Remembering Merrittsville

Posted on By Tom 32 Comments on Remembering Merrittsville
History and Genealogy
Poinsett Bridge Side
Poinsett Bridge

I’m trying to catch up with my blogging, so I’m about a week behind. Last week was a busy one.

October 8, 2013

Tuesday evening Glynda and I made a trek up to Landrum for a showing of a film entitled “Merrittsville: The Lost Village of the Dark Corner.” Merrittsville is one of the towns on my ghost town list, so I was very interested to hear what they had to say about it.

I had a little bit of information about Merrittsville. I knew it was once on the North Saluda River on land now inundated by the Greenville Watershed Reservoir. That meant that it was completely off limits – we couldn’t even venture along the banks to see if something remained of the town. Merritsville School was once located just below the reservoir dam, but is now long gone, demolished to make way for the water utility. North Fork Baptist still stands, and Laura and I have attended a wedding for one of her students there.

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Exploring Estatoe Creek

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Paddling, Photography
Lake Keowee
Kayaking on Lake Keowee

It was another beautiful October day, so I decided it was time to take one of the boats out for a solo paddle. I wanted a place fairly close that wasn’t a place I paddled frequently. At the last minute, I decided upon Lake Keowee, launching from Keowee-Toxaway State Park and paddling up the Estatoe Creek branch.

Keowee-Toxaway State Park is located on either side of Scenic Highway 11 on the western edge of Pickens County. The park borders two sections of Lake Keowee. Years ago Laura and I had taken my canoe on the southern part of the park, which borders the main body of the lake. I remember it as a typical South Carolina lake, full of motor boats, lined with houses, and generally not appealing to paddlers. Not long ago we stopped at the northern section. A dedicated canoe/kayak launch had been built, but directly across from the launch was the Cliffs golf course. Again, not too particularly appealing. However, I could see that from this location one could explore some more remote reaches, and that meant it had potential.

I arrived right about noon. One drives past the Jocassee Gorges Visitors Center on the way to the launch. The building that now houses the center is the former Holly Springs Baptist Church, donated to the state in the 1970s and restored. Since I wasn’t sure of my timeline, I didn’t stop this time.

Keowee-Toxaway State Park
Jocassee Gorges Vistor Center

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An Afternoon of Furman Time Lapse

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Photography

Furman Belltower

Interesting how this retirement thing is working out. I was toying with several options this morning. I had some writing I needed to do, but as beautiful as the day was, I was also thinking about taking out a kayak. Laura suggested meeting at Furman for lunch, so I spent the morning writing, then headed up her way.

This was the first time I’d been to Furman since the student center was remodeled. I was impressed with the changes, which opened up more space for students to just hang out. It looked a bit weird – different, but it seemed like it would work.

We headed down to The Paddock, the new restaurant that serves beer and wine, a first on campus. The idea was to control access to students of age so that they aren’t drinking an driving. It’s an idea. Laura ordered nachos, and I got fish and chips.

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Where Did the Swamp Rabbit Go?

Posted on By Tom 20 Comments on Where Did the Swamp Rabbit Go?
History and Genealogy, Local
Swamp Rabbit Railroad
Swamp Rabbit Railroad at
Echo Valley Park

No, I’m not talking about the railroad. My friend Mark Elbrecht has done a great job documenting the path of the Swamp Rabbit up through River Falls. The rest of of the rail has been converted to the very popular trail from Travelers Rest to downtown Greenville.

I’m talking about the actual engines and train cars. But which engine and cars? Is the Swamp Rabbit the train itself, or the path it takes? In this case, I believe it’s the latter. Many different engines have operated along the old Greenville and Northern line. However, the fate of some of the train components that ran on the tracks is equally confusing.

Here’s how this line of inquiry got started…

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Building a Kayak Condo

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Gear, Paddling
Kayak Condo
Kayak Condo

About a decade ago I needed a place to store my fledgling kayak collection. I had three kayaks and a canoe that needed to be stored somewhere. I put together a small rack that held the boats quite nicely.

Old Kayak Condo

Over the years the small rack just couldn’t cut it. First, it was getting weak. I hadn’t braced it like it should have been. Secondly, it was in the wrong place. I had put it on the middle level of our yard so that I could take the boats down to our lake, or pull them up when we were going elsewhere. Turns out it was inconvenient for both situations. Our little lake has become almost unpaddleable, so most of the trips were away somewhere.

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Pickens Cemetery Ramble

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History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling
Oolenoy Baptist Church and Cemetery-017
Oolenoy Baptist Cemetery

I really, really need to find another subject for photography. It seems that I’m stuck in “cemetery mode.” People ask me if I have some morbid fascination with death. Not really. I’m more interested in the historic nature of a cemetery – the lives of the people who lived and found their final resting place in this spot. I love the artwork on the old headstones, and the florid language of the older epitaphs. For old cemeteries no longer in use, or no longer associated with a church, I like to ponder on the communities that once existed, as well as the lives this locations represent.

Thursday was a beautiful day, so I decided to head out and take some photos. I gave my friend Keith a call, and we headed out in a typically random direction. From his house in Travelers Rest we headed across country, generally toward Pickens. Soon we found ourselves at Oolenoy Baptist Church, and its historic cemetery.

Oolenoy Baptist Church and Cemetery-002

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