The Gewinner/Jacobs Women Made Their Mark

Barbara and John Konrad Gewinner came to this country from Bavaria, settling in Kingstree in 1854. Konrad was a shoemaker, and it appears that by 1860, the Gewinners were running a boarding house/hotel in their home located on the southeastern corner of  W. Main and Longstreet streets, where Hardee's sits today. The 1860 census shows that in addition to the Gewinner family, 18-year-old William Stampfer, also a shoemaker, was living with them, as were 24-year-old merchant Louis Greenfield, and printer Walter Logan, age 29.

Somewhere in this area of Main Street Barbara Gewinner ran a shop during the late 1870s.

 Records from the United States Freedmen's Bureau show that it paid John K. Gewinner $12 on September 1, 1866, for allocating two rooms in his home as a Teacher's Home. Konrad died in August, 1869. The 1870 census lists Barbara as a hotel keeper. Also listed in the Gewinner household in 1870 was Col. Garrett Nagle, 33, the Williamsburg County Agent for the Freedmen's Bureau at that time. According to Edwin Christopher Epps' unpublished reminiscences of growing up in Kingstree, Mrs. Gewinner also ran a small shop located on Main Street across from the courthouse during the late 1870s and 1880s. He does not specify what she sold in her shop, but she was one of the few women business owners of that period.

Mary Gewinner Jacobs

Kingstree's first female postmaster

 The Gewinners' daughter, Mary Frederika, was appointed postmistress for Kingstree in 1866, when she was only 18 years old. The Charleston Daily News of July 27, 1866, noted, "The Kingstree Star of the 25th boasts of that village now having a regular "reconstructed" post office, Miss Mary Gewinner having received the appointment of Postmistress. The Star says that Miss G has been attending the mails for some months past. Miss G, it would then appear, has been more successful in her attendance on the mails than many of her sisters." 

Mary Gewinner married Louis Jacobs in 1870 and over the next 10 years, the couple produced eight children. In 1880, they moved to Charleston, primarily because Mr. Jacobs felt it was cheaper to move his family there than it was to arrange lodging for his children to attend school in Charleston. Barbara Gewinner died in 1893, and when the Jacobs family returned to Kingstree, Louis Jacobs built a Charleston-style home on the old Gewinner lot at the corner of Main and Longstreet. The interesting feature of the home was that its back faced Longstreet, with the front of the house facing the interior of the lot. 

In the late 1890s, one or more of the Jacobs' daughters went into the millinery business with one or more of the Benjamin sisters. Benjamin & Jacobs Millinery operated out of a store Louis Jacobs owned on the west side of Academy Street, where the Downtown Café is today. 

The Misses Benjamin & Jacobs operated a millinery store on this site in the late 1890s.

On April 1, 1898, Louis Jacobs, following in his wife's footsteps, was appointed postmaster for Kingstree. He immediately moved the post office from the east side of Academy to the building on the west side that had housed Benjamin & Jacobs Millinery. The County Record, in announcing the move, also noted that Louis Jacobs' daughter, Etta, would serve as Assistant Postmaster. 

Etta Jacobs, however, was already certified as a teacher and had taught in the Sampit section of Georgetown County in 1897. She later taught at Smith's Mills in northern Williamsburg County, Gourdin, and Heinemann, and in 1907 was named the principal of Salters High School. She later taught near Spartanburg, before returning to Williamsburg County as an assistant teacher in the school at Cedar Swamp. During her years in education, she was extremely active in Williamsburg County Teachers' Association, where she served on the executive committee for a number of years. She was also a member of the School Improvement Association of South Carolina. She was also a sponsor of Camp James McCutchen, an organization of Civil War veterans.

After her father's death in 1913, she left teaching to run his insurance agency, re-naming it the Etta Jacobs Agency. The Town of Kingstree treasurer's report shows that from 1914 through at least 1917, the town was paying insurance premiums to her agency. Ad ad in the November 29, 1917, issue of The County Record, signed by the Etta Jacobs Agency and Kingstree Insurance, Real Estate, and Loan, warned businesses carrying fireworks that they must first secure a permit from their insurance company to do so. If they did not get this permit, their policies would be canceled immediately. 

While Etta pursued a career in education, her older sister, Mary, known as Mamie, took over as assistant postmaster. She served in this capacity for 15 years until her marriage to Theodore B. Gourdin, the great-uncle of Governor Henry McMaster, and a subsequent move to Salters. Mamie was also a loyal member of the Kingstree Civic League, serving as its secretary. 

The youngest of the Jacobs' daughters, Florence, known as Florrie, made her mark as a legal stenographer. She began her career at the Kingstree firm of Lee & Shuler, but spent the last 10 years of her life employed by attorney Samuel Want in Darlington. She was rated as one of the most expert stenographers in the state of South Carolina. 

In 1929, Cecil and Edith Jacobs owned a home on this property from which

Edith and Freda Jacobs ran The Cottage Tea Room.

Two of Louis and Mary Jacobs' daughters-in-law also exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit. In the spring of 1929, Freda and Edith Jacobs, wives of W. N. "Nappie" and Cecil Jacobs opened the Cottage Tea Room at the home of Edith and Cecil Jacobs. This house was located across Longstreet from the Jacobs' family home. The announcement of the tea room's opening in the April 11, 1929, issue of The State, noted that "this is an ideal location as the Atlantic Coastal highway with its daily rush of tourists passes directly in front of Mrs. Jacobs' home. The tea room, which remained in business for several years, was also the site of many local luncheons, showers, bridge club meetings and birthday parties. In December, 1930, Edith and Cecil Jacobs hosted a Christmas dinner at the tea room for the managers and assistants of Kingstree's filling stations. 

Clara Gagg Harper Wilkins Was Early Kingstree Business Owner

Today, Kingstree can boast that many of its downtown businesses are women-owned. Women have been active in the business community here for a long, long time. One of those early women business owners was Clara Jane Gagg Harper Wilkins. 

This building now stands on the location where Clara J. Harper, her brother

and brother-in-law opened a general merchandise store in 1900.

C.G. Harper came to Kingstree in 1900 from Trenton, NJ, accompanying her brother Aaron W. Gagg and their brother-in-law, William B. Oliver, who was then the general manager of the Union Paper Company in New Hope, PA. 

It's not clear what attracted this trio to Kingstree, but they were impressed enough after a visit to decide to partner in a retail establishment. In January, 1900, an opportunity presented itself when E. L. Smith, who was operating a store on the east side of Academy Street in a wooden building on the lot where the brick building that today hosts the "We Believe in Kingstree" mural now stands, found himself with greater liabilities than assets and assigned what he owned to R.K. Wallace, who sold all of Smith's merchandise at auction on February 12. A.W. Gagg, seeing his opportunity, bought the merchandise with a $3200 bid, and re-opened the store in the same location under the name Gagg, Oliver & Co.

One of Gagg, Oliver & Co.'s early ads in The County Record. 

Note that Gagg, Oliver and Harper all all named in the ad.

Gagg immediately announced that he had also bought the vacant lot on the southwest corner of Mill and Academy streets where M.F. Heller's old livery stable had recently been torn down and planned to build a modern, brick store for Gagg, Oliver & Co. This property is now occupied by Styles & Smiles Hair Salon.

By October, 1900, the new store was almost completed. The County Record noted that with its "large, plate-glass windows and handsomely furnished interior, this building makes quite a brave show in that part of town."

Styles & Smiles currently occupies the location of Gagg, Oliver & Co.'s new building.

By February, 1901, W.B. Oliver, who seems to have been more of a silent partner, sold his interest in the business to A.W. Gagg, as Oliver was moving to Virginia to pursue yet another business endeavor. Clara Harper, however, remained a partner in the business. She was also apparently well-liked in Kingstree and was invited to and attended numerous local dances and parties.

Gagg, Oliver's ad for its new brick store from the November 8, 1900, County Record.

For Easter, 1901, Gagg, Oliver & Co. created a bit of a stir downtown with an Easter display in its show window, a first for a business in downtown Kingstree. According to the newspaper, this display "pleases the young folks immensely."

The store also made news that August. When Aaron Gagg's son, Russell, entered the store on Monday, August 5, he was shocked to find merchandise scattered all over the floor. Looking further, he saw that the glass in the back door had been shattered. While he was unsure of all the items stolen during the burglary, he was able to say that six revolvers, 20 boxes of cartridges, four pairs of shoes, two satchels, three or four suits of clothes, several hats and pairs of suspenders, and a number of pocket knives were missing.

Farmers had very bad years in 1900 and 1901 which affected the bottom line of a number of local merchants, causing a rash of bankruptcies. Gagg, Oliver & Co., held on longer than some of the others, but by January, 1902, it issued a deed of assignment to local attorney Robert J. Kirk for the benefit of the business' creditors. Happily, by early April, Gagg, Oliver had paid off its creditors and was able to re-open the store. 

But the magic appears to have worn off for Aaron Gagg, and in September, 1902, he announced that the store was going out of business. Two months, later, however, he announced that he was selling his interest to his sister, Clara Jane Harper, who would keep the business open. However, she planned to move from the brick store back across the street to the spot where Gagg, Harper had originally opened. 

In early December, William Thomas Wilkins rented the store which Clara Harper had vacated, so that he now had two stores directly across the street from each other.

We will look at W.T. Wilkins and his influence on downtown Kingstree in a later post. His wife, the former Cora Hudgins of Foreston in Clarendon County, died in 1904, leaving him with four young children–Will, Joe, Archie and Rosa. In 1906, he married Clara Harper.

In 1909, Clara's daughter, Adelaide Harper, married her stepfather's brother, Samuel Wilkins, and moved with him to Georgia. Older residents of Kingstree, however, will probably remember that Adelaide and her daughter, Adelaide Wilkins Willis, returned to Kingstree years later and lived on the old Wilkins property, now the vacant lot on Academy Street between First Baptist Church and the Williamsburg County School District Office. 

Clara Jane Gagg Harper Wilkins died at the home of her daughter in Georgia in May, 1936. She is buried in Williamsburg Cemetery. 

Thomas Opera House Site of a Kingstree Mystery

March 19 will mark the 116th anniversary of the Grand Opening of the Thomas Opera House, located on the corner of Main and Jail (now Jackson) streets in Kingstree in what is now known as the Alex Chatman Complex. The opera house, located on the second floor of the building, was a "gift" to the town from its builder, Fulton Courtney Thomas, who was born in Williamsburg County in 1859, but who moved to Manning as a young adult to open a mercantile business.

The upper story of this portion of the Alex Chatman Complex was used as the opera house.

When that business failed, F.C. Thomas headed west, landing in Fayette, Texas, where he went into the livestock business and married a woman named Bloom Smith. Several years later, Thomas decided to move back to Manning, where he went into partnership with D.M. Bradham, opening a livery stable, known as Thomas & Bradham. The two were so successful that several years later they opened a branch of the livery stable in Kingstree, located on Jail Street in the vicinity of today's County Auditorium. 

At that time, there were two wooden stores on Main Street in front of the livery stable. They were owned by George Barr and used in connection with Barr's Hotel. In 1905, W.T. Wilkins bought these two stores, one from George Barr's widow Lula and the other from Isaac A. Keels, who had taken over the hotel at Barr's death. Wilkins rented the two stores to two African-American-owned businesses, Wilson McCullough & Co., and another business whose name is currently not known. 

On December 31, 1906, an early morning fire swept through the entire block of stores from the Courthouse to Jail Street, burning the old Barr hotel, then called the Central Hotel; Dr. W.L. Wallace's drugstore, and the two buildings owned by W.T. Wilkins. In February, 1907, Wilkins sold the lots on which his two stores had been located to F.C. Thomas. 

In May of that year, Thomas broke ground for what was to be a two-story brick building that would house two stores on the first floor and an opera house/community hall on the second. V.A. Sedgewick of Mayfield, KY,  was the contractor. The building was completed by October, 1907. The County Record noted that the second floor was well-suited for use as an opera house, as it was equipped with a wide stage, dressing rooms, and a rear entrance. 

The first event to take place in the opera house, in January, 1908, was not an opera. It was, in fact, a wrestling match between Luis Winnick of Tennessee and Bob Cain, known as the "South Carolina Wonder." 

The next month, J.R. McNair, who was associated with The New York Clipper, a weekly entertainment newspaper in New York City, was in town to paint the drop curtain and scenery for the opera house. The central part of the curtain depicted Commodore Dewey at Manila from the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War of 1898 with the borders and panel decorations exquisitely colored in vivid tints. 

On Thursday evening, March 19, ticket-holders from near and far flocked to Main Street for the Grand Opening of the Opera House. The Beggar Prince Opera Company of New York presented the Turkish Opera, Said Pasha, a romantic opera in three acts, to a full house of approximately 300 patrons, some of whom had traveled to Kingstree from Greeleyville, Salters, Cades, and Indiantown. 

The name "Thomas" can still be see on granite plaque on the front of the building.

Over the next few years, several men, including Philip Stoll and Louis Stackley, managed the opera house. They booked numerous traveling companies who would come to Kingstree for a three-night engagement, putting on a different play each evening. The regular season for the opera house ran from October until March. During the late spring and summer, the opera house was used for local events, including fundraisers for the local school and churches, Confederate Memorial Day exercises, and conventions for the Knights of Pythias and other fraternal organizations. In November, 1908, election returns were posted at the opera house. On several occasions, local talent put on plays to raise money for various organizations. 

Tragedy struck in November, 1910, in the form of a shooting, aspects of which still remain a mystery. On Friday evening, November 4,  a magician was scheduled to perform at the opera house. As patrons were beginning to find their seats for the performance, the sound of a shot rang out from the front of the opera house, and William "Pinky" Scott, a 10-year-old African-American boy who was seated near the front of the hall, toppled out of his seat, shot through the head. The shot came from a Colt automatic pistol, a prop for the evening's performance, which was in the possession of 17-year-old William J. Britton, who was to assist the magician in his act. Scott was rushed across the street to Gamble & Jacobs' drugstore where Dr. C.D Jacobs attempted to save his life, but the .25-calibre bullet had struck him squarely in the forehead, and he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes after the shooting. 

At the Coroner's inquest, Britton testified that the magician was to use the pistol in several of his tricks, and that, as property manager, Britton was carrying the pistol in the pocket of his sweater. However, as he was asked to usher several ladies to their seats, he attempted to transfer the pistol from his sweater pocket to the pocket of his coat, and that "in some unaccountable manner the weapon was accidentally discharged." Several other witnesses testified at the inquest, but were not able to offer any more evidence than that provided by Britton. The newspaper did not report whether the magician testified at the inquest or was asked why the pistol was loaded with live ammunition, or if he had planned to fire live rounds in an enclosed auditorium during his act. Nor was it reported if Billie Britton was asked if he knew the gun was loaded with live ammunition when he took charge of it as a property for the show. The coroner's jury found that William Scott came to his death by the accidental discharge of a pistol in the hands of William J. Britton. Britton, whose father was Williamsburg County Clerk of Court, went on to become police chief for the Town of Kingstree and later was Tax Collector for Williamsburg County. 

An ad in the December 2, 1909, County Record for a one-night performance. 

In March, 1915, the Kingstree Civic League hosted a spelling bee at the opera house to raise money for Kellahan Park. There were spelling matches for both adults and children. M.A. Shuler won the adult's contest, but graciously donated his prize of a box of candy to the runner-up, Julia Cork. Cammie Thompson was the winner of the young people's contest. 

The Thomas Opera House Hall was also the scene of a number of Christmas Gala Balls put on by the Kingstree Social Club during the years leading up to World War I. During the War, there were few, if any, activities at the opera house. The last event to take place at the opera house that I've found was the June 23-24, 1919, screening of the silent film, The Heart of Humanity, which depicted the final days of the Great War.

F.C. Thomas died May 4, 1922, by then considered one of the wealthiest men in Clarendon County, and it seems likely that the new owners of the building may have decided to use the opera house space for other things than a public meeting place. 

Ethnically Diverse Businesses Common in Kingstree at Turn of 20th Century

At the turn of the 20th Century, Kingstree's downtown business owners were a far more ethnically diverse group than many might imagine. Today, we will look at three young African-American men who owned  businesses in Kingstree during that period, but other business owners of the time were of Chinese, Lebanese and Syrian heritage. We will look at them in the coming weeks and months. 

The building to the far right likely sits on the spot where A.M. Singletary had his fruit store.

In late 1897, Armstrong Singletary, age 20, opened a fruit store on the west side of Academy Street, likely on the site where Carolina Business Supplies is today. He advertised apples at 8 to 15 cents a dozen; the best cream cheese at 15 cents a pound and all kinds of sausage from 10 to 15 cents a pound. He was also paying good prices for raccoon hides and beeswax. 

The 1900 census for Kingstree lists Singletary as a downtown merchant. He must, however, have had some other line of work, because in October, 1898, he advertised the re-opening of his fruit store for the Christmas season, and in November, 1901, he petitioned the Kingstree Town Council for a reduction in his business license fee to sell Christmas toys, as he appeared to be open only during the fall, leading up to Christmas. Council instructed clerk/treasurer M.R. Levin to issue him a $3 license, which would expire on December 30, 1901.

Ad run in The County Record by Armstrong Singletary in late 1897.

In May, 1903, the town issued Singletary a $5 license to sell beef, which may indicate that he was open year-round but selling items other than fruit and Christmas goods. 

Armstrong Singletary died prior to 1910, leaving his wife, Victoria Ward Singletary, and four sons. Victoria remarried and was again widowed, but she was able to buy a home on Blakely, now McFarlin, Street. She died there in 1951 at the age of 71. It appears from census records and death certificates that their youngest son, Robert, inherited this home. 

During the time Armstrong Singletary was in business, Wilmington, NC, native Evans J. Aoston, a man in his early 30s, was running a barbershop/fruit store, on the east side of Academy Street, which apparently was known as Wall Street in the late 1890s. Aoston advertised in December, 1897, that his fruit store was located at No. 12 Wall St., next door to the post office. This would have been the post office operated by postmaster Charlotte Jones McCrea Chandler before Louis Jacobs became postmaster and moved the post office to the west side of Academy. In 1898, Aoston was still at No. 12 Wall Street, but noted in his advertisements that he was located next door to Dr. D.C. Scott. 

Aoston's businesses were located in a small store on the site currently

occupied by The King's Brew coffee shop (second building from the left).

Under the heading "Live and Let Live," Aoston advertised, "I desire to inform my friends and the public generally, that I have on hand a fine stock of Fruits and Vegetables which I will sell so cheap that you cannot fail to be pleased. If you trade with me, I will do all in my power to please you in every way and save you money."

Aoston was not shy about advertising his displeasure with some of his patrons, however. An ad in The County Record's October 28, 1897, issue read: Having placed my wife behind the counter of my fruit stand, adjacent to my barber shop, patrons of the shop are requested to bear in mind the fact and refrain from using profane and obscene language while in the building. This rule is absolute; violators of it will be refused admittance.

In 1898, he ran this notice: The patrons of my barbershop are requested to send their children to me during the week and not on SATURDAYS, when they want their hair cut. I am always  crowded with gentlemen wanting shaves on Saturday, and it would be a great accommodation if the boys would come during the week. E.J. AOSTON.

Aoston seems to have gone out of the fruit business around the turn of the century, and was by 1902 advertising his bicycle repair business.

Ad from 1902 for E.J. Aoston's bicycle repair shop.

In early 1903, Aoston moved his family to Society Hill, but Kingstree was not quite done with him. In August of that year, members of the local African-American chapter of the Odd Fellows Lodge realized that Aoston, who had served as their treasurer, had left Kingstree with $80 of their money. They wrote him and urged him to return to Kingstree to clear up the matter. He agreed, but when he stepped off the train at the Kingstree depot, then located near today's Brooks Street railroad crossing, Sheriff George Graham was on hand to escort him to jail. After a night in jail, Aoston, represented by the law firm of Hirsch & Hirsch, appeared before authorities. He had a portion of the money and somehow was able to borrow the rest. The Odd Fellows, represented by Lee & St. Amand, accepted his payment without pressing further charges, and he was able to return to Society Hill. 

By 1910, Aoston, his wife Nellie Gibson Aoston, and their daughte, Mabell, were living in Red Springs, NC, where he also worked as a barber.

In the early 1900s, there were two small wooden stores on the lot on the corner of Main and Academy streets, now occupied by the three-story Nexsen building, home to Jarrito's restaurant. Henry A. Meyer ran a bakery in one of the buildings, in which he shared space with the retail firm of Lesesne & Thompson. The other small building housed a grocery store run by T.J. Pendergrass. 

T.J. Pendergrass began his retail career in a small wooden grocery store

located on the site now occupied by the three-story, brick Nexsen building.

In a June, 1971, column in The County Record, Bessie Swann Britton noted that the small boys of Kingstree during the early 1900s liked to patronize Pendergrass' grocery. She described him as a jolly man with a comical, pigeon-toed walk. It is likely that T.J. was around 25 years old in 1900. 

On Sunday afternoon, May 17, 1908, the church bells of Kingstree tolled a fire alarm. A blaze of unknown origin had started in Lesesne & Thompson's store. By the time the bucket brigade assembled, the bakery and T.J. Pendergrass' grocery were also involved. Citizens, both black and white, worked together to extinguish the flames and kept the fire from spreading to other buildings on Main and Academy streets. Both buildings were a part of the estate of S.M. Nexsen, which had not yet been settled. Meyer and Pendergrass each had $500 worth of insurance on their merchandise.

Pendergrass was soon back in business, but now was located on Academy Street in the building from which E.J. Aoston had run his businesses several years earlier. 

In April, 1914, he advertised: Mrs. Housewife–I wonder what we will have for dinner? Phone Pendergrass for a bunch of fish. Large bunch, and nice, fresh fish, guaranteed. A full line of Fresh Groceries and line of General Merchandise on hand all the time. Telephone or call at T.J. Pendergrass', Kingstree, SC.

A year later, he was advertising that he and his brothers, under the name Pendergrass Bros., had opened up a new 5 and 10 cent department store. "We have the greatest values at 5 cents and 10 cents that ever struck Kingstree."

By 1915, the brothers had branched out. They were advertising that African-American farmers who were coming to Kingstree from out of town to sell their tobacco and cotton would be able to spend the night, if they desired to do so, at the Pendergrass Boarding House, located on E. Main Street. They had six upstairs bedrooms they rented out. The boarding house also had a restaurant, under the management of Mrs. J. Hamlet, who would, they advertised, "give you A-1 service."

Pendergrass Brothers' 1915 ad for their retail business and their boarding house.

However, in 1916, T.J. Pendergrass ran a classified ad offering showcases for sale as well as an iron safe and beds, indicating that Pendergrass Bros. and the boarding house were going out of business.

W.W. Boddie notes in his history of Williamsburg County that during World War I, Pendergrass  worked tirelessly for the Red Cross. It appears that by this time, T.J. was a Methodist minister.

Following T.J. Pendergrass through census records turns up his use of three different first names. In the 1880 census, Toney J. Pendergrass was living with his father John, mother Lusinda and five brothers near Kingstree. In 1900, Thomas J. Pendergrass, whose age matches the age Toney would have been in 1900, was living with his wife Sarah in Kingstree. The 1910 census lists Turner J. Pendergrass, a retail merchant, living with his wife Sarah on East Main Street, near Stephen A. Swails' son, Florian Grant Swails. In 1920, Toney J. Pendergrass, a Methodist minister, is living in Greeleyville with his wife Sarah and their adopted daughter, Esther. The will of the Rev. Thomas J. Pendergrass, age 76, was probated in Orangeburg County on March 26, 1951. Sarah had apparently died, as T.J. was survived by his wife, Fannie, who was 36 years younger than he. That this is T.J. seems likely as he left a home he owned at 126 Spring Street in Charleston to his adopted daughter, Mrs. Esther Summers of Chicago. At the time of his death, he owned several houses in Charleston, as well as a home and store in Orangeburg.