A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
I felt like I had been cooped up for far too long. Two weekends in a row I never left the house and I was starting to get cabin fever. I posted the following on Facebook: I think today I’m going to toss a banjo, camera, and metal detector in the car and just see … Read More “W. L. England’s Wholesale Groceries” »
This month the Lowcountry Unfiltered group decided to explore the Charleston Harbor. It was a great day, but not without its challenges. We battled wind, rain, tides, tricky currents, and crazy boaters, but still got to see some interesting history from the water. Our plan was to meet at Remley Boat Ramp, paddle under the … Read More “Exploring the Charleston Harbor by Kayak” »
Some while back fellow paddler and geocacher Larry Easler posted a photo of a can label on Facebook. It was the label for Cambridge Hash. That garish orange, red, and blue label brought back a flood of memories. What I didn’t realize until Larry, who is from Ninety Six, posted this, is that “Cambridge” has … Read More “In Search of Cambridge Hash” »
For this exploration of orphaned graveyards I’m leaving Greenville County and heading to Greenwood County, specifically to the Cambridge and Epworth regions of the county. The two graveyards are no longer connected to extant churches, but are closely connected to our family’s history. Mount Hermon (Herman?) Baptist Church is the burial place for my great-grandparents, … Read More “Orphaned Graveyards and Family Connections in Ninety Six” »
This past year MyHeritage released two new products that add an interesting, albeit creepy new dimension to old photos. The first of these was a colorizer for old photos. The second looks like something right out of Harry Potter. The colorizer app was released about a year ago and does a pretty good job of … Read More “Reanimating the Dead” »
Duke Power has been installing ADA accessible kayak launch ramps all along the Saluda River. I had used the one upstream of the Saluda Dam several times, as well as one on the Tyger River at Berry Pond. These are a great asset for all paddlers, not just those with disabilities. Alan and I wanted … Read More “Paddling the Saluda River from Cooley’s Bridge” »
Sometime back, Laura and I were driving down White Horse Road and it struck us just how many unkept cemeteries there were. I made a mental note to check on these, and subsequently several were added to my list of orphaned graveyards. One that struck me as particularly forlorn was located right next to an … Read More “Orphaned Graveyards – Bakers Chapel AME” »
Continuing with my exploration of old and abandoned church graveyards, one of the most surprising and upsetting finds was the graveyard of Fellowship Church. Located at the intersection of Fork Shoals Road and Georgia Road, the graveyard is abandoned and trash laden. The plot is now bounded by a Dollar General to the east and … Read More “Orphaned Graveyards – Fellowship Church” »
One of the orphaned graveyards on my list belonged to the South Saluda Baptist Church in northern Greenville County. The church was located in what is now the Tall Pines Heritage Preserve. I visited this site two years ago, in February of 2019. At that time we found the graveyard in terrible disarray, with several … Read More “Orphaned Graveyard – South Saluda Baptist” »
Salem United Methodist Church sits prominently on White Horse Road, right where it intersects with I-185 on the west side of Greenville. The church has a history with our family. From 1963 until 1976 its pastor was the Rev. Bill Cooke. My brother, Stephen, and Bill’s daughter, Cynthia Cooke were married in the church in … Read More “Orphaned Cemeteries – Old Salem Methodist Church” »