Save This Old South Carolina Fixer Upper Victorian Cottage Under $48K

 

Fixer Upper For Sale!

• 3bed
• 2bath
• 1,463sqft
• 8,276sqft lot
• Circa 1930

 

If interested in a property, please contact the realtor whose link is provided in the post below, or contact an agent of your own choosing. Independent verification of details and status is recommended.

406 Oakland Ave, Gaffney, SC 29341

• Contact Realtor: Claudia Roberts with EXP Realty LLC
• Google Map
• Niche

 

 

Family History

Well, I spent way too much time getting wrapped up in the tragic family history of this home. The Blanton family owned this home from the 1940s until the early 1990s. Larry Bryan Blanton (1900-1955) was the original Blanton to own the home. He was a disabled WWI vet who had lost both legs in the war, so his wife, Otie Smalley Blanton (1902-1990), was the bread winner, a spooler at a textile factory. She had help from her adult children who also lived in the home, Wilkes, Wallace, Larry Jr., Tillman and Sarah. The three oldest sons were also spoolers, and Tillman was a milkman. Son John (aka Jonas)  had already moved out to Battle Creek, Michigan, and had become dean of American water skiing kite fliers.

 

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Tragedy

In 1955, Larry Sr. was shot and killed at age 54 in front of this home by his son Wilkes, after an argument over a car payment. Wilkes was sentenced in 1955 to 15 years in the chain gang. The following year, he was allowed to temporarily leave prison to visit the Blanton home due to an illness. There, he committed suicide in his bedroom with a single gunshot to the head. Wilkes used the same pistol that he used to kill his dad. Otie and family continued to live in the home until her death at age 87 in 1990.