SC's First Female Senator was Kingstree High Graduate

As more and more women enter the political arena, it seems fitting to tell the story of South Carolina's first woman senator, who was born in the little Williamsburg County community of Gourdin on April 21, 1890. And although she represented Jasper County in the South Carolina Senate, every Williamsburg County citizen should be proud of Mary Gordon Ellis and her achievements.

Portrait of Mary Gordon Ellis which hangs in the chambers of the S.C. Senate.

One of 10 children of Alexander McKnight Gordon and Mary Lee Gamble Gordon, Mary Henry Gordon was always interested in public service. The Gordons moved to Kingstree when she was a young girl, and the story goes that one day when she was 13, she slipped away from the family home. Her father found her later that afternoon curled up on one of the back benches in the courtroom of the Williamsburg County Courthouse, listening intently to the arguments of the case then on trial.

She was one of seven in the 1909 graduating class of the Kingstree Graded and High School, and after teaching a year in Suttons, decided to further her education at Winthrop College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1913. She then accepted a position as a teaching principal as a small school in Jasper County, and much to the surprise of many in Kingstree, she quietly married Junius Gather Ellis of Jasper County on January 18, 1914, at the home her parents had built on the corner of Main and Gordon streets in Kingstree in 1907.

The A.M. Gordon house on East Main Street has long since been torn down.

Williamsburg County Pictorial History

Mary Ellis continued to teach after her marriage and even after her three children–two daughters and a son–were born. This was not usual in the era in which she lived, but she had the backing of her husband, and she felt that the children of Jasper County needed someone with her drive to provide better education for them. And so, she ran for Superintendent of Education in Jasper County in 1924. After her election, it didn't take her long to begin to implement improvements to the school system. She closed many of the one-room school houses, consolidating them into larger schools. She insisted that teachers continue their own education so that they could keep up with new trends in teaching, much to the dismay of many of the teachers who felt they had adequately equipped children for life without extra courses themselves, thank you very much. She encouraged building a teacherage in the county so that the teachers she recruited from other areas would have a place to live. She also risked the ire of taxpayers when she insisted that students who lived at a distance from schools be bussed to school.

But that was just the beginning. It quickly became apparent that Mary Gordon Ellis believed that everyone should have access to a good education, no matter the color of their skin. When Rosenwald grant money became available to build schools for African-American children, she worked tirelessly to raise matching funds so that Jasper County could become a part of the project. She hired Mary Alice Miller, a college-educated African American to oversee the black schools in Jasper County, and insisted that those who dealt with her call her "Mrs. Miller," a thing unheard of at the time. She also insisted that African-American schools have new textbooks and not depend on the the hand-me-downs from white schools that were often tattered and missing pages. And she made it clear that black children had just as much right to be bussed to school as white children.

Bussing any children to school, but especially bussing African American students, angered many white tax-payers. At their insistence Superintendent of Education was changed from an elective to an appointed position. When Mary Gordon Ellis did not resign the position, she was fired by State Representative H. Klugh Purdy. Mary Ellis was a fighter, and she decided this was unacceptable. Within minutes of Purdy filing to run for State Senate in 1928, Mary Gordon Ellis filed to run for the same seat. Jasper County residents were aghast. No woman had ever attempted such a thing before. 

The campaign was a hard-fought contest. But, despite being female and entering uncharted territory, Mary Gordon Ellis found herself in a run-off with Purdy after the Democratic Primary. She won the run-off by 150 votes, with approximately 800 total votes cast in the race. Arriving in Columbia to begin serving as Jasper County's senator, she confronted a number of roadblocks, many about petty issues, such as whether or not she could wear a hat in the Senate chambers or what her colleagues in the Senate would call her. For her part, she was more interested in working on issues that directly affected Jasper County residents and on education. Her fellow senators eventually settled on calling her "Mary G." and quickly discovered, to the chagrin of many, that "Mary G. can't be bought."

Sen. Mary Gordon Ellis' tombstone in the Williamsburg Cemetery.

Her grit and determination at navigating uncharted territory make for an inspiring story, but it is even more inspiring when you learn that during the time she served as Superintendent of Education for Jasper County, she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. A lesser woman would have resigned and used her strength to fight the disease, but Mary Ellis continued to serve as Superintendent and as bookkeeper for the family's turpentine business while she endured long train rides to Florence for radiation treatments. She would often take a ledger and an adding machine with her on the train.

Therefore, all the while she was running for State Senate and while she served as State Senator, she was battling a life-threatening disease. By 1932, her health was deteriorating. Although she filed for re-election, she soon discovered that she would not be able to campaign. She lost the election to Purdy, and shortly afterward, she came home to Kingstree to spend the last 15 months of her life bedridden at the home of her two spinster sisters, Martha and Emma.

Her 13-year-old son, Jake, accompanied her to Kingstree. Her daughters, Beth and Mickey, in high school in Savannah, stayed with relatives, while her husband continued to run the family farm and turpentine business. They visited as much as they were able during her final months. In an April, 1970, article in The State, Eleanor Foxworth related a story about young Jake. He arrived at the door of a teacher who was tutoring him one afternoon and asked for extra help in studying for an exam he was to take that evening, reportedly saying, "Mama is dying, and she just has to know that I passed."

On September 9, 1934, Mary Gordon Ellis' battle ended. She is buried in the Gordon family plot at the Williamsburg Cemetery in Kingstree. Involved until the end, she cast an absentee ballot for the 1934 election on the day before her death.

Jasper County dragged its feet for many years before recognizing the contributions Sen. Ellis made to her adopted county, most often citing that she was not a native of the county as its excuse. Today, however, the Jasper County administration building in Ridgeland is named the Mary Gordon Ellis Administration Building. Likewise, the South Carolina Senate balked for many years before it finally hung her portrait in the Senate Chambers in March 1995. 

Lee Gordon Brockington, Mary Ellis' great-niece, speaks at the 

Williamsburgh Historical Museum last summer.

Lee Gordon Brockington, Senior Interpreter at Hobcaw Barony in Georgetown County, is a great-niece of Mary Gordon Ellis. "Growing up in a large family, I saw my relatives often, especially on visits to Kingstree where my three great aunts lived and had us for Sunday dinner at least once a month, " she says. "Oh, the stories told around their dining room table. Stories of individuals, events, births, deaths, and economic sacrifices. I am convinced that the reason I am an historian today is because of those stories of Williamsburg County history. My great aunts told us of their sister, Mary, who began teaching and saw the great need for education in rural South Carolina. Mary's recognition of how to make things happen, socially and economically, proved that a person can make a difference by seeing a need and filling that need through work, volunteerism, and a personal dedication to helping others. Through Mary's example to her siblings, her children, her nieces and nephews, the generations affected by her work as an educator, and especially as a humanitarian, she continues to influence many of us in the extended family. We feel drawn, by her example, to recognize needs in the community, to be involved in solving problems, and to strive to help others.  I like to think we are inspired by Mary Gordon Ellis."

Animal Tales

Back in their heyday, the Associated Press and United Press International used to pick up human interest stories and put them out on the wire for newspapers all over the country to use. These "slice-of-life" stories were often amusing, and sometimes made readers wish they knew more about what caused the event or what happened afterward. Kingstree got its fair share of these stories, and I've collected a half dozen from the 1930s, all of them about animals, ranging from the "ghost" of Paisley Swamp, to two puppies owned by Governor Henry McMaster's grandparents, to Uncle Monty Jacobs' famous pet bear, Tommy.

Deer like these are often seen in the Town of Kingstree.

From the December 15, 1932, The Canandaigua (NY) Daily Messenger:

Foxes Get in The Way

Kingstree, SC (AP) – Foxes are so plentiful in coastal South Carolina this season that deer hunters complain they have difficulty in making drives because the foxes get in the way. Nightly the sonorous fox horn cuts through the air, calling hunters to the chase, but hunters usually return disgusted because the dogs find so many foxes to chase that it is hard to keep them on one trail long enough for the hunt to be a success.

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From the May 26, 1935, Lubbock (TX) Avalanche Journal.

Bear and Puppies Pals

Kingstree, SC (UPI) – Affection of a captive bear for two puppies at the home of M.H. Jacobs recently caused the bruin to spurn liberty. Because of its growth, Jacobs took the bear back to the swamp to set it free. Bur next morning, it was back home, playing with the puppies. Jacobs decided to led it stay.

Tommy the Bear liked his Coca Cola.

Photo Courtesy of Jean M. Martin

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From the December 4, 1935, Wilmington (DE) Morning News.

Lawmaker Captures S. Carolina "Ghost"

Kingstree, SC (AP) – G.M. Graham, county legislative representative, has laid the ghost of Paisley Swamp. For years, natives have told stories of a giant snake that inhabited the swamp near here. Its tracks had been seen in the mud. The reptile itself had reportedly been sighted. But it was too big for people to give much credence to. Then Graham, and C.E. McDonald, telegraph office manager, went hunting. Today, Graham placed on exhibit the skin of a fabulous reptile, a rattlesnake which he shot in the swamp. The skin measured 16-feet long and one foot across. It had 48 rattles and one button.

From the April 28, 1936, Florence Morning News.

Paisley Swamp still looks mysterious on a cold January day.

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From the April 28, 1936, Florence Morning News.

Bears Die

Kingstree, SC (AP) – Tommy and Amos, the bears who became civilized, died within two weeks of each other of civilization's ailments. Both were captured in the Santee River swamp two years ago. Tommy was kept here, after a brief stay in the North, and Amos was taken to Elloree. Amos, who belonged to Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Mims of Elloree, died of pneumonia, a disease said often to be fatal to animals in captivity. Tommy developed a diseased jaw and had to be shot by his owner, Monty Jacobs. Both bears had become tame enough to go about unchained at times.

Tommy the Bear with his owner Monty H. Jacobs.

Tommy the Bear with Ike Montgomery.

Both photos above courtesy of Jean M. Martin

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From the June 16, 1936, Florence Morning News.

Fox Terrier Shows G.O.P. Intelligence

Kingstree, SC – "Cuss" and "Sneeze," fox terriers belonging to Dr. and Mrs. John Gregg McMaster, show a remarkable degree of doggish wisdom for their six weeks, but Cuss has quite an edge on his mate. He has learned that in dogdom their are tricks to the trade just as in the world of Man. The two puppies were being fed small chunks of meat one day when it was noticed that Cuss did not tarry when given his share, but scurried around the corner of the house where he apparently devoured his piece in short order and returned for more, just as Sneeze had eaten about half of his. This he did several times getting more than half the meat and much more than his share. (His owners) becoming suspicious, he was followed, and it was found that the tricky little fellow was hiding his beef in a pile out of sight of his mate and had planned a feast all on his own, when the last chunk was gone.

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From the June 6, 1939, The Akron (OH) Beacon Journal.

Cow's Tail Had Strong Grip

Kingstree, SC, (AP) – H.R. Morris, hunting high and low for his missing cow finally discovered Bossy had swished her tail and tied it around a small tree. So secure was the snarl that Morris had to cut down the tree to free the cow.

These cows don't seem in danger of getting their tails wrapped around a tree.

Twenty-two Perish in Fire at Jail

Monday night at eight o'clock I stopped what I was doing for a few minutes to give silent witness to another Monday evening, 152 years ago–an evening in which 22 persons lost their lives in downtown Kingstree.

The jail as it looked in 1910. This was probably the second jail built after the 1867 fire.

From The State, July 31, 1910

The year 1867 was just a week old, and tensions were running high in Kingstree. Barely two years before, the town had braced in anticipation that General William T. Sherman would march through the area. Sherman changed direction, sparing the town, and a few months later, high water and the determination of the townspeople to burn the bridges kept Gen. Edward Potter and his Raiders away, as well. However, a year and a half after the end of the Civil War, residents of Kingstree and Williamsburg County, both black and white, were grappling with the vast changes in their lives.

The Town of Kingstree had been incorporated for just over a week as the State Legislature had approved the incorporation and the Governor had signed it on December 28, 1866. 

Tensions were high, however, because in late 1866, several white citizens had written to Governor James Lawrence Orr, stating that 300 freedmen in the Kingstree area had formed themselves into six military companies in direct opposition to an order from Gen. Dan Sickles that neither whites nor blacks could form military organizations in the state. Gov. Orr contacted the Freedmen's Commissioner for South Carolina, who responded by sending two officers and a squad to investigate.

That investigation found no such organization nor the wish to form any such organization. The freedmen admitted to holding a public meeting to discuss the work situation in the county and to decide whether or not to stay in the area or to move to Florida. They said local white farmers were trying to force them to accept jobs that paid only $6 to $8 per month. They had refused these offers and called the meeting. In their report, the investigators said they believed the white farmers were trying to find a way to keep the freedmen from meeting further to discuss wage issues."

This so angered some of the farmers that a number of them threatened to take the life of the officer in charge of the squad. Governor Orr was sufficiently concerned that he then ordered that a garrison be established in Kingstree to keep the peace. This did not set well with many Kingstree residents.

Around 8 p.m. on January 7, the guard at the Williamsburg County Jail heard a rumbling noise in the upper stories of the four-story building. Descriptions indicate that the jail had a ground level basement, with three floors above it. The guard investigated but found nothing out of the ordinary. However, he was shortly thereafter alerted by an African-American citizen, who said a small amount of smoke was coming from a third-story window. 

The jail had welcomed a new jailer that day. J.S. Beck has assumed the title of jailer, but the former jailer, James P. Barrineau, had not yet surrendered the keys to Beck. When Barrineau was alerted that the jail might be on fire, he arrived with the keys, but reportedly wouldn't unlock the door without the permission of Sheriff S.P. Matthews. Matthews, likewise, wanted the approval of Lt. Ross, the commander of the garrison, before he would approve unlocking the door. 

The Kingstree Star stated that during these discussions, there was no fire showing and only a small amount of smoke, giving the men the idea that the matter was not urgent. However, by the time Lt. Ross arrived at the jail and ordered that it be opened immediately, smoke was pouring from the windows of the upper stories. 

Once the basement door was opened, Sheriff Matthews, Lt. Ross, and M.F. McBride entered the building and began to ascend the stairs to the first floor. Matthews and Ross soon turned back as the smoke was thick and choking. McBride, however, managed to get the first floor door open and release Robert H. Flinn, the only white prisoner in the jail at the time. Flinn was there on debtor's charges and was, according to reports, given the run of the jail. McBride was overcome by smoke twice before he was able to get out of the building, barely escaping alive.

According to The Kingstree Star, the squad members from the garrison worked alongside Kingstree residents in an attempt to release the 22 black prisoners on the third floor. The Star noted that Pvt. William Green climbed a ladder to try to break through the bars of one of the third floor windows. Another news story alleges that an axe was passed through the bars to one of the prisoners, instructing him to try to break through the bars. He reportedly took the axe but was quoted as saying, "It's too late," before he fell backward into the smoky haze.

The Star also noted that Joe and William Blakely, two African-American citizens of Kingstree, tirelessly attempted to find a way to rescue the victims, whose cries and screams were heart-rending.

The exact location of the jail is not given in any of the news articles, although all of them note that it was relatively isolated from other downtown buildings and was completely without access to water, ladders, or any other equipment to help the victims escape. By the time the fire burned itself out, only the shell of the building was left.

The Williamsburg County Law Enforcement Center of today.

There was much speculation about the cause of the fire. Many felt that the prisoners had set the fire, hoping that the confusion would allow them to escape. However, no one could figure out how that could have happened as the prisoners had no access to matches. Another persistent rumor was that one of the prisoners was about to go on trial for murder, and he was the one who set the fire. That was a total fabrication as we shall see. 

A coroner's jury was empaneled after the fire, the inquest lasting four days. The jurors examined the remains of three bodies, the only remains not totally incinerated by the flames. The jury came to the conclusion that the fire started between the ceiling of the second story and the floor of the third story, but they were unable to determine if it was an accident or deliberately set. The report noted that had the jailer been in place with the keys when the alarm was first given, the three women prisoners and perhaps some of the men could have been saved. The jury found dereliction of duty on behalf of the sheriff and the jailer and recommended that both should be censured. 

Edward J. Porter was foreman of the coroner's jury. Jurors were W.M. Kinder, I. Nelson, Wm. F. Ervin, D.M. Duke, J.C. McCants, E.R. Lesesne, Jos. G. Kirkland, J.M Staggers, M.J. Hirsch, M. Schwartz, Jas. M. Nelson and S.E. DeRackin. T.B. Logan was District Judge and also Acting Coroner.

J.W. Clous, the Acting Assistant Adjutant General for the State of South Carolina, however, in a letter to Brevet Major General R.K. Scott, directed Scott on an order from General J.G. Robinson to arrest Matthews, Beck, and Barrineau on charges of murder. The three were arrested while in the discharge of their duties in District Court and were then transported to Charleston and held at Castle Pinckney. Beck and Barrineau were released after 13 days when the District Judge transferred the case to civil authorities. No mention is made of Matthews.

However, in April, 1867,  all three were indicted for murder. The trial began on a Thursday morning in mid-April, lasting until 10 o'clock Friday night. The jury deliberated for an hour before returning not guilty verdicts in all three cases.

While the story was published in newspapers all over the United States, there was no list of victims. However, the Glasgow (Scotland) Herald published the full list of victims' names and the offenses for which they were incarcerated. It's possible that the local Kingstree Star also published the list, but the only references to The Star I've found have been in other papers. The names of all 22 victims are listed below.

Louisa Graham - receiving stolen goods

Minda Tisdale - cow stealing

Nancy Graham - fence burning

Lewis Scott - disturbing the peace, resisting arrest

Harry Scott - resisting arrest

Charles Singletary - cow stealing

Lewis Epps - hog stealing

Sam Witherspoon - mule stealing

Josiah Alston - stealing rice

Wesley Speights - cow stealing

Nias Speights - cow stealing

Cyrus Tisdale - cow stealing

John Tisdale - cow stealing

Charles Tisdale - cow stealing

John Shaw - cotton stealing

Julius Graham - burglary

Nelson Brown - burglary

Ellis Graham - burglary

Jack Speights - receiving stolen goods

Lunnon Brown - cow stealing

John Sessions - receiving stolen goods

Doctor Graham - cow stealing.

The 1914 Building Boom

Kingstree was a noisy place in 1914. Nobody complained, however. They viewed it as the sounds of progress because most of the noise came from hammers and saws as new construction and the renovation of older buildings were taking place in every part of town.

The Kingstree Hardware and the People's Mercantile buildings were recently 
renovated into office space for the Williamsburg County Department of Social Services.

Contractor Charles H. Singleton, originally from Asheville, NC, but now living in Kentucky when he wasn't in Kingstree, won the contract in early 1914 from W.H. Carr to build a new Kingstree Hardware store on Hampton Avenue. At that time, Hampton was not considered a part of the commercial district, but Carr would change that with the three-story building he envisioned for the hardware store. At the same time, Singleton secured a contract from E.C. Burgess for a one-story building to be built beside Kingstree Hardware for People's Mercantile. The builders worked as rapidly as possible on these two buildings as the businesses wanted to be in new quarters before the opening of the tobacco market in July.

On the same side of Hampton Avenue, builders were hard at work on R.H. Kellahan's brick warehouse, which would take the place of the old Gorrell's warehouse. Although Gorrell's had only been in operation for two years, it had fallen victim to a heavy snowstorm in Feburary 1914. The weight of the snow collapsed the roof, bringing the whole building down. When the Kingstree Tobacco Warehouse Company decided not to rebuild, Kellahan bought the property and began construction of a more solid warehouse. Across the street on the corner of Hampton and Mill, renovations to the Central Warehouse were completed early in 1914. Until the tobacco market opened, that warehouse was used as a skating rink and also as a place where a number of community meals and meetings were held. Another warehouse was also under construction in the Nelson Addition (now Ashton Ave).

Stores on the east side of Academy Street, built by Dr. D.C. Scott and R.H. Kellahan.

Over on the east side of Academy Street, Dr. D.C. Scott was building a new drugstore with a modern soda fountain and a place for customers to sit while they enjoyed their sodas. There would also be space for offices for Dr. Scott and Dr. T.S. Hemingway. R.H. Kellahan was building two retail stores on the same side of the block. On South Academy, a two-story building was under construction that would house the Kingstree Telephone Company.

The building into which the Wee Nee Bank moved in 1914.

On Main Street early in 1914, the final touches were going on the new Wee Nee Bank. The bank was moving into the building on the corner of Main and Academy that for years had been home to L. Stackley's dry goods. R.H. Kellahan was renovating the Main Street store most recently occupied by Kennedy's millinery by adding a new facade to contain large display windows. J.M. Brown was remodeling his store on Main Street, putting down new flooring and adding built-in shelves. The first floor of the three-story Gourdin building was undergoing renovation so that it could open as the town's dispensary, now that townspeople had voted in a referendum to allow the state to once again sell liquor in Williamsburg County. Next door to the Gourdin Building, R.H. Kellahan built a wood and corrugated tin building which opened as a fruit stand upon its completion. On the other side of Main Street, R.J. McCabe and L.T. Thompson were renovating the ground floor of the McCabe Building into the Uwana Theatre, where moving pictures would be shown. Across the railroad, the Canal Ginning Company was building a new cotton gin.

The first floor of this building was transformed into the Uwana Theatre in 1914.

Epps and Dennis built a grist mill next to the town hall to grind meal and grits. They also installed a bottling machine in the new building.

In North Kingstree, on what is now Scott Street, The Light & Ice Company built a new engine house near the railroad. Also, in North Kingstree, the fountain was installed in what was to become Kellahan Park, then envisioned as a playground for young children.

The Kellahan Park Fountain, installed in 1914, frozen over in 1917.

Photo from Williamsburg County, A Pictorial History

Residential construction and remodeling were also booming. L.C. Montgomery was building a house on Hampton Avenue, while E.L. Hirsch constructed six cottages on his family property in what was known as North Kingstree.

The Montgomery House on Hampton Avenue.

P.S. Courtney's new home in Nelson Addition was completed in early 1914.  Also in early 1914, W.E. Jenkinson built a home for his family on Railroad Avenue, moving into it in June of that year. Meanwhile, W.E. Nesmith was renovating a house he had bought in North Kingstree from Belle Blakeley.

The W.E. Jenkinson house on Railroad Ave. It burned several years ago.

Photo courtesy of Tom Thompson

E.C. Burgess was constructing a house in North Kingstree, and contractor Charles H. Singleton was building a home for Dr. R.C. McCabe at the head of Academy Street. The County Record noted that from the looks of things, "Doc will have plenty of room for his fine poultry."

The McCabe-O'Bryan-Floyd house is still standing on North Academy St.

Remodeled on Academy Street were the homes of LeRoy and Eva Lee and M.L. and Margaret Allen. The County Record added that the Allen house was one of the landmarks of "primitive Kingstree" as it had been the residence of Mrs. Allen's parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. McBride Scott. This home remains in the Allen family today.

The Allen home on Academy Street.

On Brooks Street, E.C. Epps was remodeling his home, while contractor Charles Singleton apparently decided that he was spending so much time in Kingstree that he might as well settle here and began the work of building a home for himself on the south side of the street. Thomas McCutchen was also building a home for himself on the north side of Brooks Street.

The house Thomas McCutchen built on the north side of Brooks Street in 1914.

On Main Street, Willie Dennis completed a pretty cottage near the river where he planned to live with his elderly parents.

Early in 1914, work was completed on both the new Presbyterian and Baptist churches on Academy Street. Both were dedicated that year with much pomp and circumstance.

Kingstree First Baptist Church as it looked shortly after completion in 1914.

Photo is from A History of the First Baptist Church of Kingstree

In July 1914, The County Record ran a notice of the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28. By August, of course, war had started in Europe, and while news stories and advertisements in the United States tried to downplay any effect it might have on this country, as the conflict spread, agricultural markets here began to pay the price. Williamsburg County farmers produced bumper crops of both cotton and tobacco that year, but prices were greatly depressed, with cotton bringing as little as six cents a pound. War jitters slowed and then put an end to the building boom that had consumed the town for the better part of the year.