History and Genealogy – Page 27

Boulevard of (Broken) Dreams

May 13, 2009 Tom 2 Comments

Evening view of downtown Greenville from Wade Hampton Boulevard

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of broken dreams
When the city sleeps
And I’m the only one and I walk alone

Green Day – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

The joy you find here, you borrow,
You cannot keep it long, it seems.
But gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams.

Nat King Cole – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”

Two shadows in the moonlight
Dance silently along the boulevard
Of dreams
Tonight

Dada – “Boulevard of Dreams”

A boulevard isn’t just any old street. According to Wikipedia, it is a “wide, multi-lane arterial thoroughfare…often with an above-average quality of landscaping and scenery.” Naming a road a “boulevard” means that it should be something special, something to evoke poetry and song as noted above. Some cities are known by their more famous boulevards – the Champs-Ã‰lysÃ©es in Paris, the Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, for example. Greenville has Wade Hampton Boulevard.

Family Haunts

April 1, 2009 Tom 6 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography

I have always enjoyed looking at the photos of Scott West (South Carolina’s Northern Kingdom). Scott and I seem to cover some of the same territory in Laurens County, and I’ve always admired his gutsy trespassing to get great shots of the interiors of old abandoned houses and interesting places.

Recently, Scott posted a couple of pictures of the old Poole Homestead in the Long Branch Community of Laurens County. I immediately recognized the place as being in one of the old photos my Dad has. After a couple of message exchanges it turns out that we do have some distant family connections (don’t ALL Southerners?) and that some of his family had attended Long Branch Pentecostal Holiness, where my father had pastored years ago.

That brings us to this Tuesday. My mother had taken a trip to visit her sisters in North Carolina, so my Dad was on his own for the week. Since I was on spring break, I decided to head down and hang out with him, and see if I could find this photo of the Poole Homestead. I did find it, and we decided to take a tour of some of the old family haunts throughout Newberry and Laurens Counties.

Very Superstitious

March 28, 2009 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Weirdness

I was reading my friend Duckhunter’s blog about his discovery of a house with “Haint Blue” paint on the porch. Duck does a great job of describing this practice, but it got me thinking about other, similar superstitions. In particular, I wondered if there were other superstitions like this, perhaps some even specific to the … Read More “Very Superstitious” »

William Walker Memorial Singing 2009

March 15, 2009 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Music, Religion

Saturday I attended the William Walker Memorial Shape Note Singing at Wofford College in Spartanburg. This was a special occasion, marking the bicentennial of Walker’s birth. An entire weekend of events had been planned for the event. In addition to the singing, there would be an evening showing of the documentary Awake My Soul, and … Read More “William Walker Memorial Singing 2009” »

Mayfield Road Bridge Update

February 24, 2009 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local

Well, it looks like my exuberance was premature. I was able to find some additional information on the Internet which lists this bridge as being of fairly modern construction.

Dale. J. Travis operates a website devoted to round barns and covered bridges, both fascinating structures. He has a comprehensive listing from across the US, not just of historic structures but of modern construction as well. Travis lists thirteen bridges for South Carolina, including Campbell’s and this one on Mayfield Road. Most of these are decorative, and are found on golf courses and gardens.

According to Travis’ information, the Mayfield Bridge was built in 1991 and is about 25 feet in length. I’m guessing that it hasn’t been kept up since that time, so the tin roof has rusted, making it look older than it is.

Which brings me to the statement the man on the side of the road gave me. The only thing I can think is that he was referring to the actual roadway bridge. Who knows? Then again, maybe Mr. Travis has incorrect information. However, with every reputable reference saying that Campbell’s is “the last”, it’s hard to refute the evidence that this isn’t an authentic structure.

The Bridges of Spartanburg County

February 23, 2009 Tom 7 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local

According to South Carolina: A Day at a Time, Campbell’s Covered Bridge is “the only covered bridge still standing in South Carolina.” My friend Duckhunter pointed me toward DiscoverSouthCarolina.com which says that Campbell’s “is South Carolina’s only remaining covered bridge.” Several other websites repeat this sentiment. So, imagine my surprise when I found this just … Read More “The Bridges of Spartanburg County” »

Three Towers in Two Hours

February 18, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Local

It was a beautiful day, so I decided to try to find some of these lookout towers I had been researching. I picked three that would be within driving range before it got dark. Since it was a quiet day I left the office at 4:00 and headed south toward my first target. 1. Hobbyville … Read More “Three Towers in Two Hours” »

Fire Towers – Paris Mountain and Cleveland

February 17, 2009 Tom 10 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography

My first lookout tower adventure was actually Saturday afternoon, and I decided to hit a couple of local sites. That morning I had called my good friend Cathy Taylor (no relation) who is a park ranger at Paris Mountain State Park. It turns out that she has the same interest in fire towers, and was … Read More “Fire Towers – Paris Mountain and Cleveland” »

All Along the Watchtower

February 15, 2009 Tom 6 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography

This is going to be one of those multi-part posts. I’ve got tons of information on this subject, and it won’t be possible to put it all in one story.

I’ve always been fascinated by lookout towers. Near where I grew up in Laurens County there were two small monadnocks called the Little Knob and Big Knob. The Big Knob had a fire tower on it, and I longed to scale its steps and enjoy the view from the top. Some miles to the north is another prominent, larger monadnock with a fire tower – Paris Mountain. When I was around eight years old I did get to climb up the steps, but never made it into the cab at the top. I distinctly remember the trap door being padlocked when we got to the top.

I had forgotten all about the towers until just this past week. I had been looking for locations to do long-exposure photographs of I-85 for traffic trails when I spotted the Duncan lookout tower on the way home from work on Friday. At the intersection of Danzler and Victor Hill Roads it had a perfect view of the Interstate, so I went to explore. I found the tower in the front yard of a house on Victor Hill Road. The fence around its base now had a dog house within, and it was clear that the tower had not been used in years. I gave up on using this location as a photography platform, but now I wanted to learn more about the towers themselves, so a new quest was born.

Read More “All Along the Watchtower” »

Historical Marker Database

January 7, 2009 Tom 1 Comment

Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy

When I’m out on one of my photo explorations there are three books thatI usually have with me – South Carolina: One Day at a Time by Caroline Todd and Sydney Wait, the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer for South Carolina, and the South Carolina Highway Historical Marker Guide by Judith Andrews. The latter title has … Read More “Historical Marker Database” »