History and Genealogy – Page 12

The Lost Counties of South Carolina

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

I grew up in the southwestern part of Enoree County, South Carolina…

At least, that’s how my biography might have started, if the people of Woodruff had their way back in 1913. Enoree County would have been created from parts of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Laurens Counties, with the county seat in the town of Woodruff. I came across a reference to this mythical county while doing research on another topic on the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America site.

I haven’t been able to relocate the original article (should have bookmarked it right then and there) but it gave more specific boundaries for the new county. At first I thought it might be cool to find these boundaries in Google Earth and see which areas would be encompassed by the new county. As I dug deeper, I found that this wasn’t an isolated proposal, and was part of a much larger story, leading me to the discovery of “new county fever” that broke out around the turn of the 20th Century.

Exploring Barnwell County – Part 3, Speedwell to Spann

February 14, 2016 Tom 3 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

OK, so technically this ISN’T Barnwell County, but I had already posted parts 1 & 2, and this was on that some trip. We were on our way out of the county, so actually cover Allendale and the counties we crossed on our way home.

Alan and I had finished our lunch at Hogg Heaven, and the light sleet and snow had ended. Now it was just cloudy. We decided to check off a couple more items on our exploration list.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 3

February 1, 2016 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Earlier this morning we had been granted access to the Mount Zion Institute, a historic school in Winnsboro now threatened with demolition. Sabi Cathcart and Pelham Lyles had been gracious enough to let Bennie Brawley, my sister Glynda, and I into the historic building. Our tour of the school had ended, but it was still early. We had time for more exploration.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 2

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Yesterday I had made a trek down to Winnsboro to donate a crate of Shivar Springs bottles to the Fairfield County Museum. I had a great visit and made some new friends. Sadly, I hadn’t been able to get inside the old Mount Zion Institute. My fellow photographers were not able to join us yesterday, so it was rescheduled for today. I decided that this is a one-shot chance, so I decided to make a second trip down to Fairfield County.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 1

January 30, 2016 Tom 4 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography

Mount Zion Institute – the old school is an imposing edifice just off of the main street of Winnsboro, South Carolina. I had visited the old school several times over the past few years, most recently a year ago on our 2015 MLK Weekend Ramble. Over the past two days I’ve been granted rare access to interior of the building and was able to photograph it extensively. I’ve also made some wonderful new friends in Winnsboro and at the Fairfield County Museum.

The Mills of the Pacolet River Basin – Part One, Glendale

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 Tom 14 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Rambling

I have a confession. When things get chaotic I have occasional bouts of depression. One of the best ways to combat this is to get away from the house and start exploring. Such was the case Tuesday of this past week. I needed out of the house. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but preferably somewhere interesting where I could take some photos. I headed east. It was familiar territory, and places I had already visited and photographed, but even familiar ground can yield new discoveries. My explorations took me across Spartanburg County and to the mills along the Pacolet River Basin – Glendale, Clifton, and Pacolet itself, with a couple of outliers thrown in for good measure.

Pathfinders and Map Makers – Part One

October 28, 2015October 28, 2015 Tom 3 Comments

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy

It was early 20th Century and cars were just coming into their own. However, the roads weren’t keeping up. Most were still dirt tracks at the best of times, and terrible mud pits at others. A cross-country trek was an adventure, and only for those with the means to obtain and maintain an automobile. Greater buy-in was needed from the general public so that bond initiatives and legislation could be passed. Thus was born the age of the Pathfinders, adventurous souls who sought out the best routes, laid out the paths for early highway systems, and brought to the public awareness of the need for good roads.

In Search of Good Roads for South Carolina

October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 Tom No Comments

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy

The recent flooding in the mid-state has pointed out some of the glaring problems with South Carolina’s infrastructure. Even before the floods, the issue of deteriorating roads has been foremost, with discussion about how to fund road repairs. This isn’t a new problem, though. The question about how to develop and maintain adequate infrastructure is not a “one and done” proposition. First there was the King’s Road and Great Wagon Road, then in the 1820s it was the development of the Santee Canal and the State Road. The development, maintenance, and funding of an adequate means of transportation was, and always will continue to be an issue.

In the last post I made a few comments about the roads around Greenville – basically trails that connected town to town. The condition of those roads was often appalling. This was true for the entire country around the turn of 20th century. The automobile was just taking off, but getting anywhere proved to be a challenge. Thus, the Good Roads Movement was born.

The Streets of Greenville

October 22, 2015April 26, 2023 Tom 3 Comments

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Local

My late father-in-law had a problem with Greenville. He grew up in the wilds of Idaho along the Salmon River. However, he spent most of his adult life in large western cities, namely Los Angeles, where the streets are laid out in neat, tidy grids. Greenville’s streets always left him bewildered.

Whenever he gave me trouble about my hometown, I would reply that it makes perfect sense – Laurens Road goes to Laurens, Augusta Road goes to Augusta, etc. While that’s true, there are lots of other…questionable routes, and I could see how someone not from here would be very confused. Greenville’s streets are based on an early 19th Century design, and that pattern STILL influences our traffic.

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Spirit of 45 Military Vehicles on the Bankhead Highway

September 27, 2015 Tom No Comments

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Local, Photography

There’s a reason I named this blog RandomConnections. The URL RandomThoughts was taken…but that’s beside the point. Time and time again the idea of “random connections” has proved itself to be the more appropriate title, as tenuous threads appear that seem to bind disparate ideas together. Such was the case this past week.

I got a forwarded e-mail from my brother, Stephen, with a note that a historical convoy would be passing through our area. The convoy would feature vintage military vehicles, and I thought it would be a cool photo opportunity. Little did I realize how closely this event would tie right into my recent research and explorations.