, Jesse Holliday married his second wife Bessie Gadbold, in front of a large group of friends and family, at the home of Mr. William A. Gadbold, her brother. Holliday and Gadbold had four daughters together. After her husband died in 1940, Bessie Gadbold Holliday moved to Columbia, South Carolina.

Shortly after the death of Mr. Pace, the property was purchased by his nephews, the Smith brothers. What began as the Smith Brothers Funeral Home later became the Smith-Collins Funeral Home. In the 1970s, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property to the Marion Historic District. After serving the community for over a century, the Smith-Collins Funeral Home relocated across town, leaving this property vacant. In recent years, severe storms have caused significant damage to the roof and blown-out windows. The severe water damage caused the plaster downstairs ceiling to collapse.

The funeral home owners were unable to repair the property due to an ongoing insurance issue. The furniture and many other items were left behind in the hope that it would someday reopen, however, that never happened. As the property sat vacant, homeless people took up residence, leaving personal belongings scattered throughout the parlor rooms. In early 2024, a new owner announced the house was now open for tours and paranormal investigations.

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