This has been an incredibly busy weekend. I paddled two different rivers – the New River and the May River near Bluffton, and the weekend wasn’t yet done. I was also serving as a docent for the Laurens Cemetery Tours this year.
Category: History and Genealogy
History and Genealogy, Paddling, Photography
This was a second Saturday weekend, and we had a paddling trip planned with Lowcountry unfiltered. For this trip the guys decided to stay close to home – their home near Bluffton, SC. I planned to head down a day early and do some photography, but a friend from Savannah had another suggestion. We would sneak in another paddling trip Friday afternoon. For this trip we would be heading to the New River, between Hardeeville and Bluffton.
History and Genealogy, Local
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about locating several old cemeteries for the various textile mill villages in Greenville. In the article I said that I was disappointed that I had not been able to visit the Brandon Mill Cemetery, as it was overgrown and off-limits.
I had posted a link to the blog post on one of the Greenville discussion groups on Facebook, and it generated quite a bit of discussion. Teresa Slack posted a comment that they would be organizing a clean up of the Brandon Mill Cemetery. I knew that I had to attend.
History and Genealogy, Local, Rambling
So far I’d found two old textile mill village cemeteries somewhat by accident. These reminded me of an article in the Greenville News by Judy Bainbridge from 2009. The article was entitled “Woodside, other mill villages need care.” Bainbridge had listed several mill village cemeteries in town, and at the time I’d thought about trying to find them. Then I kind of forgot about it. That is, until my recent discoveries. Now I was ready to seek out these other forgotten cemeteries.
History and Genealogy, Local, Rambling
It’s strange how these discoveries start out, sometimes. I had popped out to run some errands – purchasing bulbs for a finicky light fixture in a bathroom, which required specialized bulbs from Home Depot. As always, I have at least one camera (besides my iPhone) with me in the car. I liked the way the afternoon light was falling on the buildings, so I decided to ride around Greenville a bit and take some photos.
My aimless wandering led me through the mill villages between Poinsett Highway and Old Buncombe Road. I soon found myself at the old American Spinning textile mill, exploring some of the shadier streets. That’s when I stumbled upon the old cemetery associated with the mill village. I had to get out and explore.
History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Rambling
Duncan Chapel Cemetery near Furman University is often called “The Children’s Cemetery.” It’s rumored to be haunted, and paranormal investigators have left toys on the headstones to engage the spirits of the children. Dubious science aside, this whole notion and nickname are based on a false premise. While I was out and about exploring Greenville I made some discoveries that cast doubt on the idea of this being a “children’s” cemetery.
History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling
I had spent the morning exploring parts of Fairfield County. So far I had visited the ruins of the old Lebanon Presbyterian Church, and I had zig-zagged through several communities. Now I was on to my final destination of the day, Ridgeway.
Read More “Exploring Southern Fairfield County – Part 3, Ridgeway” »
History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling
So far I’d already had a productive morning. I had visited the ruins and cemetery of the Old Lebanon Presbyterian Church. I would have been satisfied with just that, but I still had time on this beautiful Thursday, and there was much more to see. I would spend a good bit of time chasing GPS waypoints, and zig-zagging across the lower part of Fairfield County.
Read More “Exploring Southern Fairfield County – Part 2, Rion, Wallaceville, and Blythwood” »
History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling
It seems that I’ve made several trips down to Fairfield County lately. On each of those trips I spotted places I wanted to explore, but just didn’t have time, or the weather wasn’t right, or some other circumstance prevented me from paying a visit. Last Thursday the weather was perfect, so I decided to get out and find some of those locations.
Read More “Exploring Southern Fairfield County – Part 1, Old Lebanon Church” »
Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy
Usually, when someone utters the phrase, “The Athens of ….” whatever region, they mean that the region is a center of enlightenment and learning. While this particular saga does end with a school, the story begins with civic jealousy.
Greenville County did, in fact, have its own town named Athens for a short while. I first heard about the town from Dot Bishop at the Travelers Rest History Museum. I made a note to add it to my list of ghost towns until I could do a bit more research on it, and see if I could find any remnants of the old town. That time has finally come, and here’s what I found…