Room for Improvement

Last week we looked at postcard-worthy images of Kingstree. Today's pictures won't be quite so lovely. It's time to look at those things in need of improvement. At the recent Main Street meetings, architect Randy Wilson asked residents to "be honest, but gentle," in assessing those things in Kingstree that need improving, as well as anything the town might be better off without. Here are a few of the topics residents brought up.

There was strong consensus that many of the commercial buildings in downtown Kingstree need a lot more love and attention than they've gotten in the past. Not only are some of the buildings run down,  but a number also lack color and contrast to catch the eye, while others have boarded up second-story windows which send a subtle message.

Built in late 1906, early 1907, this office on South Academy Street

was built as the law offices of Gilland & Gilland.

These boarded up arched windows would be even more elegant if they were restored.

The building in the center of the photo was also built in 1906 for the Bank of Williamsburg.

I'm not singling these buildings out. They are just examples of some of the superb architecture existing in Kingstree that has not always been used to its best advantage. And, too, I'm drawn to arches, whether in fanlights or entranceways, so these examples have a personal impact on me.

Also, I know that in January 1907, when construction of Gilland & Gilland's law office was nearing completion, The County Record noted that when it was complete, it would be "the neatest, prettiest office building in Kingstree."

Another thing most members of the groups agreed upon was that they'd like to see Main Street return to a two-lane roadway instead of today's broad, four-lane thoroughfare that encourages driving perhaps a bit faster than is good for the heart of the community. This would also bring back angled parking and provide more sidewalk space for landscaping.

This 1940 view of Main Street was no doubt taken on a Saturday,

then the busiest day of the week. The street was then two-lane with 

angled parking on either side of both lanes.

Photo courtesy Williamsburgh Historical Museum

Main Street on an early Saturday morning in 2016 has a totally different feel.

While not discussed at the public meetings, litter was a topic of conversation at the smaller tourism and hospitality get-together. Litter appears to be a growing problem in all areas of Kingstree, both commercial and residential. It shows a basic lack of pride in the community, and its presence makes it hard for residents to take pride in the community.

It is, however, not a new problem. In June, 1908, Conrad Constine wrote a scathing letter to the editor of The County Record, detailing the amount of garbage dumped on the causeway just beyond the Main Street bridge. The headline on this letter was, "A Menace to the Health of the Town." In 1911, he again wrote about litter, this time on downtown streets." He began, "I would like to mention something that might save someone the misfortune of a fall, a severe bruise, or a broken arm if the peelings of apples and the skins of bananas are kept off the streets of this town. It was shocking to see then this Sabbath morning on God's holy day, littered up and down–better say messed up–especially in front of where fruit is sold. Mr. Thompson, I think the oldest and a useful gentleman in town, passed me going to the post office this morning and fell hard on the cement sidewalk by stepping on a banana peel."

Litter takes many forms, including bottles tossed from car windows,

household goods, which somehow attract more litter,

articles of clothing,

And, yes, there are still banana peels on our sidewalks.

All these photographs were taken within the last year.

Many residents bemoaned the lack of cultural and recreational activities in town. Participants in both meeting want to see theatrical performances, both live theater and movies, here. Others would like places to skate or bowl. Kingstree has not always been without live theater, both locally produced and brought in from outside.

In a 1933 letter to Laura Cromer Hemingway, Dr. Napoleon G. Gewinner of Macon, GA, expounded on a theater troupe he was a part of as a young man living in Kingstree in the mid-1870s. The group, which billed itself as Friends of Temperance, put on plays in the courtroom, using jury rooms as dressing rooms. Dr. Gewinner remembered a "tramp painter," who had theatrical experience was also living in Kingstree and built sets, came up with curtains, and arranged footlights for their productions. "We had as pretty stage fixtures as one would want," Dr. Gewinner wrote. He said the troupe was often asked to perform in neighboring areas, which they sometimes did, although it was expensive for them, as the actors traveled by horse and buggy, with their props transported by horse and wagon. However, he noted that the box office from their performances often brought in $800 to $1,000, which in 2018 currency would amount to $17,500-$21,800.

Although the photograph on this postcard is much later than 1875,

the courthouse shown in the photo looks more like it did then than it does now.

Courtesy Williamsburgh Historical Society

Live theater became standard fare for residents of Kingstree when in March 1908, the Thomas Opera House opened for business. Built for the town by F.C. Thomas of Manning, the opera house was on the second floor, closest to Jackson Street, of what is now the Alex Chatman Complex. Some 300 persons, many of whom had come from outlying areas of the county and neighboring counties, attended the grand opening on March 19, which showcased The Beggar Price Opera Company's performance of the Turkish opera Said Pasha. In years to come the opera house hosted light opera, plays, meetings, and even wrestling matches.

The name Thomas can still be seen on the building that housed the Thomas Opera House.

Photos by Linda Brown unless otherwise noted

There is a Maya Angelou quote that applies very well to the situation in which Kingstree residents now find themselves:  No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place. In cataloguing both the things that make us proud as well as the things that need improvement, we have made a start in gathering that knowledge.