How Kingstree Grew

For those of living in Kingstree today, it's hard to imagine a town where the northern boundary of the city limits was in the vicinity of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church on Academy Street. To the north and west lay the Singleton plantation, home of the late Thomas Day Singleton, who served in the US House of Representatives from 1826 until his death in 1833. 

Looking north on Academy Street today is much different than it would have been

during the early days of the town's history.

The area south of Main Street, particularly from the Nelson House on the corner of Main and Academy streets was also slow to develop as it was a part of the large Nelson plantation.

Bessie Britton, who was born in 1894, remembered that when she was a small child around the turn of the Twentieth Century, there were only three houses between the First Baptist Church on the corner of Academy and what is now Brooks Street, but was then likely called Logan Street, and what would become today's US52. These were the home of Thomas and Lou Gilland on the corner of Academy and Kelley. This property was once part of the Singleton plantation and is owned today by the Williamsburg County School District; the old James Brockinton home at the head of Academy Street, which had also been a part of the Singleton plantation; and the old Hirsch house, also known as the John G. Pressley house, one of the oldest houses in Kingstree, located near the intersection with US 52. The Pressley/Hirsch home still stands and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Pressley House as it looks in Spring.

On the other side of Academy Street, Miss Bessie remembered only one house between Williamsburg Presbyterian Church and US52. That was the old W.W. Grayson home, then owned by Alvena Burgess Tomlinson. That house on the southeast corner of Academy and Jackson is still standing, but was bricked long ago and made more modern looking.

Beneath the brick facade of this house stands the wooden structure that was

home to the Graysons and later the Burgesses. Beth Cottingham remembers

visiting her Burgess grandparents here when they lived in the old wooden house.

Of course, there may have been other houses in this area that had been demolished or otherwise removed before Bessie Britton's day.

In 1905, J.W. Coward built the first house on Kelley Street. That area would soon become known as New Town, or after a few years, once the Nelson Addition began to take shape to the south, this area north of town was sometimes called the Northern Addition. In later years, it was simply known as North Kingstree.

By 1907, four residences were under construction in New Town. They belonged to W.M. Vause, J.E. Blizzard, Lula Barr, and W.H. Carr. Mr. Carr, however, sold his home before the end of the year to Belle Blakely so that she could move her family to town from Lane. She would later sell this house and build The Columns on Academy Street. W.V. Strong also began construction of a house in the neighborhood before the end of that year.

The new graded and high school gave a boost to the new neighborhood, as parents who lived outside Kingstree sought to move closer to the school for their children's sake. B.H. Guess of Salters bought a lot in New Town with plans to build a house, and W. Francis Kennedy from Lake City came to town one day, and before he left had worked a trade that included his ending up with a lot in New Town.

Philip H. Stoll built a home on Epps Street (now Live Oak) during this time. In late 1907 he took James Henry Rice of The State newspaper for a ride through the area. Rice commented that "three years ago, this was an old field. Rabbits had built their burrows in the grass."

On October 25, 1907, the first football game ever played in Kingstree took place on a cleared field in New Town. Refereed by W.F. Fairey, the Champions took on the Orioles with the Champions winning 15-0. Members of the Champions included Marion Evans, Sam Montgomery, Cicero Guess, Marion Funk, Alexander Rogers, Virgil Kinder, Grady Weaver, Robert Kirk, Tommie Gilland, LeRoy Funk, and E.B. Hallman. The Orioles roster included James Epps, John Britton, Motte McGill, Theo Rodgers, Ernest Funk, Sam Stackley, Frank Rodgers, Wallace Bethea, James Vause, Arthur Brockinton, and Burrie Brockinton.

In the summer of 1908, the Athletic Association cleared a lot in New Town for a baseball diamond.

Also, in 1908,  Kingstree Real Estate donated a lot in New Town to the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church for its manse. D.D. Peden, a former pastor of the church, who was then living in Houston, TX, had sent the current pastor, E.E. Ervin, a check for $250 toward the building of the manse, and the donation of the lot helped spur more donations for the cause.

By 1911, R.H. Kellahan had donated property in New Town to the Civic League for use as the park, which bears his name today.

Kellahan Park

Bessie Britton noted that in time something of a feud sprang up between boys living in New Town and those who resided in the older part of town. She wrote, "Nobody had automobiles then, and a young sport who dared to go on foot out of his own territory to escort a girl to a dance knew he was safe only until he had returned the girl to her home. Then he knew he had to run for his life, zig-zagging to dodge the barrage of small rocks and brickbats aimed at his legs by enemies in the dark. ...But love has always found a way, and in time a few Old Town boys married New Town girls and vice-versa."

Early in 1909, J.T. Nelson decided to subdivide his large tract of land to the south of town. In late February, he announced, "I expect to open a street through my land from the Lower Bridge Road to S. Academy Street. He anticipated that the tract would be subdivided by March 15, with ultimately 30 to 40 choice lots available. Mr. Nelson's plans appear to have only partially come to fruition, as only Ashton Avenue was developed.

In May 1909, H.O. Britton had begun construction of a house in the "Addition." Nabor D. Lesesne and several others also bought lots there. W.H. McGee of Greeleyville soon began construction of a house there, as did H.A. Miller, owner of the local butcher shop. Miller, in 1915, actually farmed a portion of Nelson's Addition, as The County Record noted that he had a pretty field of tobacco growing there. 

By 1912, there were enough residents in Nelson's Addition that the Kingstree Town Council voted to built a brick and concrete bridge over the canal for their convenience.

In 1915, John and Bessie Britton built a home on Ashton Avenue near that of Mary Van Keuren. The foundation of their home was comprised of heavy timbers, original to Williamsburg Presbyterian Church. When the Presbyterians decided to replace their old wooden church with a brick one, John Britton's father, Henry, had bought the old church and had it torn down, giving the building materials to John to help defray the cost of his new home. Bessie Britton wrote that Nabor Lesense often teased them about "living right" as their home rested on parts of a church. 

A newcomer to Kingstree, attorney M.A. Shuler also bought a lot in Nelson's Addition, and Kingstree Police Chief James H. Epps built his house there.

During this time, Kingstree's black residents lived in several areas of town. Some lived on West Church Street and on Jackson Street. Others lived east of the railroad, and still others lived near the river and on Buzzard's Roost, which later became Longstreet. Another primarily black neighborhood was known as Frog Level. I have not yet been able to identify where that neighborhood was located. During the time when Kingstree was beginning to expand its residential areas, the Rev. Lawrence McFarlin built a number of homes for Kingstree's black residents.

In the early nineteen teens, Lou Gilland began to sell lots from the former Singleton plantation property. On at least two occasions, public auctions were held for these lots, complete with brass bands for entertainment. However, on one of these occasions, the auction was halted after only a couple of sales as the lots were bringing far less than they were considered worth.

In 1914, J.F. Cooper, Hugh McCutchen, and H.E. Montgomery chartered the Fidelity Development Company, with $10,000 worth of stock. The company was liquidated in 1922, but one wonders if Fidelity Lane in Kingstree is not a lasting reminder of this attempt at further development of the town.

One Hundred Years Ago Today

A hundred years ago, the people of Kingstree were turning their attention toward paving the streets. While the town was among the first of its size in South Carolina to have paved sidewalks, in 1921 it still struggled with dirt streets. Unlike today when the South Carolina Department of Transportation owns both the streets and sidewalks in Kingstree and is responsible for their maintenance, back then each town had to maintain its streets and sidewalks from local funding, which then as now, didn't often provide the kind of money needed for large projects like paving every street in town.

A dirt Hampton Avenue with vegetation growing in the street.

But unpaved streets were a problem. In summer, weeds grew up in the middle of the roads and were the reason for many pointed editorial comments from the newspaper. Dust, too, often enveloped the town during hot, dry summers. When the rains came, they brought their own problems. Boards had to be placed across the streets to allow pedestrians to cross without bogging down to their ankles in mud.

Bessie Britton told several stories about Kingstree's streets after they had been "paved with clay." In one of her famous postscripts, she wrote, "To J.L. 'Johnnie' Scott: Certainly I remember when you plowed and scraped Academy and Main streets with the county's road machinery. That was after the streets were 'paved' with red clay which turned to mush when it rained. Do you remember the white Buicks belonging to Dessie Gilland and Dr. C.D. Jacobs, and how they looked after churning through the red mush?

"Wasn't it Dessie's Buick that skidded into the big ditch on Slippery Alley (now the lowest point on Jackson Street)? When he crawled out of the wreck, surprised to find himself still in one piece, he solemnly lifted his hat and told the Buick goodbye forever. 

Dirt streets and automobiles did not mix well, but they were

forced to co-exist in Kingstree for many years.

"Johnnie, I wonder who was driving the street scraper the time Billie Britton, who was a mannish little fellow, darted out of his home and jumped on it for a free ride, then lost his balance and fell. The scraper ran over him. At first, everybody thought he was dead for there wasn't a sound 'til he could spit the red mud out of his mouth. Then his howls could have been heard to the Confederate monument.

"The doctor who had been hastily summoned had to hold him by main force to examine him. Even he feared that the young man had been skinned from heels to head 'til he discovered that Billie had been pressed downward into the soft mush, and the scraper had hit only his highest spot. 'He's not peeled; he's only scraped,' said the doctor. Before turning Billie loose, he anointed him with healing ointment which practically set the lad on fire and also set him to yelping with fresh vigor."

Exactly 100 years ago today, February 17, 1921, County Record owner/editor W. F. Tolley published the following editorial.

"Kingstree citizens are just now greatly interested in the subject of building good, permanent streets. At last they are awake to the realization of the waste of time and money spent year after year in a fruitless effort to maintain decent streets out of the old dirt thoroughfares that have figured as an expensive item against the town's finances for past decades. They have grown tired and apparently disgusted with the old system of paying out large sums of money year after year for street improvement and upkeep, and in the end during the wet seasons, be forced to travel through the mud, frequently axle-deep over bumps and high places that would make a Rocky Mountain goat shake his head. In fact these conditions are little better in dry seasons, for then there is the germ-laden dust that cannot be gotten away from by pedestrians and is at times almost stifling.

"It is highly gratifying to The Record that there is a possibility of getting away from these old, moss-covered conditions and turning our efforts and our money to a system of street building that will not only be a source of pleasure when completed to every citizen, but will also serve as an invaluable legacy to posterity.

"The day of the ox cart has passed, and there is no excuse, or reason that we can deem plausible in this day of improved locomotion for having to spend a store house of time and patience in wobbling over our streets that are worse than the average log-wagon road.

"With the recently passed constitutional amendment, it is now possible for the town of Kingstree to issue bonds on its taxable property for money with which to build streets, sidewalks, and otherwise add to the capacity and efficiency of its public utilities as may be deemed wise and necessary by those in authority. Thousands of dollars are being spent each year on our dirt streets without any permanent improvement, consequently these annual expenditures have been little less than an absolute waste. Now, once our streets are properly graded, paved and drained, this waste will cease. But in the meantime, we must borrow money to do the work, then the sums we have been accustomed to pay out each year after year will go into a sinking fund for the purpose of paying off interest and principal on the amount borrowed. Think of what nice, paved streets will mean to each and every one of us individually; what it will mean to Kingstree as a town in the estimation of visitors and the thousands of people who will pass through our little town as a result of the construction of the Santee bridge, which is now an assured fact, and when an opportunity is presented, as we believe it soon will be, to vote on the question of a bond issue to make it a reality, let every man and woman vote "YES!"

There could be no more propitious time than right now to push this project and start actual work on it, revive the dormant pulse and put new life in the community. The bulk of the money paid out as the work progressed would come back to our merchants and business men. There would be employment aplenty for the idle labor of the community.

"Material is probably cheaper now than it will be later on; labor is plentiful and not exorbitant in price as was the case a year ago.

"In short, let's all say with perfect accord: "Bond the town and pave the streets."

But streets weren't the only issue on citizens' minds in 1921. Electricity had, over the years, presented problems, as well.  In December 1916, The County Record noted that the people of Kingstree deserved electric service during daylight hours as well as at night. "Lake City, we understand, has it. If we can't have all-day current, we should at least have it to breakfast by, without having to resurrect the old, oil lamps. Good daylight doesn't come these mornings until nearly eight o'clock, and on a cloudy day scarcely at at."

By the 1920s, Kingstree residents were tired of having to haul

out the oil lamps on winter mornings when the electric power

was cut off before sunrise.

In another editorial on February 17, 1921, The County Record notes: "It seems that no action has yet been taken by the committee appointed at the recent mass meeting for the purpose of investigating the lighting proposition and the intentions of the Kingstree Electric Light & Ice Co. We have heard of no definite action by the committee. However, the prevailing opinion among citizens seems to be in favor of the town establishing its own plant in connection with the water works, which it has been found necessary to enlarge to meet the requirements of an increasing population. The expense of this item alone will have to be covered by a bond issue, and the suggestion is being advanced that it would be well to get an estimate on the cost of installing an electric plant, paving the streets, enlarging the water works and such other public utilities service as may be thought necessary and essential by those in charge of the municipality and then call for an election on the question of a bond issue for money enough to carry the entire work to completion without a hitch.

"That there is something wrong somewhere, somehow, as to the price of electric current, is the almost unanimous opinion among our citizens. They want this wrong righted; they want electric current at a fair and reasonable price, day and night, and it is hoped that the members of the committee appointed for the purpose, will make a fair and equitable investigation into the matter before reaching a conclusion or submitting its report. 

"It is pointed out by a citizen who has made some investigations along the line, that $500 a month for street lighting by the town of Kingstree would pay interest on $60,000. He is satisfied that the town can install its own plant for a much smaller amount and operate it on a paying basis."

By 1949, Hemingway Was A Bustling Town

The scars of the First World War and the Great Depression faded quickly in Hemingway, according to Dess G. Creel in a 1949 Florence Morning News article. The town's population had grown from approximately 500 in 1939 to around 1,200 ten years later. The post office served more than 8,000 people through four rural routes with 810 boxes and two star routes.

Hemingway Town Hall, Police, and Fire Departments 2021.

When Hemingway was founded, there was only one store in town, that of the W.C. Hemingway Company. By 1949, however, Creel noted, "virtually every business is represented."

Between 1948 and 1949, more than 100 homes were built in Hemingway, and more were under construction when Mrs. Creel wrote her article in July 1949. Three 40,000-square-foot tobacco warehouses had just been completed as Hemingway was set to re-enter the Pee Dee Tobacco Market, from which it had withdrawn in 1926, a result of financial crises in the aftermath of World War I.

In 1949, Hemingway was justly proud of its Johnson Memorial Hospital, built by Dr. Allen H. Johnson in memory of his father, Dr. Liston Bass Johnson.

Johnson Memorial Hospital

Source: johnsonvilleschistory.org

The Hemingway Food Lion now occupies the space where the hospital once stood.

Dr. Liston Bass Johnson

Source: ancestry.com

In 1948, F.M. Shuford had installed a modern telephone service in Hemingway for the Pee Dee Telephone Company. Carolina Power & Light furnished electricity, with Santee Electric Cooperative serving a small portion of the city limits on South Main Street. The city water supply came from an artesian well, which was to be supplemented by a second well being dug in 1949 by the Layne-Atlantic Company of Savannah. GA.

Local organizations in 1949 were the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Vernon L. Bauer, president; The American Legion, J.O. Lewis, post commander; the Civitan Club, J.E. Doster, president; the National Guard, Julian Brown, captain; the Masonic Lodge, Percy B. Lawrimore, worshipful master; the Order of the Eastern Star, Mrs. B.J. Chandler, worthy matron, the Hemingway Garden Club and a number of social clubs and organizations.

The town had two doctors and two lawyers in 1949.

Dess Creel wrote, "The largest veteran's school in the state is located here. Dr. H.N. Merritt is supervisor. The first class of 15 graduated this spring. On the school campus is a lighted athletic field which was made possible by sponsorship of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and financial aid from many business firms and organizations." There was also a cannery located on the school campus which was operated under the supervision of Dr. Merritt and Mrs. W.B. Galloway, who was home economics supervisor.

A modern electric gin was owned and operated by R.L. Cox while Jack Cockfield owned and operated a refrigeration and locker plant/grocery store combination. Dr. T.A. Curtis owned an ice cream factory called Dixie Dairies. E.M. Joye's livestock market held auction sales at 2:30 p.m. every Thursday, which had encouraged the farmers of the area to raise livestock, providing additional income throughout the year. R.H. Southern operated a flour and grits mill, and O.G. Huggins, K.N. Huggins. O.G. Huggins, Jr., and A.T. Huggins & Sons operated lumber mills.

The Seaboard railway furnished a receiving and forwarding station for the 20,000 bushels of cucumbers produced annually in the area for a pickling plant in New York.

Hemingway's municipal park on Main Street.

Several large department stores were located in Hemingway, including Ruffins Department Store, R.C. Ratcliffe, Foresters, H.J. Burch and the Tomlinson Corporation. The hotel and bus station lunchroom were owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Chinnes.

Dess Creel noted that the town was well-supplied by grocery stores. She wrote, "One of the largest grocery stores has the distinction of being managed by a lady who did such a splendid job during the war when male talent was so scarce that the owners will not release her now."

In addition the town had two drug stores, two jewelry stores, three electric supply stores, a Western Auto, two hardware stores, two dry cleaners, three automobile dealers, three barbershops and two beauty salons, as well as shoe stores, feed and seed stores, fertilizer distributors and many service stations.

In 1949, S.J. Haselden, a World War II veteran, was mayor, with A.C. Haselden, J.L. McAlister, D.T. Fenters, Jr., and Bernard Davis on town council. W.E. Cox was chief of police and C.D. Huggins and sons were in charge of the water department.

Dess Creel writes, "The city fire department is one of the best with 21 volunteer members, including one Negro member. The city fire equipment includes a new fire truck and water hydrants on every block." F. Edwin Huggins was fire chief in 1949.

The tombstone of Yetta and Joseph Ellis

 in the Hebrew Benevolent Society Cemetery, Florence

Source: findagrave.com

Mrs. Creel also noted that while many small Southern towns attracted a number of Jewish merchants, Hemingway's only merchant of the Jewish faith was "Joseph Ellis, who with his sister, the late Miss Yetta Ellis, came here from Baltimore early in the history of the town and opened a dry goods store. By his loyalty, interest and enterprise, he ranks with the natives."

Hemingway's Beginnings, Pt. 1

Once again, we're going to ramble a bit outside Kingstree–this time to Hemingway. Information for this and the next post come from two newspaper articles–one by Laura C. Hemingway, published in The News & Courier on August 14, 1939, as part of the paper's "Do You Know Your South Carolina?" feature and the other, an article published in The Florence Morning News ten years later on July 31, 1949, written by Dess G. Creel. In 1949, Mrs. Creel was just beginning an 11-year tenure as Hemingway Town Clerk and Treasurer. Her article was part of celebrating Hemingway's return to the Pee Dee tobacco market.

Laura Hemingway begins her story noting that the origins of Hemingway are a part of the epic of the American railroad. She notes that prior to the railroad's coming through what would become Hemingway, there was only farmland, three houses and a country store. The post office was, as were many in rural America, located in the store. The post office carried the name of Lambert's, or Lambert's Crossroad, according to Dess Creel, for the man who owned much of the land around it.

"In 1908, the name of the post office was changed to Hemingway Station," Laura Hemingway writes. as William Capers Hemingway had purchased Lambert's land. Mr. Hemingway was a direct descendent of William Hemingway of Waccamaw, the surveyor mentioned by General Peter Horry in his journal. Laura Hemingway writes that W.C. Hemingway's sons J. Edward, George Stokes and Dr. William C. Hemingway set out to develop the property. Dess Creel adds that W.C. Hemingway's son-in-law Dr. H.L. Baker and W.C. Rollins were also a part of the development venture.

"Mr. Hemingway owned three other large plantations nearby, one at Outland, one at Rome, and one in the Black Mingo Creek section," Laura Hemingway notes. "On each of these he operated a general store that supplied not only his plantation, but the surrounding countryside as well. When he purchased the Lambert plantation, he acquired with it the fourth store, and these four mercantile establishments were operated under his management, being something of a forerunner of the chain store."

According to Laura Hemingway, the town grew up at the crossroads of the old stagecoach road between Georgetown and Cheraw that crossed Black Mingo Creek, which was then navigable, at the historic old Belin's Church (Black Mingo Baptist), and the old Johnsonville Road.

In 1911, The Atlantic Coast Lumber Corporation built a logging road, named the Marion Branch Road, through Hemingway. This road was later sold to the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

Dess Creel notes that the Hemingway brothers and their partners incorporated under the name Lambert Land and Development Company for the land sales. They engaged Wilson R. Buie and a Mr. Kaminiski of Georgetown to survey the town, subdividing it into lots, giving sites for the Methodist and Baptist churches and for the school.

Hemingway First Baptist Church as it looks today.

The property was surveyed and divided into lots on what is now the west side of Main Street. The lots were sold at auction by Penny Brothers, auctioneers, with residential lots going for around $500.

Laura Hemingway writes, "An amusing incident is related even yet about a certain Negro who was determined to bid in one of the lots. The auctioneer sold the lots from a wagon that was drawn from one lot to the next by a pair of mules. When the Negro realized he was going to be out-bid by a white man, he became wildly excited, and, as the auctioneer's hammer was about to descend, he jumped upon the wagon, seized the hand of a white citizen who was standing beside the auctioneer and bit him on the finger."

She adds that people came from great distances to attend the auction. Capt. W.H. Andrews, for whom the Town of Andrews is named, persuaded the railroad to run a special train to Hemingway that day so that as many prospective buyers as possible could be present at the sale. Afterward, those in attendance were treated to a big barbecue dinner.

All of the lots offered for sale that day were sold. The following year, the land on the east side of Main Street was subdivided and sold as there was such a demand for lots.

Laura Hemingway notes that each of the Hemingway brothers reserved about four acres for his own use, on which each built a house. In 1939, only one brother, George S. Hemingway, was still living. J. Edward Hemingway had died several years before, and Dr. W. C. Hemingway had been the victim of a tragic accident, dying in an explosion in his laboratory.

Dess Creel writes, "In 1914, the town received its charter with a population of 50. Great interest centered in the churches and the school system. Business development was rapid. The completely agricultural surrounding section gave splendid support to a live tobacco market, which unfortunately was discontinued in 1926.

In 1939, when Laura Hemingway was writing, the town's population had grown to approximately 500. But it was still dependent on agriculture. "The town draws its support principally from the rich farming section that extends into Georgetown and Florence counties and includes a large section of Williamsburg County, in which the town is situated," she wrote.

The consolidated school system employed 20 teachers and was overseen by superintendent T.F. McTeer. The Baptist and Methodist churches were still a strong influence in town, with the Rev. J.B. Baker pastoring the Baptist Church, and the Rev. W.R. Way minister for the Methodists.

Hemingway United Methodist Church, January 2021

The town had an active Board of Trade in 1939. Boards of Trade were similar to today's chambers of commerce. E.W. Ingram was the board's secretary. Ingram was also cashier for the town's depository, similar to a bank. W.D. Harmon was president of the depository. In 1938, a modern motion picture theatre was built in Hemingway.

Laura Hemingway writes, "Within the last two years, 15 business houses and 12 residences have been built in Hemingway. Only brick buildings are permitted to be built now for places of business, and the residences all are attractive and modern."

Electric lights had come to Hemingway in 1933, with a water system installed in 1936. In 1939, Hemingway wrote that the town was in the process of installing a modern sewer system. At that time, T.E. Huggins was mayor of Hemingway, and W.T. Hemingway was postmaster.

Laura Hemingway concluded her article by noting that, "five miles from the town lies Snow's Island in the Pee Dee River. This had been made famous in history as the retreat of General Francis Marion and his men. It is a lovely nature spot, and Hemingway citizens drive there often to enjoy the birds and the flowers."

Next time we'll take a look at how much Heminway had grown between 1939 and 1949.