The Holliday House - A Legacy of Tragedy & Mystery

Originally built as a family residence for Jesse Gray Holliday and his wife, Sarah “Sallie” Norman Davis, the Holliday House also served as a gathering place for business dealings and social affairs. The Hollidays were an influential family in South Carolina, with deep ties to the region’s development. In fact, Highway 501—the main thoroughfare connecting inland South Carolina to Myrtle Beach, which passes through Gallivants Ferry—is officially designated “The Holliday Highway” in their honor.

Jesse’s father, Joseph Holliday, was a prominent figure in South Carolina's economic and political history. Though born in North Carolina, Joseph faced tragedy early in life when he was orphaned and his inheritance mismanaged by guardians. Yet through perseverance, he rose to prominence as a naval stores operator, producing tar, pitch, rosin, and turpentine.

His success was interrupted when he was conscripted by the Confederate government to manage the salt works during the Civil War—a role that ultimately cost him everything, including his business and personal possessions. Unshaken, Joseph re-established himself after the war, reopening a naval store operation between 1866 and 1868. By 1869, he had opened a supply store on the banks of the Little Pee Dee River, which became a vital hub for farmers throughout western Horry County.

Over the years, Joseph expanded his ventures to include merchant operations, tobacco farming, and even a profitable mercantile partnership in Homerville, Georgia. He served as Horry County Commissioner beginning in 1870 and was appointed the first postmaster of Galivants Ferry. He also played a foundational role in what became the “Galivants Ferry Stump,” a political tradition that still endures as a celebrated Democratic Party event. Known for his love of horses, Joseph was often seen racing his prized animals—a favorite pastime.

Jesse Gray Holliday followed in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps. As co-owner of J.W. Holliday & Son, he ran the largest livery stable in Marion County. He moved to Marion from Gallivants Ferry in 1886 and married Sallie Davis in 1888. While no official records confirm it, it is believed that Jesse and Sallie lived in a small cabin on the property while overseeing the construction of the grand Victorian residence, completed around 1888–1889.

The Holliday House bore witness to both the joys and sorrows of family life. In 1890, Jesse and Sallie welcomed their first child. Sadly, three of their children would later die young—tragedies that left behind a lingering sorrow. Even more mysterious was Sallie’s own untimely death, surrounded by whispers and unanswered questions. Jesse remarried two years later, to Bessie Goldbold, and the couple remained in the home until approximately 1916, when the house was sold to the Jenkins family.

But tragedy would strike again. Alex Jenkins died in a fatal train accident in 1925. His wife, Eva, contracted tuberculosis and later passed away. Whispers of misfortune continued to haunt the home, darkening its already somber legacy.

In the late 1940s, the Holliday House transitioned into a far more chilling chapter when it was purchased by brothers William and P.B. Smith, who converted it into a funeral home—Smith Brothers Funeral Home. The home continued to serve in this capacity for decades, eventually becoming the Smith-Collins Funeral Home under new ownership in 1980. It remained a functioning funeral home until 2015.

Decades of sorrow and loss passed through its doors, embedding themselves into the very walls of the house. Following its abrupt abandonment in 2015, the once-beautiful structure was left to deteriorate, falling victim to time, the elements, and trespassers. Yet even in silence, the house is far from empty.

Numerous deaths have occurred on the property—from unexplained illnesses to suicides—each event adding a new layer to the house’s ominous and tragic legacy. Visitors and investigators alike report an undeniable presence that still lingers—watching, waiting, and refusing to be forgotten.