Originally a part of a great nation of peoples, showing a 5000-year history of native peoples…This area’s land was acquired from Dusenbury and Sarvis, Buck and Beaty (both turpentine dealers), and Gilbert and Potter (a New York factor). Much of this land was originally granted to members of the Withers family in the 1700s and extended from Withers Swash to Singleton Swash (the Dunes Club). It had passed through several owners, including Joshua John Ward.

The Withers family received a land grant from King George, and their name has survived as Withers’ Swash, later known as Myrtle Swash or the Eight-Mile Swash. Mary Withers is buried in a colonial graveyard at Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church in Georgetown.

The Waccamaw tribe either inhabited or, more likely, visited the Long Bay area as summer tourists, where they scattered about some burial grounds and random shell mounds. (Swash Manor is on one of these ancient shell mounds, and pottery shards and artifacts dating back close to 5,000 years have been found here.) Farming was not highly rewarding in this sandy soil, so European settlers were reluctant to stay for very long. One of several families to receive a land grant on this coast was the Withers, and that name has survived as Withers’ Swash, later known as Myrtle Swash or the Eight-Mile Swash. Mary Withers is buried in a colonial graveyard at Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church in Georgetown.

At some point, this property was owned by a Todd. Mr. Todd sold it to Mr. Collins in 1924 or 1925, which led to the construction of Swash Manor shortly after. Therefore, it is estimated that Swash Manor was completed by 1926. This means that it would not have had plumbing, as plumbing began to be introduced to the area in the mid-1930s.

When I first bought the house in 2008, it made lots of noise! You know, old houses make noises, creaks, and bumps in the night. I nicknamed the noises “Bertha.” and addressed all unexplained noises as that. Almost two years after I owned the house, I learned that Bertha Collins died in the house! She was born on May 4, 1904, and died on January 12, 1992, at the age of 87. The death certificate lists Broadway Street, so it is believed to be in this house. Bertha last resided in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in Horry County.

   We find artifacts that show 5000 years of human activity at my home Swash Manor.  http://swashmanor.com/ancient-shell-mounds/