Random Connections – Page 55 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

The Lost Counties of South Carolina

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

I grew up in the southwestern part of Enoree County, South Carolina…

At least, that’s how my biography might have started, if the people of Woodruff had their way back in 1913. Enoree County would have been created from parts of Greenville, Spartanburg, and Laurens Counties, with the county seat in the town of Woodruff. I came across a reference to this mythical county while doing research on another topic on the Library of Congress’s Chronicling America site.

I haven’t been able to relocate the original article (should have bookmarked it right then and there) but it gave more specific boundaries for the new county. At first I thought it might be cool to find these boundaries in Google Earth and see which areas would be encompassed by the new county. As I dug deeper, I found that this wasn’t an isolated proposal, and was part of a much larger story, leading me to the discovery of “new county fever” that broke out around the turn of the 20th Century.

Hanging with Frank in Greenville

February 20, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Miscellaneous

NOTE: I’ve had a very bad cough and head cold this week, so I’m a week behind with this story. Trying to write while not feeling well is almost impossible for me. Anyway, this should have been posted last Sunday…

Saturday night was a big night in Greenville. CBS was holding a debate for all of the GOP candidates at the Peace Center, so there was lots of hoopla in town. The biggest hoopla was fictional (kind of like most of the candidates’ debate points.) Frank Underwood had set up his campaign headquarters in town.

Exploring Barnwell County – Part 3, Speedwell to Spann

February 14, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

OK, so technically this ISN’T Barnwell County, but I had already posted parts 1 & 2, and this was on that some trip. We were on our way out of the county, so actually cover Allendale and the counties we crossed on our way home.

Alan and I had finished our lunch at Hogg Heaven, and the light sleet and snow had ended. Now it was just cloudy. We decided to check off a couple more items on our exploration list.

Exploring Barnwell County – Part 2, Barnwell

February 11, 2016 Tom No Comments

Photography, Rambling

Alan and I were out exploring Barnwell County. So far we had sipped from the Healing Springs at God’s Acre, and had visited several locations in Blackville. It was time to move on down the road to Barnwell, proper.

Exploring Barnwell County – Part 1, Blackville

February 10, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

Photography, Rambling

Alan wanted to go exploring again. It had only been a couple of weeks since our exploration of LA (Lower Anderson), but we wanted to take advantage of the winter exploration season, when leaves are off the trees so we can see stuff tucked back off the road. Our trek would not only take us through Barnwell County, but down through Allendale and up through the Savannah River Plant. Of course there would be old churches, cemeteries, ghost towns, and a few surprises along the way.

Cancer Survivors Park – New Boardwalk

February 9, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

Local, Photography

Friday morning was a beautiful day, and I was ready to get out and explore. I had an extensive trip planned for Saturday, so I decided to stick to something local. I had spotted that a new boardwalk had opened at the Cancer Survivors Park on the banks of the Reedy River, so I decided to check it out.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 3

February 1, 2016 Tom No Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Earlier this morning we had been granted access to the Mount Zion Institute, a historic school in Winnsboro now threatened with demolition. Sabi Cathcart and Pelham Lyles had been gracious enough to let Bennie Brawley, my sister Glynda, and I into the historic building. Our tour of the school had ended, but it was still early. We had time for more exploration.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 2

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 Tom 2 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Yesterday I had made a trek down to Winnsboro to donate a crate of Shivar Springs bottles to the Fairfield County Museum. I had a great visit and made some new friends. Sadly, I hadn’t been able to get inside the old Mount Zion Institute. My fellow photographers were not able to join us yesterday, so it was rescheduled for today. I decided that this is a one-shot chance, so I decided to make a second trip down to Fairfield County.

Journey to Mount Zion – Part 1

January 30, 2016 Tom 4 Comments

History and Genealogy, Photography

Mount Zion Institute – the old school is an imposing edifice just off of the main street of Winnsboro, South Carolina. I had visited the old school several times over the past few years, most recently a year ago on our 2015 MLK Weekend Ramble. Over the past two days I’ve been granted rare access to interior of the building and was able to photograph it extensively. I’ve also made some wonderful new friends in Winnsboro and at the Fairfield County Museum.

The Blizzard of 2016 (sort of)

January 30, 2016January 30, 2016 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Photography, Rambling

NOTE: I’m still catching up. All of the snow is now melted and gone, and this weekend is in stark contrast to last weekend.

I actually love snow days. There is an entire ritual of activities, soup, and pursuit of warmth that combine to make our rare winter weather a treat. Even though I no longer work for the schools and snow days have long since lost the same meaning, I still get excited when I see the first sign of flakes. This past week’s blizzard (or what passes for one in these parts) did not disappoint.

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