Rambling – Page 13 – Random Connections

The Tobacco Trail – Getting Started

September 10, 2015September 10, 2015 Tom 1 Comment

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

It was time to explore Highway 301. I had done the preliminary research and discovered the importance of The Tobacco Trail as a major route through South Carolina. I was ready to get out and actually take photos of some of these locations. However, I still had a bit of research to do.

The first thing I did was begin collecting old postcards and images from eBay and other sources. This would give me a comparison of what had been with what I would find. The next step was to mark potential locations in Google Earth. I traced the route of 301 through the state, marking motel and other locations as I spotted them. I also added any National Register or other interesting sites I found along the way. These were then uploaded to my GPS so I’d have them for ready reference.

Rambling between the Rivers – The Edisto and Savannah

September 4, 2015 Tom 1 Comment

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

On our recent trip down to paddle the Savannah River I lamented the fact that we couldn’t stop and all of the cool photo ops along the way. We had a schedule to meet and we were running late. Tuesday of this week I decided to take a break from house remodeling to get and explore a bit with my camera, and I was determined to catch some of those photo ops that we had missed.

Actually, this post is just a taste of a much larger project, one that I hope to complete over the next couple of weeks. Even on this outing I had a tighter time crunch than I might have liked, and I still missed lots of things I’d like to have explored further. I would be exploring the land between the rivers – the basins between the North and South Edisto, and the Savannah River.

From Pickens to Oolenoy

May 11, 2015 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Miscellaneous, Photography, Rambling

It was a spectacular Wednesday morning. I’d been doing yard work all week, and needed to escape. That seemed like the perfect time for a trip to the Pickens Flea Market. This time, rather than carry cameras, I had a backpack loaded with audio recording gear.

Apparently everyone in Pickens County had the same idea as me. I had planned to get there around 8:00, but Highway 183 from Greenville to Pickens was a zoo, and traffic was clogged headed through the town and out to the flea market. Eventually, though, I did get a nice, shaded parking space, and set out to explore.

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The Mystery of Shiloh School

May 3, 2015 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Back last fall we were presented with a mystery. Fellow photographer Hank Myers had contributed a photograph of an old brick school to the SCIWAY.net South Carolina Picture Project. The project editor, Tara Bailey, had initially labeled the school as Shiloh Rosenwald School. After a bit of research, the three of us decided that it wasn’t a Rosenwald school, so Tara edited the photo entry to reflect that new information.

When Ken and I visited the location we had a couple of potential sites for the Rosenwald School. We checked those out, but couldn’t find any existing schools at those locations. Based on that information, the SCIWAY entry now says that the school is no longer extant.

…or is it?

Killing Time in Hendersonville

April 2, 2015 Tom 1 Comment

Photography, Rambling

We had spent a delightful afternoon at a birthday party for a two year old, the daughter of friends that live in Hendersonville. Glynda was flying into Asheville later that evening, and I wasn’t keen on making two trips up the mountain. Laura caught a ride back to Greenville with some other friends, and I decided to hang out in Hendersonville while I waited for my sister’s plane. It gave me a bit of time to explore.

Laurens Cemetery Tour

April 1, 2015April 2, 2015 Tom 4 Comments

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Rambling

A couple of weeks ago I received notice through Facebook that the Laurens County Museum would be holding tours of the old Laurens City Cemetery. Glynda and I had visited several weeks ago, and I thought this would be an excellent follow-up, and possibly answer some of the questions we had generated on our trip. I figured that this might also be a good opportunity to get some audio for my upcoming podcast on cemeteries.

Prior to the tour I contacted Bill Cooper, who is chair of the Laurens City Cemetery Committee. Bill works at the local library. He’s also an organist, and would fill in occasionally for me when my organist at First Presbyterian in Laurens was absent. Bill would be conducting part of the tour, and was willing to contribute to the podcast.

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Modoc Cemetery Ramble – Part 4, Willowbrook and a Bonus

March 28, 2015March 30, 2015 Tom 3 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

The wonderful luck and visit we had at Horn’s Creek Baptist Church was going to be a hard act to follow. It was getting later in the afternoon, and we had quite a ways to go to get home. Anything from this point on was going to be an afterthought. But sometimes those afterthoughts can … Read More “Modoc Cemetery Ramble – Part 4, Willowbrook and a Bonus” »

Modoc Cemetery Ramble – Part 3, Horn Creek

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Alan Russell and I had made it to Modoc. However, it wasn’t quite what we had expected. It was a bit past the noon hour, and we were ready for some lunch, so we headed toward Edgefield. Lunch was on the square at Row Market, and consisted of some excellent sandwiches. The decor of the place was an odd mix – antique general store accoutrements with several LCD screens.

Modoc Cemetery Ramble – Part 2, Wideman to Modoc

March 25, 2015March 26, 2015 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

I promise you, we did eventually make it to Modoc, but we saw lots of stuff before we got there. Alan and I had already found an old school, found a church of which we were previously unaware, and spent some time at Lower Long Cane ARP Church. We still had lots to see.

We headed northwest from Long Cane and reconnected with Highway 28, headed southeast. Just past its intersection with Highway 81 the road crosses Long Cane Creek where it connects with upper Clark Hill Reservoir (or, Lake Strom Thurmond, as it is properly called, I guess.) Alan and I decided that this had to be a future paddling venue for us.

Once of our placemarks was the Buffalo School about a mile southwest of the Long Cane Bridge we had just crossed. We had planned to stop, but there were lots of trucks parked around the old school, and it looked like hunter-types were headed inside. Obviously this old school was still in use as a community center. We decided to keep going.

Modoc Cemetery Ramble – Part 1, Bethia to Upper Long Cane

March 24, 2015March 26, 2015 Tom 4 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Alan had a list. That’s often a scary thing. This particular list included places he wanted to visit heading down towards Abbeville, McCormick, and Edgefield Counties. Many of these spots were along Highway 10 from Greenwood to McCormick, but I’d added a few points to the map that spread things out a bit. It was an ambitious list that would eventually take us down to the oddly named town of Modoc.

We set out early. The weather report had been iffy, and a light fog was settling in. Even so, it seemed like a perfect day for exploration. We hadn’t gotten anywhere close to any of our targets before we hit our first distraction and a mystery.