Tour of Homes

67 N. Congress St.

A pivotal building. The Yorkville Enquirer brought out its first issue January 4, 1855, in a seven-column folio published by L. M. Grist and friends. By the time the War Between the States broke out, L. M. Grist and family were the sole owners and lived in a home next door to the building. They had subscribers in nearly every Southern state.

In 1861, L. M. Grist left to serve the Confederacy, and his father John C. Grist took over the paper until the close of the war. Only twice did the publication fail to come out semi-weekly during these years, and that was due to the lack of paper.
From 1866 the paper grew until fire destroyed the original building in 1890. The Grist family built the present structure in 1891 and continued to publish the paper. It is a fine example of 1890 architecture that displays Victorian symmetry. The cornice features foliage design, leaf work, a motif and dentil molding. False windows are also located on the building. The building has a hurricane support system with star designs visible on the sides of the building. These “earthquake rods” are visible on a number of buildings in the business area, many being installed after the Charleston earthquake of 1896.

North Congress Street