The Red Doe Plantation in Mars Bluff received its historical marker Sunday afternoon, officially recognizing the rich history the home and property represent.
The home, located about a mile and a half South of Francis Marion University, was originally built in 1846 by Evander A. Gregg of the prominent Gregg family.
“The home remained in the family until about three years ago, when in 2006 the Wilkins family donated the house to us (the Pee Dee Rifles Inc., now renamed Red Doe Plantation Inc.),” said Vic Phillips, the president of Red Doe Plantation Inc.
But the history of the property goes back to the Revolutionary War era.
In 1782, Andrew Hunter, one of General Francis Marion’s scouts and a prosperous farmer in the area, had a run-in with Colonel David Fanning, a ruthless Tory leader operating in the Pee Dee River Basin of North and South Carolina. Hunter ended up as a prisoner and was sentenced to death.
The morning he was to be hanged, Hunter stole Fanning’s beloved horse, named “Red Doe” for her resemblance to a deer, and rode it to safety, making a giant leap over a canal and eluding the Tory troops.
The official marker led to a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to restore the home.
The first phase of restoration is to work on the decrepit exterior, said Phillips.
“Once the exterior is completed, hopefully by the end of next year, then we will start room by room individually and hopefully over time we’ll be able to open it to the public,” he said.
The goal, Phillips said, is for the plantation to house museums commemorating the Pee Dee’s involvement in the War Between the States, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and World War I and World War II.
He also hopes that it will be available for weddings, receptions and other functions.
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