Trick or Treat–or Maybe Not

Today is All Hallows Eve, or as we know it Halloween, or Hallowe'en as it was spelled in the early part of the 20th century. It appears from newspaper accounts that in those early years of the last century, most of the Halloween celebrations were geared toward adults rather than children.

In 1901, The County Record noted that several young ladies in town celebrated Halloween by having their futures told by a Gypsy fortuneteller. It was not uncommon for bands of Gypsies to camp near town when they were in the area, so it is possible that such a group was in the vicinity in October 1901. The next year, the ladies of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church sponsored a "Hallowe'en entertainment" at the courthouse. They, too, had a fortuneteller, although probably not a Gypsy, and a witches' cauldron from which punch was served. Keen competition was reported in a cakewalk which was won by Lucius Montgomery and Lula Strong. The ladies raised $60 for the church.

The Daughters of the Confederacy sponsored a Halloween party in the billiards room at the Kellahan Hotel in 1908 to raise funds for the Confederate Monument. This party drew a very slim crowd, and the ladies raised only around $30. The newspaper reported that Eunice Kennedy was a "charming little Hallowe'en witch." Guests who visited her "tent" were given a picture of their future lord or lady and a written sketch of their happiness or unhappiness in marriage. According to the paper, Belle Ervin and Helen Scott were in charge of a gallery of famous painting, representing an amusing pun or a ridiculous object which guests were supposed to guess. Homemade candy, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and ice cream were for sale, and Martha Scott and Mamie Brockington were in charge of a supper of turkey, chicken, rice, and pickles.

The Central Warehouse on Hampton Avenue was the venue for a Halloween party in 1913, sponsored by the Epworth League of Kingstree. Costumes of witches, goblins and ghosts were extremely well done, and the warehouse, decorated with pumpkins, autumn leaves, and black cats, cast an eerie spell.

The Brooks Street home of Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Swails was the gathering place for a large group of young people on Halloween 1920. The County Record noted that they "paraded the streets and made merry, after which they again assembled at the Swails' home and enjoyed contests for the remainder of the evening,"

In 1922, Kingstree appears to have celebrated Halloween for almost a week, with more involvement from youngsters than previously shown. The partying began on Monday, October 30, when the Boy Scouts had a party at their hall in the Gourdin Building on Main Street. Each Scout was allowed to invite one girl, and the evening was spent bobbing for apples, running past apples hanging on strings, trying to take a bite from them as they ran, and enjoying punch and fruit. The next day, on Halloween, Leila Brown's Sunday School Class was invited to her home for a costume party, with each guest wearing a mask. The house was decorated with autumn leaves, owls, black cats, and witches. Punch was served from a big, black, three-legged cauldron with a long-handled dipper and tin cups. The guests also enjoyed popcorn, fruit, and nuts. That same evening, the Baptist Young People's Union was invited a party at the home of Madeline Miller. The 35 in attendance were served a witch's cake in which a dime and a penny had been hidden. The day after Halloween found the Junior Christian Endeavor group attending a party in which the rooms were darkened and decorated with Halloween-themed favors. They bobbed for apples and played other games.

A big bonfire was the major attraction at a party for the sixth grade in 1926. The party was held at the home of Mrs. Louise Gilland, and the guests all arrived in fancy costumes. 

During the late 1920s and early 1930s, many youngsters who had birthdays in October celebrated with Halloween-themed birthday parties. In 1931, Mary Catherine Epps' music students gave a Halloween recital in which they played and sang Halloween songs and enjoyed Halloween-themed refreshments.

By the late 1940s, the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the school began sponsoring a costume parade for pre-school and elementary school children, led by the marching band. And in the 1950s, the Halloween parade and carnival was taken over by the senior class of Kingstree High as a service project. The parade route ran from the new elementary school on Academy Street to the High School auditorium on Third Ave. There were 150 participants in the 1953 Halloween parade.

Photos taken in different years and at various locations in Kingstree.

One of the most interesting events to take place in Kingstree on October 31 had nothing to do with Halloween. On that date in 1900, South Carolina Governor Miles McSweeney came to town to perform a double marriage ceremony. Sisters Esther and Lillie Benjamin had planned a double wedding. Esther was marrying Dr. W.S. Lynch, while Lillie was to marry Hoxie G. Askins, Esq. The brides were Jewish, while their intendeds were not. They decided that they wanted neither a rabbi nor a Christian minister to perform the ceremony, but the governor was acceptable to all parties.

As it happened, that week was also State Fair week in Columbia, and Governor McSweeney had responsibilities at the fair that day. He asked if the wedding parties could come to him. However, that was apparently not acceptable, and somehow he was able to rearrange his schedule in order to travel to Kingstree to perform the ceremony, which was held at the home of Mary and Louis Jacobs on Main Street (where Hardee's is today). Louis Jacobs escorted both brides down the aisle. 

C.W. Wolfe, owner and editor of The County Record, made much over the fact that the governor accidentally broke a glass during the wedding. Wolfe noted that this was a "singular coincidence" as it is traditional to break a glass during a Jewish wedding ceremony.

Celebrating with Food

Food is an integral part of any region's social customs, particularly, it seems, in the South. Look around at the number of small-town festivals which center on food. Kingstree's Pig Pickin' Festival is a celebration of a long tradition of excelling at barbecue in this area. In addition to the barbecue contests this year, there was a pileau cook-off downtown. But, as surprising as it may seem to those of us raised on the idea that no communal gathering is complete without barbecue and/or pileau, these two culinary masterpieces were not all that common at gatherings in the early part of the 20th century.

Back in the day, the dish everyone associated with Kingstree and Williamsburg County was pine bark stew. There are two theories on how this fish stew got its name. One is that the finished sauce is the deep brown of chocolate or pine bark, while the other maintains that as it was most often cooked outdoors, pine bark was used to start the cooking fire.

In May of 1894, we are informed that local attorney, Capt. John Kelley, prepared his "far-famed" brown stew for the visiting judge, court reporter, and others during court week in Kingstree. It was said that Capt. Kelley learned how to make pine bark stew from an elderly Darlington resident, who supposedly shared his recipe with only Capt. Kelley and one other.

Apparently John Kelley was not as secretive about the recipe as the man who bestowed it upon him, for a recipe attributed to Capt. Kelley appears in Two Hundred Years of Charleston Cooking by Blanche Rett and Lettie Gray. They note that this recipe, used for many years by the Otranto Club, courtesy of Theodore J. Simons, was originally from Capt. John Kelley of Kingstree. As Theodore Simons was Carrie Heller's younger brother, this seems quite likely.

The recipe, which should feed 30, instructs the cook to slice one pound of strip bacon, then try out all grease possible and fry about four sliced onions in this fat. Add about two inches of hot water to the cooking pot, which should hold three to four gallons. Place a layer of fish fillets (preferably red breast, blue bream, or bass) on top of this, then a layer of sliced Irish potatoes and sliced onions, another layer of fish, potatoes, onions and so on until the quantity required has been added to the pot. Salt liberally while it is boiling, also adding one tablespoon of curry powder. Stew slowly for three-quarters of an hour. Fish, potatoes, and onions should be entirely covered with water.

While this is boiling, place a saucepan on the fire nearby, adding one pound of butter to it. When thoroughly melted and hot, add some of the stew to it gradually, along with a small bottle of Worcestershire sauce, one large bottle tomato catsup, one teaspoon red pepper, a liberal supply of black pepper and one more tablespoon of curry powder. Stir the sauce frequently over low heat, dipping more stew into the sauce at intervals until the sauce turns a rich brown. When done, serve the fish fillets whole on toast with rice, liberally doused in the brown sauce.

Despite Capt. Kelley's sharing of the recipe, his is not the name that became synonymous with pine bark stew in Kingstree. D.J. "Jim" Epps will forever be remembered as the consummate pine bark stew chef.

In May, 1908, The County Record noted that D.J. Epps had prepared a pine bark stew for a group of gentlemen from Kingstree and other areas, who had been taken on an outing to Brunson's Mill in Capt. Conrad Constine's riverboat, The Mercedes. This may have been the first gathering of what was to become a long-standing tradition. In April, 1909, Mr. Epps again fed a large crowd at Brunson's Mill. In April, 1910, they gathered in the "grove at the Singleton place, just on the suburbs." As the years rolled by, he invited between 150 and 300 people to a yearly event, sometimes held in one of the warehouses, more often at Boswell's Beach. At some point in the 1920s, it was noted this had become a twice-a-year event. Mr. Epps also entertained the tobacco buyers on the opening day of the tobacco market each year, always serving pine bark stew, for which he was to become famous throughout the state.

When Masons from throughout this area of the state came to Kingstree in July, 1912, to help the local lodge lay the cornerstone for the Methodist Church on Academy Street, Mr. Epps fed them afterward with a stew made from 300 red breasts caught the night before in Black River.  A year later, when the cornerstone for the Baptist Church was laid, Mr. Epps invited the visiting Masons to his home for another pine bark stew, this time accompanied by barbecued shoat. Also, in 1913, he provided the pine bark stew for a regional convention of the Knights of Pythias, held in Kingstree. An article in the Mullins newspaper noted that Mullins Masons had become "instant fans" of Mr. Epps' stew.

Barbecue is mentioned as a part of a community supper, held for the purpose of raising money to buy a bell for the schoolhouse in 1904. Barbecue, oysters, and turkey were on the menu for that event. There were many of these fund-raising "hot suppers" during the early years of the 20th century. They were held to raise funds for specific projects, like the bell, the school library, improvements to the local churches, and on one occasion in February, 1900, the ladies of Williamsburg Presbyterian held a supper at the home of Mary and Louis Jacobs to raise funds to "help make up the pastor's salary." They raised $39 at that event. 

Oysters played a prominent role at many of these suppers. The Episcopal Church had a special oyster room at a fund-raiser in 1902. Hotel owner, George Barr, hosted a dinner for his closest friends in 1901 at his hotel, where he served "sumptuous oysters served in every style."

Another annual event that occasioned a community meal was Veteran's Day on May 10. Each year the attending Confederate veterans were treated to a dinner. In 1907, baker H.A. Meyer hosted the dinner in one of the empty storefronts on Academy Street. John Mouzon and the Mouzon String Band provided background music during the meal. The menu included ribs of roast beef, dish gravy, boiled rice, sliced Florida tomatoes, boiled Westphalia ham, potato salad, Kalamazoo celery, sliced ox tongue, boiled cabbage, new green peas, bananas, oranges, apples, assorted cakes and coffee.

Because of the wide range of spellings given to "pileau" (pilau, perloo, perleau, pirlieu, pulao, purlough, as a few examples), it's difficult to know exactly when it became a staple for community meals. The earliest I could find was that the Consolidated Merrimakers of the Consolidated Phone Company of Kingstree and Lake City held a party at the pavilion at Boswell's Beach in December of 1924, where chicken pileau and fish stew with all the necessary trimmings were served.

The choir for the Baptist Church was also served chicken pileau at a gathering at Dr. E.T. Kelley's Indian Hut Club in Georgetown County, in October, 1937. By the way, pilau and pileau seem to be the most accepted spellings.

 All photos taken at the 2018 Pig Pickin' Pirleau competition.

In August, 1941, several newspapers across the Southeast ran a small story under the headline, "Circumstantial." The story read: A prominent Kingstree citizen, viewing the collection of pots and pans in the town's defense aluminum receiving pen, remarked that "I bet I could cook a real chicken pileau in that steam cooker–and if they miss it, you'll know where to look." Imagine his consternation next day when he was advised the cooker had been lifted out of the pen overnight.

Serving pileau at large gatherings became much more common in the 1950s with a mention that it was served, along with barbecue, at a couple of housewarmings on Highland Drive in 1953, and that it was the main course served at the Pee Dee Farm Women's Convention, which was held at Kingstree High School in October, 1950.

For a list of all winners in this year's Pig Pickin' cooking competitions, click here.

UPDATE:  Williamsburgh Museum Director Wendell Voiselle has passed along a couple of ads for carnivals and circuses he found in old local newspapers after reading last week's post.

Of Carnivals and Circuses

Festivals, like Pig Pickin', were not common in the early 1900s in Kingstree. But that's not to say Kingstree residents lacked for entertainment in those days. Numerous carnivals, shows, and circuses came to town, usually in the spring or fall, some staying for as long as a week at a time, to provide amusement for local residents.

One wonders what our ancestors would think of cameras in mobile telephones.

In September 1897, it was the Harris Nickle-Plate Show, highlighted by a big circus parade at noon on September 12. There were shows later in the day attended by huge crowds; however, The County Record complained bitterly about the games of chance that were part of the show and the gambling that ensued.

Such shows became more prevalent from 1907 onward. In December, 1907, the Big 10-Cent Society Vaudeville Show spent a week in Kingstree. Each evening started at 7 p.m. with a band concert, with the main show beginning at 8 p.m. Another such show was Howe's Great London Shows, which boasted a troupe of performing lions; Duchess, purported to be the world's largest elephant; and Jake, a five-foot, 10-inch gorilla.

In October, 1908, King & Tucker's Big City Railroad Show arrived with their own train of railroad cars. On October 20, they presented two shows in a big tent pitched on the Epps lot on Academy Street, complete with a trio of funny clowns and excellent trapeze artists.

While carnivals no longer arrive in Kingstree on trains, 

passenger trains still stop daily at the Kingstree Depot.

Many events touted brass band performances, but the high school had no marching band then.

The last week of December, 1908, found the Kingstree Fire Department sponsoring Smith's Greater Shows, believed to be the first real carnival ever to come to Kingstree. When the show arrived, it was much bigger than anyone had anticipated. They carried their own electric light supply, and for the first time downtown Kingstree was lit up at night. In addition to other attractions, the show had an old-fashioned merry-go-round, as well as an "ocean-wave" carousel. The Japanese Bowling Alley was also said to be very popular with Kingstree residents.

Imagine what Kingstree's "Fire Laddies" of the early 1900s would think of this.

There were also disappointments for Kingstree's townspeople through the years as several amusement companies advertised that they were bringing their carnivals to Kingstree, but then either decided to go to a larger community, or just simply never appeared on the advertised date.

One of the most remembered events was John Robinson's Four-Ring Circus, which spent a day in Kingstree in October, 1910. Seven thousand spectators thronged the streets of town to view the 10 a.m. parade, while 4,500 tickets were sold for the 2 p.m. performance. Billed as America's oldest and richest circus, it had been coming to Kingstree for 50 years. The County Record's reporter was most impressed by "Strongman" Warren L. Travis, who lifted 14 men standing on a platform.

Whether 1910, or 2018, a parade draws spectators to the streets of Kingstree.

However, not all the traveling shows got great reviews. The St. Louis Amusement Company Carnival arrived in April 1911. The County Record was distinctly unimpressed, complaining that the carnival left the streets of Kingstree far dirtier than they'd been before it arrived, adding that it was likely the carnival had cheated the fire department as the "fire laddies" received only $90, which was supposed to represent 10-percent of the proceeds. The paper believed that the shows had netted at least $2,500.

In October of that year, a five-year-old Kingstree boy were seriously injured while walking with his brother and sister to the area where Sanger's Combined Shows had pitched its tents. The boy was knocked down by a runaway horse, suffering cuts and bruises to his head. Despite this mishap, the circus drew very large crowds to both its afternoon and evening performances.

Thankfully, today's horses trot sedately down the parade route.

In 1912, John Sparks' Circus pitched its tents in Scott's Field, and a year later in 1913, C.F. Harradan's Vaudeville Show provided a week's worth of shows from a tent on South Academy Street.

On at least one occasion the carnival's band played for a local dance. In December, 1913, the band traveling with Smith's Greater Shows, once again visiting Kingstree, played for the first dance of the season held on a Friday night at the Thomas Opera House.

When W.I. Nexsen began construction in 1913 of the three-story building which now stands on the northwest corner of Main and Academy streets, The County Record noted, "This lot for several years has been an exhibition ground for sundry and varied amusements and gaming operators, and only a few days ago, it was occupied by a large Coney Island merry-go-round.

The three-story Nexsen Building still stands on the corner of Main and Academy.

A more recent story involving a carnival has nothing to do with its performance in Kingstree. During the winter of 1956-57, the Ross Manning Show used the New Warehouse on Longstreet Street (where KFC, Canton, and Thomlinson & McWhite are today), just a block off Main Street, as its winter headquarters. On March 21, 1957, The Greenville News ran a front-page story, noting that carnival attendants were assuring Kingstree residents that the citizens had nothing to fear from the two boa constrictors that had escaped their cage the day before and were still missing. Attendants, who were preparing the equipment to take it on the road the next week, noticed the six-foot and nine-foot boa constrictors were missing from their cage but were certain that the snakes had not gone far.

Sure enough, the nine-foot snake was found later that day coiled around the axle of the "snake trailer" parked inside the warehouse. But according to a story in The State on March 26, the six-foot boa led its keepers on a six-day game of hide-and-seek. It was found on Saturday morning when the merry-go-round truck which had been moved out in front of the warehouse Friday night would not start. When a carnival employee took a look at the truck's engine, he found the missing boa constrictor wrapped around the engine. It took Wayne Barlow, the snakes' owner, and a helper 30 minutes to unwind the snake from its hiding place as it was stiff with cold. Once freed, the snake was placed in a tub of warm water to thaw him out. The carnival left the next week on schedule with both boas safely confined to their cage.

All photos taken in downtown Kingstree during the 2018 Pig Pickin' Festival

Reader Comment on Last Week's Post:  In case any of you missed Louis Jacobs' comment on Facebook about last week's drugstore post, here it is: "Thanks so much for the information. Uncle Monty (Dr. C.D. Jacobs' twin brother), would sit outside the drugstore and pretend to be Dr. Jacobs. He would give diagnoses and infuriate Dr. Jacobs! Uncle Monty thought it was hilarious! 

Drugstores were Kingstree's Meeting Places

Last week's post noted that during the flood of 1916, only the drugstores in Kingstree opened for business. The town's drugstores were very much the community's meeting places, providing far more than medication to the townspeople.

Dr. W.V. "Jack" Brockington's drugstore, built 1905.

Photo courtesy Williamsburgh Historical Museum

Brockington's Drugstore on the southwest corner of Main and Academy streets began operating in the early 1870s. Dr. James Screven Brockington ran the drugstore in conjunction with his medical practice. His son, Dr. W.V. Brockington, known to Kingstree residents as "Dr. Jack," and to his college classmates as "Old Brock," continued the tradition, renovating the old store in 1896 and building a new brick store in 1905 on the same lot as the old wooden one. While the new building was under construction, he moved his business across the street into an empty building which once housed Kinder & Hirsch, a men's clothing store. John Grant of Marion laid the fancy brickwork for the new building.

In a 1907 article by James Henry Rice in The State newspaper, he described the interior of Brockington's Drugstore, noting that "a pretty cashier sits on a raised desk in the centre, looking after the delivery just as they do in large city stores." He noted that on Sundays when there was no mail train, The State was delivered to Brockington's where "Old Brock" distributed it.

Brockington Building, October 2018

The drugstore also provided other services to the townspeople. At least once a year, an eye specialist would spend from three days to a week at the drugstore, giving vision examinations and fitting glasses as needed. In 1909, Southern Bell installed a long-distance pay phone in the drugstore, allowing residents to go to the store to make long-distance phone calls. Dr. W. Leland Taylor's dentist office was on the second floor of the drugstore, and later Dr. E.O. Taylor used the second floor for his practice.

At one time, the drugstore advertised that it sold postcards of Kingstree, featuring 16 different scenes, with the slogan: Kingstree: Gateway to Opportunity. 

The carriage block Dr. J.S. Brockington used still sits in front of the old Brockington Drugstore.

In 1897, Dr. D.C. Scott opened a drugstore on the east side of Academy Street. He, too, offered many more services than just the compounding of medicines to treat his patients' ailments. In 1901, Kingstree's first bank, The Bank of Kingstree, opened for business in temporary quarters at Dr. Scott's drugstore until its building on Main Street was completed. 

Scott's was the place you went to buy tickets for Lyceum productions held at the school auditorium and later for tickets to events at the Thomas Opera House. Dr. Scott had copies of the Rev. H.F. Oliver's book, Along the Wee Nee's Banks: A Tale of Black River, for sale in his store.

Hi-Art Company, a photography studio, set up by a Wilmington, NC, photographer, opened on the second floor of Scott's drugstore in 1902. In 1903, the struggling Kingstree Telephone Exchange moved from the post office to the second floor of Scott's Drugstore. 

In August 1904, Scott's experienced break-ins on August 25, 27, and 28. The burglars entered through two different windows and stole $2 for the cash drawer, a Smith & Wesson pistol, and several small bottles of cologne. The entire town was puzzled by why the store was burglarized three times in four days.

In March, 1914, Dr. Scott moved to the Gourdin building on Main Street where he conducted business until a new brick building could be constructed on his lot on Academy. The new building had modern fixtures, a soda fountain, and offices for both Dr. Scott and Dr. T.S. Hemingway, who had recently joined him in his practice. In September, 1915, Dr. Scott sold his drugstore to Dr. Hemingway.

In 1902, Dr. W.G. Gamble broke ground on Main Street for a new, two-story drugstore next door to the Bank of Kingstree. An earlier store he had owned on Main Street burned in the 1895 fire that gutted most of the block across the street from the courthouse. J.W. Howle operated a restaurant, targeting those attending court, from the back of Dr. Gamble's earlier drugstore.

The Gamble Building, October 2018

When the new drugstore was completed, it was declared to be one of the "most handsome" buildings in Kingstree. Dr. Gamble was very proud of the fact that the new store was built solely by local artisans, with even the bricks having been made in Kingstree.

Architectural detail from the building that housed Gamble & Jacobs' drugstore.

In 1911, Dr. C.D. Jacobs went into partnership with Dr. Gamble. That same year, Dr. A.M. Snider opened his dentist office on the second floor of Drs. Gamble & Jacobs' drugstore, after his home and office on Railroad Avenue burned.

Another early drugstore in Kingstree was that of Dr. W.L. Wallace, located on a lot that is now encompassed by the Alex Chatman County Complex. Dr. Wallace practiced medicine in Kingstree and Williamsburg County for almost 50 years before his retirement. His drugstore, however, burned, along with all other buildings on the south side of Main Street from the Courthouse to Jail (Jackson) Street on December 31, 1906. By August 1907, Dr. Wallace had built a new brick, two-story building on the spot of the old store. Dr. E.T. Kelley practiced with Dr. Wallace when Dr. Kelley first moved to Kingstree from Timmonsville.

This portion of the Alex Chatman County Complex would have been

Dr. W.L. Wallace's drugstore in the early 1900s. Dr. E.T. Kelley merged

this drugstore with the Kingstree Drug Company in 1911.

In 1909, Dr. M.L. Allen opened a drug store next door to the post office on the west side of Academy Street. On March 24, he celebrated his newly installed soda fountain by offering free drinks to anyone who came to take a look at it. In May, he added a "Gillette" light which, according to The County Record, turned night to day at his drugstore. By December, he had installed oak-finished showcase counters in the store. The Civic League set up its Ladies' Exchange on Saturdays in a corner of Allen's Drugstore. There members of the league could bring handwork, baked goods and other items to sell, if they donated $1 a year to the League. In 1911, Elliot Rodgers opened an ice house in the back of Allen's Drugstore. Dr. Allen became pharmacist for Dr. T.S. Hemingway when Dr. Hemingway bought Dr. Scott's drugstore in 1915.

Photo of the Hirsch Building from The County Record, February 1911.

The Hirsch Building, October 2018

C.J. Epps, W.A. Smith, and Dr. E.T. Kelley formed the Kingstree Drug Company in 1911. This company would occupy most of the ground floor of the newly-constructed Hirsch Building on the east side of Academy Street. Dr. H.C. Hanahan of Columbia, was hired to manage the store. When Dr. Hanahan moved back to Columbia, Dr. E.P. Walsh of Conway replaced him. Dr. R.C. McCabe's dental office was located in one of the eight offices on the second floor, as was Edwin Hirsch's Law Office. Later in 1911, citizens could view plans for the town's proposed water and sewer system at the Kingstree Drug Company.

The doctors who ran the various drugstores assisted each other in treating citizens who were gravely ill, wounded, or had hurt themselves accidentally. One notable account of such shared consultations sent the town into a tizzy when all the town's doctors gathered at Dr. Scott's drugstore on a Saturday afternoon in 1898 to examine a young man from the Benson (Cedar Swamp) community who was thought to have small pox. The doctors consulted and all agreed that he was not afflicted with the dread disease, putting to rest the town's fears.

Cyclones and Floods, Part II

As I write, several towns in northeastern South Carolina have been underwater for days, while others closer to the coast anxiously wait to see how high the water will rise in their communities. Three years ago, we were blissfully unaware that within a few days Kingstree would be inundated with water from Black River after 20-plus inches of rain.

Virginia Street, October 2015

This was, however, not our first flood. On July 13-14, 1916, a Category 2 hurricane made landfall at Bulls Bay, SC, and moved very slowly northwestward, producing extremely heavy rain. According to The State newspaper account published July 15, the wind began blowing in Kingstree at 2 a.m. on Friday, July 14, lasting until 2 p.m. that day. The wind was followed by a torrential downpour that kept up until 9 a.m. Saturday. From 8 p.m. Thursday night until 7 a.m. Sunday morning, 16.77 inches of rain were recorded.

The article added, "Black River on the west of town is higher than ever known to be before and is still rising." The causeway between the bridges on the Kingstree-Manning road was already underwater.

East Main Street, July 1916

Photo Courtesy Williamsburgh Historical Museum

East Main Street, Kingstree, October 2015

"The drainage canal almost in the centre of the town was swollen far beyond its banks at 7 o'clock this morning," the article continued, "and in appearance was a greater body of water than the river and doing more damage." The concrete span that bridged the canal on East Main Street was swept away by the rising water. A number of stores on Main Street near the canal were flooded, including the grocery store of T.J. Scott and M.H. Jacobs; Rodgers & Godwin's furniture store; W.N. Jacobs, grocer; Williamsburg Hardware Co.; Nelson's Warehouse; Farmer's Supply Co.; Williamsburg Livestock Co.; and Vause & Sons shops. J.T. Nelson's new brick building was severely undermined by the water, while a quarter mile south of the depot, the main railroad track was undermined and the roadbed swept away.

T.J. Scott was sleeping in his grocery store at the time flood waters entered his building. When he was aroused, he jumped up and into water up to his knees. The owners of Williamsburg Livestock had to evacuate horses and mules from their property as the waters continued to rise. The water rose so rapidly in the stores surrounding the canal that nothing could be saved. In a very short time, Nelson's Warehouse had two-feet of water inside it.

The railroad south of the Main Street in October 2015.

Residents of one largely African-American neighborhood fled at 2 a.m. as water began to infiltrate their homes during the night. The County Record of July 20, 1916, noted that the wind had uprooted trees, or torn them to pieces limb by limb. Downtown, there were broken plate glass windows, shredded awnings and signs destroyed. Every street in town was thickly strewn with debris. That Friday, only the drugstores were open in downtown Kingstree. Telephone and light lines were down in many places, and the town was in darkness Friday night.

As the water rushed to the swamp, carrying with it every moveable object in its path, a great quantity of lumber and debris formed a sort of dam which helped to wash out the railroad track. In some places, the water carried away so much of the roadbed that the track was suspended in water.

Looking north from the overpass on Nelson Blvd, October 2015.

Kingstree gradually recovered, but then on September 1, 1928, a Category 4 storm which first hit West Palm Beach, FL, made a second landfall as a Category 1 storm near Beaufort, SC, bringing very heavy rainfall. Black River was already full due to a rainy summer, and with the heavy rains from the storm, it rose six-feet in two days, bringing fears that much of the town would flood. 

The railroad trestle was undermined and washed away. In an attempt to save the concrete surface on the Charleston Highway, the State Highway Department hauled in sandbags and granite, but water was rushing over the causeway just below the main bridge. Both the Wee Nee Beach Pavilion and the buildings at Boswell's Beach were inundated. Telephone service to Kingstree was knocked out by the storm but was re-established quickly, as was the telegraph connection to Columbia, Charleston, and Florence. The stores and warehouses on East Main Street once again experienced severe flooding.

Railroad Avenue, October 2015

Residents of Greeleyville and Salters were completely cut off, and with supplies running low, they resorted to rationing.

Two State Highway Department officials, E.Z. Martin and my grandfather, John Brown, attempted to go by boat to examine the condition of the Lower Bridge. Their boat struck a submerged limb in the deep water and overturned, dumping them into the swift current. They managed to reach the relative safety of a tree top where they were marooned until Ardell Gamble rescued them.

Schools in Kingstree were closed, although most businesses that were not flooded were open. However, they were unable to take deliveries and soon began running out of goods. People were traversing the waist-deep water on East Main Street in boats. 

Longstreet St. October 2015. Note the high water mark on the building.

Long Street (as it was known in the 1920s. I'm not sure when it became one word.) was impassable. A contemporary newspaper account noted that "traffic from Florence can only pass through Kingstree by turning off the Main Highway before entering town and going through Logan's Thicket and into town by the high school."

The State of Thursday, September 20, noted, "On Academy Street, the lowest residential block in town between the Presbyterian Church and Gilland Avenue, is a lake and in some places a rushing stream. ... Lawns are under water, with the tops of shrubbery waving about the surface. A chorus of frogs adds a touch of liveliness to the dismal picture."

Woodland Drive, October 2015

Black River crested at 18 feet, three inches, higher than the week before when it had already broken records. The Highway Department dynamited parts of the causeway near the Lower Bridge to give the river more room. In Kingstree, the hotel and boarding houses were filled with stranded traveling salesmen, who were itching to be on their way. Grocery stores in town began rationing items as they were unable to replenish supplies. A week after the river crested, the Court of General Sessions convened and immediately adjourned as only six jurors were present at roll call.

In September, 1945, the river again flooded as a result of a hurricane. It crested at 16.07 feet on September 20. While flooding was serious, most of the news coverage in the area was concentrated on the Gourdin community, where one person lost his life and 100 buildings were destroyed by the wind from the storm, according to Williamsburg County Sheriff Pearless Lambert. 

In June, 1973, the river crested at 19.77 feet, breaking all previous records. Twenty-five families were forced from their homes as the river rose. The heavy rains damaged approximately a quarter of the tobacco crop. The water receded, and residents began once again to pick up the pieces. 

From the Lamar Johnson Bridge, October 2015.

However, the worst flooding on Black River occurred in October, 2015, when a low pressure stalled over the area,  pulling in moisture from tropical storm Joaquin. The river broke all records, cresting at 22.65 feet on October 7.