COLUMBIA SCs "CASTLE" 'BRANTLEY MANOR' REVISITED...I Got An Email From Mrs. Brantley Herself!

so, as a routine of mine, one of the very 1st things i ever do, is go through my emails and  make sure i didnt miss anything important, and toss about 2/3rd of them out, because its always useless junk.

so, im going through my emails, same ole same ole, nothing unique, until i get to one email, and i have no idea WHY i decided to open it, something said to do it..

i was hesitant because the header was: BRANTLY MANOR

what the hecks a Brantky Manor? i was asking myself.
is this some NEW way to say ive inherited a bajillion dollars because some poor sole has no heirs and  he wants to give it away to someone, some stranger, like me?
well, i thought thats what it was all about..but i still, for unknown reasons, opened it...
thinking..what can be so bad about this? ive seen them a hundred times, and i toss each and every one of them, after i chuckel about my possibility of getting the funds they say id get...
(in case your wondering, they are ALL scams! dont fall for them!)

so, i open the email up, and scan over it, and im caught by the phrase...
"in your lovely article about Brantly Manor"
and im confused, and put aback, a bit...

mu article? about what? is this some kinda joke?
so i continue to read, or scan, looking for the number of funds id inherit if i fell for this scam...
and, no money was mentioned..

so i read it a bit more carefully, again...
still no mention of funds...

so i google Brantly Manor, and realize im seeing images of a hiome i had written a blog about a while ago (like 4, maybe 5 years ago!) and as im reading this email, i realize this woman who has written it, is  the wife that used to live there!

so i google my blog, because i remembered i had written one...
and the funny thing about the timing of this entire thing is, i was "dreaming" about  this same home a few days ago when the mega millions was still not won by anyone yet, and had the hopes, for the slightest iof seconds, that it could have been me and my family, so i could, buy the property, and build a dream home on it, somewhat similar to the one im looking at that i had written about in a blog so many years ago!

heres the link to my blog about this home:
http://nativity4me.blogspot.com/2011/06/brantley-manor-columbia-sc-castle-in-my.html
and, yes thats a completely different blog than this one, i wanted to try to write by the year now instead of one whole blog...thats why this ones not in that one.

anyway, heres the email, i dont think shed mind if i posted it, nothing in it damaging to her...(for her privacy, i have only used the 1st letter of her name and removed her email from the post.

From: N Brantley

Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 7:33 PM

To: nativity4me@***********.com

Subject: Brantley Manor

Dear Michelle,

 

My name is Nancy Brantley and I just read your beautiful article regarding Brantley Manor.  I don't know what possessed me to look it up but I must have been in a nostalgic mood of some kind.

Twenty four years ago Gene Brantley and I divorced.  This was only a few months after moving into "our home".  We lived in the guest house during the construction of Brantley Manor.  On the plans for the house it was actually named NANGEN HALL-- our names together.  At one time there was a carved coat of arms that said NANGEN HALL in the great hall over the fireplace.

 

We loved our Williamsburg style home on 26 acres in Blythewood but Gene wanted to build a brick home (since he owned a brick company.)  We had been at a USC football game in Virginia and

saw beautiful old Tudor style homes and when we returned we started planning.  I was reluctant since I loved the solitude of our home in Blythewood and had just remodeled it.  When we purchased the land at the lake, the little old blue/green sided house that sat on the lot for years was taken off by barge across the lake to Saluda area, I believe.  That made the front of the State Paper just seeing a house floating across the lake.

 

I never remarried (not because I got any kind of a settlement--Gene was a shrewd attorney) .We were married for six years.

 

I just thought since you wrote such a beautiful article that you may want to know a little more of the story.  For many reasons that I will not go into, I thought it was interesting that it burned down on.

Valentines Day as there was a love story behind it all.

 

All the best to you,

N Brantley"

 

i reposted an article i had found online about the burning of the home...it was suspected arson. im guessing never confirmed.

but what a sad thing, such a beautiful home, and it is no more.
i sent her a reply..

is this the  blog your referring to?

http://nativity4me.blogspot.com/2011/06/brantley-manor-columbia-sc-castle-in-my.html

 

its funny, I was thinking about this about 3 days ago, when the last huge amount of money was up for grabs in the lottery, and as anyone would do, I dreamed, and my mind reflected on this home.

 

im amazed you took the time to write me! I thought for a second this was some kind of, scam, you know where barrister, so-and-so says that they have no living relatives and you’re the closest to an heir they can find, lol and they want YOU to have ALL of the money, but its tied up in some foreign bank..blah blah...

 

I actually had to read your email to me 3 times to make sure I wasn’t  missing something along those lines. lol

 

thank you for the kind words about my blog.

it really was  by accident I even found out about that lovely home. as my husband knew about it well before I ever did (I mention that in my blog) and ive looked into what it was used for, weddings, receptions, parties..etc,, allot of nice pics can be found online of the home before it was burned to the ground.

such a sad story...such a beautiful home.

 

ive actually entertained the thought of rebuilding it,  on the same spot if I had the money and the chance, not sure whats there now. I havnt looked.

I think last I saw on a google image it was a blank plot, prime real estate tho, would be wonderful (if I could afford to) to build something like it there again.

 

thanks for emailing me...

I feel..."special" now..lol

 

id LOVE to know more about the property, and the home. feel free to email me back!

Michelle

so, now, im waiting for a reply...

and just to make sure this wasnt wome joke being played on me i went to this blog, and youll see to the right is a column that shows when ppl have hit my blog, and often, what page they landed on to read, or opened up, because they were searching for something on some search engin, all thats told in that one tiny area for each visit ..anyway, yesterday, 15 hoursa from the time i hit the same page i see this:

..pretty sure thats her.
search engine was Yahoo, page that was visited is the same as the one i posted the link for. and..shes from SC??? yeah, thats most likely her.

but how awesome is that? to have a blog up about some  mansion, you never knew existed and when you do find out its well past its life, because its nothing anymore, and the woman of the home emails you to let you know she appreciated the blog you wrote about it?

i never have a very dull moment....life is always interesting to me!




when i receive a reply, ill post about that as well.

i mentioned to my writer friend, that i had gottent his email, and was awaiting a reply..because this in her small email to me is the stuff that catlaysts a writers new book..





i could just see a story (thriller) about a coiple who made it to the rich side of life, building a dream home, having marital issues (perhaps an affair) and then the home burning to the ground, not to sound morbid, but perhaps one of either of the couples, or even both would die in the fire, and then a new couple buys, or rebuilds, and we have a classic ghost story...
would be a good one, unfortunatly, i dont write, i have to leave that to those who can, and do, i do, however have great story ideas!
and this one makes for a compelling one.
classic ghost love story!!


anyway...awaiting a reply now.