I had the day off from school for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Rather than tackle the household of chores I needed to do, I decided to head out and take some photos. I had a couple of targets for the day, and I figured it wouldn’t take too long.
My first destination was Greer. I walked along Trade Street taking photos of architecture. Greer strikes me as the perfect place for art and gift shops like La Conner in Washington. It’s slow going, but more restaurants do seem to be making a go of it. I don’t now how one encourages such shops to move to an area. What you really want is a place you can hang out – a decent coffee shop, a cozy book store, and some place for eclectic live music.
I went to the exact opposite of this type of area – the remains of Victor Textile Mill. The mill village is still in place, but the mill itself is in ruins. I took a few shots, then headed north.
My next destination was Berry Mill. A tin-sided building and two water wheels are still visible on the property, but now there are posted signs everywhere. The area is now under the control of Upstate Forever, so at least it won’t get whacked down and turned into a development.
Along Highway 14 is a huge mansion. Behind that is an unusual bit of roadside religion. There is a huge statue dedicated to “Our Lady Queen of Vietnam.” It’s far too large for a simple roadside shrine, and it really catches one’s eye along the road.
I made it to Gowensville and took a couple of shots of the old community building. As in many of these small country communities, the community center or community building is an old school building. Such is the case here. However, this one has the classic bell tower and it school design. It’s a neat building.
My plan had been to drive up Hogback Mountain road and come back by way of Tryon, Landrum, and Gramling. However, my engine light came on, so I gingerly drove back to civilization. As I drove back, I noticed several Rebel flags flying. Some of these seemed to have been hoisted in response to MLK day. It was a bit disheartening.
