A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
I was browsing through the University of South Carolina’s collection of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. These maps are highly detailed maps of towns and cities from the early 20th Century and are excellent for historical research. According to Wikipedia… Sanborn maps are detailed maps of U.S. cities and towns in the 19th and 20th centuries. Originally … Read More “We’ll Always Have Paris” »
A new episode of Carolina Ghost Towns has dropped. This one is about the lost town of Shelton on the banks of the Broad River in Fairfield County, South Carolina.
It had been far too long since I’ve had a kayak out on a river. Hurricane Helene brought a halt to most of my paddling activities. I did some trips down in Florida over the holidays, but I was in need of some Edisto time. When I saw that the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak … Read More “Givhans to Good Hope – Edisto River with ERCK” »
With all the chaos post-Helene I haven’t had much of a chance to get out and explore. I’ve been working on scripts for season 2 of Carolina Ghost Towns, which will include an episode on the ghost town of Shelton in Fairfield County. It had been awhile since I had visited, so I thought it … Read More “Seeking Shelton” »
I needed to do something totally unrelated to dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. For several months Debbie Weeks from the Upstate Cemetery Preservation Alliance has been inviting me to join them on several outings, but the timing just never worked out. This time the planets aligned and I was about to join them. … Read More “Antioch and GPR” »
It seems that my paddling group, Lowcountry Unfiltered, has fallen apart. We’ve all been pulled in different directions and Second Saturday trips are no longer a given. There’s another Facebook paddling group called Carolina Splash Mob that has paddling trips just about every weekend. My plan was to join them on Saturday for a trip … Read More “Paddling Keowee on a Busy Saturday” »
For well over a year now I’ve been playing in a Bluegrass jam at Fireforge Crafted Beer in downtown Greenville. The jam is hosted by Matt Puriton and Sam Kruer and features some amazing musicians from around the upstate. Each week I’m amazed at the quality of music that comes out, and we have a … Read More “Bluegrass at Fireforge” »
I’ve been wanting to get on the water as much as possible. Greg Springsteen had told me about a new outfitter group that rents kayaks and runs a shuttles on a specific section of the Saluda River. This just so happens to be a section of the Saluda that I’ve never run, but has been … Read More “Saluda River from Hunt’s Bridge to Farr’s Bridge” »
Last week I learned that 13 Stripes in the old Southern Bleachery at Taylors Mill was hosting a sea shanty sing-along. I’ve been wanting to do one of these for a long time. I had even thought about getting a group started myself. I loved the sing-alongs I did at the Bellingham Celtic Festival and … Read More “Sea Shanties at 13 Stripes” »
This past Sunday I was privileged to attend the Farewell Reunion of Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor at the Belton Depot in Belton, South Carolina. For fifteen years Jack Ellenburg provided a place for musicians to gather and share Bluegrass, Gospel, and other tunes in a free, family-friendly environment. The Pickin’ Parlor closed in 2014, but its … Read More “A Farewell Reunion for Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor” »