This is a Private Family Cemetery. Crenshaw Hall is on privately owned property, and you are requested to respect the rights of the property owners, and to please contact them to arrange access and visitation.

Crenshaw Hall is a nearly 200-year-old plantation home rich with history.

The 1800s

Crenshaw Hall was built by Samuel B. Crenshaw and his wife Eliza Harris Crenshaw on a 1,400 acre tract of land that had been given to the couple in 1824 as a wedding present by Eliza's father, Robert Harris. Robert was a wealthy plantation owner whose home still stands a few miles to the north on Hwy US 1.

Samuel B. Crenshaw and his brother William M. Crenshaw were the sons of James Crenshaw, who settled in this area in the mid 1700's after moving from England. The Crenshaw family lived at Waterfall; their family home located less than a half mile to the north of Crenshaw Hall on the banks of Horse Shoe Creek.

The original home that Samuel and Eliza built was a two story colonial wood frame structure with a single fireplace. The first floor of this structure is now what is known as the Eliza Room. In 1826, Eliza and Samuel welcomed Louisa J. Crenshaw into their home. Unfortunately, Samuel died shortly after Louisa's birth in 1828 at the age of 38.

In 1834, Crenshaw Hall was expanded to the west creating rooms with fireplaces on both the first and second floor. At this time, the house was finished in the popular Federal style.

1834 also saw the founding of what was to become Wake Forest University. One of the founding Trustees and first Treasurer was William M. Crenshaw, the brother of Samuel Crenshaw. William's son, ("Major") John M. Crenshaw was the first student to matriculate at the new school.

In 1844, Louisa Crenshaw married William Norman. The following year, their only child, Sarah, was born. William Norman died three years later in 1848. Louisa then moved back into Crenshaw Hall with her mother and baby Sarah.

In 1858, Louisa married again. This time, she was married to her cousin, Major John M. Crenshaw. After their marriage, Louisa and Sarah moved to Major Crenshaw's family home, Waterfall.

In the following months, Louisa grew more and more homesick. She missed Crenshaw Hall and begged Major Crenshaw to move back to her family home. He agreed under one condition, that they add a front hall and parlor to the home to combat the noise coming from the kitchen.

Construction on the front hall and parlor began in 1860. The new entrance way and front porch were done in Italianate style. This porch which was moved to the east side of the house when remodeled in 1910, and is one of the finest examples of Italianate flat board style found in this region.

In 1871, Eliza Harris Crenshaw, one of the founders of Crenshaw Hall, died at the age of 77.

In 1873, Louisa's daughter Sarah married Benjamin Craven Williams. Her mother did not approve of the marriage and promptly disowned her.

Benjamin and Sarah had several children: William W. Williams, Louise N. Williams, and Mattie B. Williams. Sarah fell ill and wasn't able to take care of the children any longer, so they went to live with their grandmother at Crenshaw Hall.

In 1903, when the children were much older, they heard that their mother was ill again. William and Louise disobeyed their grandmother's strict orders and went to see their mother before she died. They were disowned for their rebellious behaviour.

In 1897, Mattie was the only Williams child living in Crenshaw Hall. She married Thomas P. Jones and had four children. Unfortunately only Tom, Martin and Edward survived past their childhood.

The 1900s

In the early 1900s, William married Susan Daughtry and had two children, William Jr. and Louise.

In 1910, Louisa died and left Crenshaw Hall to Mattie. Mattie agreed to let her sister, Louise, who was unmarried, live at the family home with her family.

Mattie's sons Tom, Martin and Edward lived in Crenshaw Hall for most of their lives. Their father was not too pleased about their loafing lifestyle and told the boys get jobs. In response, Edward promptly built a gas station, rented it to Tom, who then hired Martin to run it. Tom's most industrious venture was a private "card" club that he ran in the woods on the east side of the plantation.

Mattie died in 1961, leaving her estate to her three sons. Edward died shortly after his mother in 1964. Martin continued to live in Crenshaw hall with his brother, Tom, and his Aunt Lou until his death in 1986.

Martin willed Crenshaw Hall to Tom who died three years later in 1989. Tom left Crenshaw Hall to his cousin, Louise, the daughter of his uncle William Williams.

Louise was a frequent visitor of the home, and her three children grew up running around the spacious estate.

Aunt Lou died in 1992 and her niece Louise died in 1993. Louise's three children Priscilla Bennett Rolls, Josephine Bennett Totten and John Robert Bennett III decided to divide the plantation into separate tracts, at which point ownership of Crenshaw Hall passed to her son John R. Bennett III.