Rambling – Page 16 – Random Connections

Old Homes Tour of Laurens

October 7, 2014October 8, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

History and Genealogy, Local, Photography, Rambling

A couple of weeks ago Mary Ellen Lives from the Laurens County Museum contacted me about several old houses in Laurens that were scheduled for demolition. This list also included the Old Laurens Hospital, and Mary Ellen wanted to know if I was interested in photographing any of these before they were torn down. Of course, I said yes. We set up a time and made a plan for our visit.

In the meantime, I think I had finally sorted out my GPS POI problem. I was finally able to upload my list of possible schools as waypoints. Since we were meeting at the Museum at 2:00, I could head out earlier and see if, in fact, my points were working.

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Oolenoy Schools Follow-Up

October 6, 2014 Tom No Comments

Local, Photography, Rambling

This past Saturday was Fall for Furman, a weekend for perspective students to check out the school. There was an evening home game, but Laura had duties early in the afternoon, meeting these high school seniors and their parents. I dropped her off, then headed out to follow up on a couple of items from last week.

When I visited Oolenoy School, one of the men I met mentioned that Rock School was nearby, and was in use as a private residence. I decided to find it. Plus, it was a good excuse to ride in the convertible on such a fine, fine day.

I drove up to Marietta and took 288 west. I reached Pumpkintown and continued west on 288. Since I was in Laura’s car I didn’t have my GPS. I made one wrong turn, but spotted a cool old house at the intersection of Carrick Creek Road and 288 that I’d not seen before.

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October Weekday Rambles – Part Two

October 6, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

Photography, Rambling

So far on my rambles I had visited a few locations in Greenville County, and the next day had ventured to the community of Cross Anchor. I still had lots of daylight left, and lots more to see and do.

Leaving the Cross Anchor/Cross Keys area I continued on Highway 49 toward Union. It had been a VERY long time since I had approached the town from this direction. Just before reaching town on Fairforest Creek there is an incredible mansion. I vaguely remembered seeing the house off in the distance when I was younger, and wondering what it was like. I tried to get a better view this time, but I only got a glimpse – no photos.

October Weekday Rambles – Part One

October 5, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Rambling

Little Texas Grocery near Travelers Rest

I was able to get out for a couple of photographic rambles this week. I saw some cool things, and took some interesting photos. Apart from what I’ve already written about those trips, for whatever reason I haven’t felt inspired to blog about those trips. I don’t want to neglect them, though, so I’ll just do a brief summary.

(UPDATE: OK, I got carried away and found I had seen more than would fit into a single blog post. I’m breaking it into multiple parts.)

On Tuesday I headed east. I got a little ways down I-85, roughly on my way to the Clifton area, when my plans changed. I wound up joining my sister, Susan, for lunch. In route to her house I passed by the District Five offices. It was the first time I’d been by there since my retirement, and it felt…weird. I noticed lots of cars in the parking lot, and remembered that Tuesdays were principal meeting days. I kept going.

Mystery Cemetery

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 Tom 7 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

I was out and about on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon trying to hunt down the perfect photo. I also had a box or so of old electronic gear in the back of my Subaru. I figured in my ramblings I’d probably pass one of the county’s many “convenience centers,” and would be able to recycle it.

My rambles took me to the community of O’Neal, north of Lake Cunningham on Highway 101. Just off of O’Neal Road, I saw a sign for a convenience center on Camp Road, just around the corner. As I pulled into the center I spotted a chain link fence and a row of strange headstones.

The way these were lined up, and since they were right at a disposal center, I wondered if it might be a K9 cemetery. I dropped off my electronics and drove back around.

Pumpkintown Area Schools

September 26, 2014September 27, 2014 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

I had just finished up with the Nature Conservancy Hawk Watch up on Caesers Head, but I still had some time to explore. I had several locations marked from the Greenville Survey, as well as some others I wanted to check out. I found more than schools. I found a story of destruction, determination, and rebuilding.

My first, and most productive stop was Oolenoy Community House, located in the old Oolenoy School. This school is the classic early 20th century design with a central bell tower. At first glance the design looks just like the old Wolf Creek School just outside of Pickens.

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Tigerville Revisited

September 23, 2014September 27, 2014 Tom No Comments

Photography, Rambling

After our excursion last week, Mark Elbrecht sent me an excellent resource with information about some of the sites we visited. The State Historic Preservation Office has released a new archeology survey of Greenville County (PDF).

Tigerville Ramble

September 19, 2014September 27, 2014 Tom 8 Comments

Local, Photography, Rambling

Fellow explorer Mark said he was up for another adventure. He had a list of places marked along Highway 414 up toward Tigerville, some old houses, historic churches, and even a couple of old schools. He also wanted to check out the old T. P. Wood store in Tigerville to see how renovations were going. So, on Wednesday we set out and knocked quite a few of those places off the list.

Our first stop was Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church. Just the name makes it sound intriguing. The church is located on Cool Springs Road just north of Highway 414. There is a modern(ish) building that was built in 1956…

…but more interesting is the original church. This weather-board structure sits perched above the road, and dates back to 1840.

The old church is not on the National Register of Historic Places, but has been deemed eligible by a recent archeology survey of the county (PDF). The structure is now just used for storage. We could see bicycles and lawn mowers through the windows. I didn’t attempt to get an interior shot.

A Pilgrimage to Asheville for a Moog Music Tour

September 5, 2014September 5, 2014 Tom 1 Comment

General Technology, Music, Rambling

It was 1982. Dr. Robert Moog (rhymes with “vogue”) was visiting the campus, giving master classes in the afternoon and presenting a lecture on music synthesis in the evening. I was a senior music major at Furman University, and a DJ with WPLS, our campus radio station. Somehow I landed (mostly by begging) the assignment of interviewing Dr. Moog for the radio.

Dr. Moog was gracious, and turned my bumbling, star-struck questions into a wonderful interview. He made me sound good. It’s now years later, and I wish I had a copy of that recording. Alas, with the ephemeral nature of magnetic tape, it’s probably long gone.

I’ve always held an appreciation for Dr. Moog, Ray Kurzweil, and other early pioneers of electronic music. Some years back I was amazed to learn that Dr. Moog had moved to Asheville, NC, and further still, had re-established his company, Moog Music, in the area. I knew that I would have to pay a visit. It was always on my list of “that’s something I’ve gotta do someday.” I finally made the pilgrimage yesterday with my friend, Ken Cothran.

Labor Day Week Rambles

September 3, 2014 Tom No Comments

Local, Photography, Rambling

Labor Day snuck up on me. First, it’s been so dad-blasted crazy around here, that it was upon me before I knew it. Secondly, I don’t seem to pay much attention to holidays anymore. However, a holiday means that my friends are more available for exploration, so there are more opportunities for joint exploration.

I had a couple such opportunities this week, so I’ll combine them into one post. On Labor Day proper, Keith and I headed up to Hendersonville for German food. After a nice lunch of sauerkraut and weisswurst, we took a circuitous route back home. One of our stops was Double Springs Baptist Church, located in a little hollow off of old US 25 (now NC 225.)

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