In 1976, Historic Salisbury Foundation stepped in to move an 1869 house on a major thoroughfare, aiming to save it from demolition for a fast-food restaurant. Spearheaded by Ed Clement, who already was becoming known in state and national preservation circles, the house move through downtown Salisbury, N.C., mesmerized the public for four days, even though many townspeople thought the “hysterics” were crazy. Someone dubbed it “Clement’s Folly.” Mark Wineka uses the Crawford House move as a vehicle for sprinkling in some of Salisbury’s rich history and its memorable eras and people. Overall, it becomes a rich tale of perseverance, the context of a small town in the march of time and the importance of how preservation often means progress.