Williamsburg County Remembers Robert Mitchum

Earlier this month, Williamsburg County paid tribute to two internationlly-known men with long-standing ties to the county by unveiling historical markers in their honor. The two men were the late film star Robert Mitchum and the very much alive Ernest Evans, better known to the world as Chubby Checker. In the next two weeks, we'll look at each of them, starting with Robert Mitchum, known for such movies as Thunder Road, Cape Fear, and The Night of the Hunter.

Actor Robert Mitchum

Mitchum's father, James Thomas Mitchum, known as Jimmy, was born near Lane, SC, in 1886. Although he was working at the Navy Yard and the family was living in Charleston in 1917, Robert was born at his mother's home in Bridgeport, CT. Jimmy Mitchum died in an accident at the Navy Yard two years later. His wife and children lived with Jimmy's sister in Williamsburg County for a time before moving back to Connecticut. However, Robert always felt strong ties to Lane and to his relatives here.

James Thomas "Jimmy" Mitchum

In 1991, he was in Charleston filming the pilot for an educational television series, written and directed by his younger brother, John. The Post-Courier sent a reporter to interview him. The article, which appeared in May 1991, noted that during a break in the filming, a "matronly woman" walked up to bench on which Robert Mitchum was sitting and bluntly asked, "Are you Robert Mitchum?" to which he just as bluntly replied, "Yes."

She then went further by asking if he was in Charleston to make a movie.

Mitchum, in his own enigmatic way," replied courteously, "Well, actually, ma'am, I thought I'd drop in to use the bathroom."

The woman nodded and said, "Oh," before walking away, "apparently satisfied with his answer."

Their interaction demonstrated why celebrity columnist Earl Wilson once wrote that Robert Mitchum was hands down the hardest person he had ever tried to interview–and he had been interviewing him for 39 years. Wilson wrote, "Mitchum's conversations are thrilling with unexpected allusions to geography, literature, and fights he's been in–but you come away with sealegs as though you've been in a storm."

Others described the actor as devilishly charming.

Mitchum visited in Lane periodically throughout his life. When he was a teenager, he and two friends from Connecticut once hitchhiked to South Carolina and camped in the woods near his Aunt Idell's home.

The newly unveiled marker honoring Robert Mitchum at Lane.

And when he was filming nearby, he made sure that cousins were able to visit him on set. In the late 1950s, 23 of them went to Asheville, NC, in cars that Robert Mitchum rented for them to visit the set of Thunder Road.

On one of his visits he made a brief appearance in Kingstree where one of his movies was playing

Lane was only two years old when Robert Mitchum's father Jimmy was born there. The town then had a 20-room boarding house, three hotels and heavy railroad traffic, according to a 1991 Post-Courier column, written by historian and attorney Ruth W. Cupp. While Jimmy Mitchum didn't live to see his son's climb to movie stardom, he himself was a talented to musician. And all three of his children worked in the movie industry. His daughter Annette, under the name Julie Mitchum, appeared in several films and later became a nightclub singer who entertained the troops overseas during World War II. His youngest child, son John, born several months after Jimmy's death, was a character actor for a number of years, appearing in many Westerns before he began to write and direct. In addition, Robert inherited his father's musical abilities. To hear him singing the Ballad of Thunder Road, click here.

When Robert and John Mitchum were in Charleston in 1991, they made the pilgrimage to Lane with one of their cousins. John, who apparently had no memories of Williamsburg County, later wrote the cousin to thank her, saying, "To walk the same ground, to see the same trees, to feel my past has helped fill a void that's been with me for 71 years."

Many of Robert Mitchum's cousins still live in Williamsburg County, including Kingstree Mayor Darren Tisdale. Robert's great-grandfather, Abe, is Mayor Tisdale's third-great grandfather.

Mitchum family members at the unveiling of the marker in Lane on December 3.

Photo courtesy Rep. Roger Kirby

The marker which stands in Lane's downtown park, fills a void that has existed for many years in Williamsburg County, where people have known of Robert Mitchum's ties here but those not related to the Mitchum family were fuzzy about the exact details of his connection to the area.

Christmas in the Sixties

A crowd estimated at 8,000 got an unexpected dose of excitement during the 1960 Christmas parade. A fire call necessitated the Kingstree Rural Fire Department's trucks and tanker to pull out of the parade in the middle of town. As the trucks began to weave in and out among the nine bands participating in the parade and numerous floats, many of the spectators thought that it was a planned part of the festivities. However, it was really a tractor fire near Greeleyville.  

Kingstree's Fire Trucks in a more recent parade.

Forty beauty queens participated in the parade and the Miss Merry Christmas pageant. Another highlight of the parade was the local Girl Scout troop riding in two Model Ts and one Model A cars. The Kingstree Jaycees, sponsors of the parade and the beauty pageant, dressed as clowns and circulated through the crowds as part of the parade fun. The parade lasted for over an hour.

On December 8, 1961, a colorful, 100-unit parade, passed by a crowd of an estimated 9,000 spectators. Seven bands from Andrews, East Clarendon, Macedonia, Berk, St. Stephen, Florence, and Kingstree high schools participated in the parade. Fireworks lit up the sky at dusk, preceding the Miss Merry Christmas pageant, which was won by Mary Lavan Collins, Miss Marion.

A gala parade welcomed the season on December 7, 1962. Huge numbers of spectators turned out, with crowd estimates at "not far from 20,000." The 80-unit parade was described by a reporter for the News & Courier as "outstanding, even in this town accustomed to big and lavish Christmas parades." Miss South Carolina Evelyn Ellis rode on one of the 12 floats in the parade. Statewide Jaycee President Jim Smith of Aiken also participated. The parade, which in addition to the floats included eight bands and numerous other entries, covered 10 blocks throughout the downtown area. One entry of special interest to local spectators was the State Champion Kingstree Mites Football Team.

Majorettes marching in the 1958 Kingstree Christmas parade.

Photo Courtesy of Lamar Bodiford

Mary Frances Nexsen, Miss Anderson, was chosen Miss Merry Christmas from 25 contestants. Winning contestants had to make do with plain trophies borrowed from the high school's trophy case until their trophies could be mailed to them. In an embarrassing mix-up, the trophy company had sent a trio of football trophies rather than the Miss Merry Christmas awards.

In 1963, the Christmas festivities became a two-day event with the parade and beauty contest on Friday and the Merry Christmas dance on Saturday night at the armory. The 80-unit, seven-band parade moved through a "canyon of cheering youngsters," according to the News & Courier. The parade included floats from Town of Kingstree, Drexel, Williamsburg State Bank, the Sumter Iris Festival, Santee Electric, Warsaw Manufacturing, Dubin/Silversmam's Department Stores, and the City of Lake City.

Ruth Henderson, Miss Columbia, was crowned Miss Merry Christmas from a field of more than 20 contestants.

Statewide newspaper coverage of local parades tapered off after 1963, and I found no mention of Kingstree parades for the rest of the 1960s. However there is a brief mention in Frank Gilbreth, Jr's "Ashley Cooper" column in the News & Courier in December 1968. He and Bessie Swann Britton enjoyed a longstanding correspondence. He always referred to her as Mrs. BSB of Kingstree in his columns. In this one Mrs. BSB reported, "overheard at the Christmas parade here... Gentle Old Lady: It was nice of the News & Courier to send such a handsome float to be in our parade. Peppery Old Lady: It was no more than they should do. That newspaper's been Kingstree's Bible more than a hundred years."

Christmas in the Fifties

Christmas parades are a relatively modern addition to the Town of Kingstree's celebration of the holidays, with the first parade held in 1949. Prior to that, numbers of Kingstree citizens would drive to Sumter to view its Christmas parade. 

Santa waves to spectators during the 2022 Kingstree Christmas Parade.

In 1949, the Kingstree Chamber of Commerce sponsored the town's first Christmas parade on November 30 at 3 p.m. During that era, almost all businesses in town closed on Wednesday afternoons, making Wednesday afternoons a perfect time to hold a parade. Thirty units participated in what bystanders were quoted as saying was "the biggest crowd seen here since Barnum and Bailey came to town about 1907." The Kingstree Police Department estimated the crowd at between 7,000 and 10,000. Spectators were massed several deep over all the blocks of the parade route. That year, the Chamber also sponsored a Community Carol Sing at the Courthouse on Christmas Eve, which was broadcast on radio station WDKD.

The next year, 1950, holiday festivities kicked off with a huge downtown concert at 7:30 on Monday night, November 27. All county mayors, Sam Joe Haselden of Hemingway; Alton McCollough of Lane; J.H. Brown of Greeleyville; and Rodgers Harrell of Kingstree, were invited to participate, as were all choirs in the county. The Kingstree High School Band, led by Helen Culp, played Christmas carols and the singing was led by the High School Glee Club, directed by Jean Hamilton. The concert took place around the monument in the middle of the intersection at Main and Academy streets. After the concert, the town's Christmas lights were turned on, as well as a lighted double-barred cross, the emblem of the Christmas Seal drive to fight tuberculosis.

The 1950 Christmas parade was held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday,  December 13. The procession started on Highway 52 and proceeded to the intersection of the Andrews Highway and then marched back into town, disbanding at the courthouse. Crowd size was estimated at larger than that for the 1949 parade. Mrs. Henry McFadden as Miss Liberty; J.F. Timmons as a Southern Gentlemen and Cecil Hanna as Uncle Sam, led the parade, dressed in costume, and on horseback. In addition to numerous floats and vehicles, there were five high school bands and 40 riders mounted on horses. 

Nineteen fifty-two's parade on December 3 was the culmination of a five-day "Holly Days" sales promotion, sponsored by downtown merchants. The parade wound through eight blocks, and at its end, which concluded with Santa perched on top of a fire truck, the Christmas lights throughout town were turned on.

Lane Head Start's float in the 2022 Kingstree Christmas Parade.

Newspaper reporter Ann McIntosh recounted a story associated with the 1953 Christmas Parade. The Kingstree Parent Teacher's Association needed a float for the parade. Mary Reid, then executive secretary for the Kingstree Chamber of Commerce, had an idea and sent a telegram to Ross Manning, owner of the Ross Manning Shows, in Miami. Much of the equipment for the Ross Manning Shows spent the winter in the New Warehouse in Kingstree, with two men Gerald Deschaines, known as Frenchie, and Warren Wullen, known as Shorty, as its overseers. Frenchie and Shorty lived in a trailer inside the warehouse, where one of them had to be present at all times from October until March when the show went back on the road. Their days were spent painting, repairing, reupholstering, and polishing brass. 

Mary Reid knew that Frenchie and Shorty had just painted ten merry-go-round horses, and she was asking for permission to use them on the PTA float. Ross Manning's telegram granting that permission didn't reach Kingstree until the night before the parade. Frenchie and Shorty worked most of the night to modify a trailer lent to the PTA by B.O. Browder to accommodate the horses. Other organizations using the warehouse to decorate their floats were well ahead of the PTA, and it seemed unlikely that the float would be ready in time. However, St. Alban's donated a long roll of white paper, and Carolina Power & Light lent them green streamers and white fringe. By 1 p.m. the float was finished, with a rainbow on the front, five pairs of prancing horses to be "ridden" by members of the student council, and a sign underneath the rainbow, showing a pot of gold and the slogan, "Our Children; Our Greatest Wealth."

The parade of 1955 is thought to have drawn the largest crowd, with an estimated 20,000 people turning out from Kingstree and surrounding areas to witness 35 floats; seven bands, including the Parris Island Marine Band, and Santa riding on a giant sleigh pulled by eight white reindeer, led by Rudolph. The parade route that year was down Main Street to Highway 52 and up the highway to the fairgrounds. Traffic was halted on US52 during the parade. Judges viewed the parade from the Carolina Hotel and awarded prizes to the best floats. First place went to Chelsie's Kiddie Shop and Roses 5 & 10. Second place went to International Paper, with East Side Motors taking third place for a float depicting the Williamsburg County Courthouse. 

Miss Andrews Jean Terry in the chilly 1958 Kingstree Christmas Parade.

Photo Courtesy of Lamar Bodiford

The 1956 holiday season began a new tradition in Kingstree with the Jaycees sponsoring the Miss Merry Christmas beauty pageant. The parade was moved to Friday afternoon, with the pageant beginning at 8 p.m. at the armory. A dance, also at the armory, followed the pageant. Karol Kalisky was parade chairman that year. Fran Semeno and his orchestra provided music for the dance. The parade included 30 floats, 20 beauty queens, the Shaw Air Force Base Band, and 60 tiny majorettes under the direction of Newell Clarkson. The parade lined up on the corner of Brooks Street and Hampton Avenue. It proceeded down Hampton to Main Street, turning right through the business district to Longstreet. From Longstreet, the parade turned right on Mill Street, right on Jackson, left on Main Street and then turned left on Academy, disbanding at Kingstree Elementary School. Betty Lane Cherry of Orangeburg, the reigning Miss USA, was the Grand Marshal for the parade.

Carolyn Melton (center) of Cheraw was crowned Miss Merry Christmas 1958.

In rear, left to right, are Kay Huggins, Miss Barnwell, first runner up: Grand

Old Opry star Minnie Pearl, one of the contest's judges, and Nancy Spivey, Miss

Hemingway, second runner up.

Photo: W.M. Gordon

While snow and ice are usually not a part of Christmas parades in Kingstree, 1958 proved to be an exception. A severe winter storm swept through the state just days before the parade, which was scheduled for December 12. Some other towns postponed their parades to a later date, but the Jaycees decided to go ahead with all the festivities. The sun was shining by Friday afternoon, although there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground. They had expected a 90-unit parade, which was somewhat limited by the weather. However, it was noted that the line-up was still impressive, and thousands of spectators braved the 40-degree temperatures to watch. Grand Old Opry star Minnie Pearl was to be Grand Marshal of the parade and a judge for the Miss Merry Christmas pageant. News reports of the day seem to indicate that while she did not get here in time for the parade, as she and her husband had flown into Columbia before driving to Kingstree, she was a judge for the pageant, as well as providing her usual comedic monologue. The Pilot Club presented her with a spray of poinsettias.

Next week we'll look at Christmas in the Sixties.

Winston Churchill's Birthday Greeting

Sixty years ago today, former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill celebrated his 88th birthday. As part of his celebration, he received a congratulatory telegram from his old friend Bernard Baruch, the Lonely Lion of Wall Street, who, after he made his fortune on Wall Street, went on to advise six US Presidents–Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. On Churchill's 88th birthday in 1962, Baruch himself was 92.

The two elder statesmen, Bernard Baruch (l) and Winston Churchill.

Source: Pikist

We don't know what Baruch said in his telegram, but we do have Churchill's response, also sent as a telegram. It was: Dear Bernie. Thank you so much. I look forward with pleasure to our next meeting. Signed, Winston.

Both men would see a couple of more birthdays, and both would die in 1965, Churchill on January 24 and Baruch on July 20. Churchill was then 90 and Baruch 94. How much history they saw and participated in over their long lives!

The local tie here is that Baruch's telegram to Churchill was sent from the Western Union office here in Kingstree, and Churchill's response was received here as Mr. Baruch was spending the winter at his Little Hobcaw Plantation, near Nesmith. Churchill, of course, had visited Baruch at Little Hobcaw. The cottage he stayed in on those visits became known as the Churchill Cotttage.

Marcus Building Has Long History

Recently the Town of Kingstree put a new coat of paint on the Main Street building most residents know as the Marcus Building. The history of the building, however, goes back to the early 1900s.

The Marcus Building as it looks today.

On the night of March 18, 1907, between 8 and 9 p.m., fire broke out in Meyers Bakery, which was located in the rear of Scott & Miller's Market on Main Street. The fire brigade was able to confine the blaze to three wooden buildings on the north side of the street located between P.S. Courtney's store and G. Ollie Epps' store at the corner of Main and Hampton. The three burned buildings included Scott & Miller's market, a restaurant run by Phil Fulton and a cottage occupied by Mollie Epps. The two stores were owned by R.H. Kellahan. The County Record noted that most of the contents of the stores were saved, but that Meyers lost his ovens and baking utensils, valued between $700-$800.

Kellahan soon began the process of rebuilding the stores lost to the fire; however, he was constructing the new buildings from brick. In August 1910, W.E. and R.R. Jenkinson moved their store, Jenkinson Brothers, from the McCabe building on W. Main Street to one of the new Kellahan storefronts, the building we now know as the Marcus building. By March 1911, R.R. Jenkinson had returned to Manning, leaving his brother in Kingstree. The store here eventually became known as W.E. Jenkinson.

By September of 1910, Milhaus & Jennings had opened a grocery store in the other side of the building. By the close of 1910, Milhaus & Jennings had added a fresh meat department, installing a large refrigeration unit. Milhaus retired in 1912, selling his interest in the business to L. Thames. However, the business retained the Milhaus & Jennings name. 

The second floor of the building was divided into rooms, and in October 1910, S.A. Nettles, who had for many years managed the Nettles Hotel in Lane, moved to Kingstree and opened the rooms on the second floor of the building as the Nettles Hotel. The News & Courier noted that Nettles was taking advantage of the hotel's location close to the railroad to cater to traveling salesmen.

Late in December 1910, The County Record announced, "The alleged long distance telephone has moved its local office from the Kellahan to the Nettles Hotel. It's as hard to hear as ever, it may be observed." The following July, the hotel hosted the first annual meeting of the Wee Nee Bank stockholders. In January 1912, Nettles moved over to the Kellahan Hotel to become its manager. He retained the old Nettles Hotel, using it for storage and as an apartment rental.

The building as it looked not long after it opened.

Jenkinson Brothers was the scene of a tragedy on Christmas Eve 1912, when young James Fleming, who had just returned to Kingstree from Florida and was waiting for a ride to his home near Workman was shot to death while standing near the doorway of the store. Due to the din of fireworks and gunshots in celebration of Christmas Eve, it was believed that the bullet which severed Fleming's femoral artery came from across the street at the depot, but no one was ever charged in the incident. (See the full story of the shooting here.)

The M.E. King family was renting several of the old hotel rooms upstairs. A few weeks after Fleming's tragic death, a fire broke out in one of these rooms. This was the first major fire to occur in Kingstree after the installation of the town's municipal water system, and the presence of a ready supply of water enabled the Kingstree Fire Department to limit the fire to the one building. Fifty thousand gallons of water was dumped on the fire. While W.E. Jenkinson and Milhaus & Jennings both suffered smoke and water damage and were forced to move out of the building for a short time, their stores were quickly repaired, and they were back in business by the end of March. The Kings, however, lost all their furniture and household belongings. 

After Mr. Kellahan rebuilt the second floor, S.W. McIntosh re-opened the hotel under the name The McIntosh House. The McIntosh House was the scene of the December 1915 wedding of S.W. McIntosh's niece, Irene, and E.W. Rowland. The McIntoshes, however, moved to North Carolina in January 1916, and the hotel closed.

In April 1915, Milhaus & Jennings had moved its grocery business to the Wilkins Store on Academy Street that had formerly been the home of Butler Dry Goods. It appears that Elias George may have opened a business in the old Milhaus & Jennings store, as R.H. Kellahan's 1917 will, stated "I bequeath to my brother, T.M. Kellahan, those certain brick stores situate on the north side of Main Street, now rented by Jenkinson Bros. Co, and Elias George and formerly by McIntosh.

W.E Jenkinson remained in the building until April 1921 when he moved his store to N. Academy Street.

In the spring of 1922, S.J. Deery announced that he had bought the stock of Kingstree Furniture and was opening Williamsburg Furniture in new quarters on Main Street. The photo below shows Williamsburg Furniture located in the building once occupied by Jenkinson and Milhaus & Jennings. The Deerys had left Kingstree by 1925, and it is unclear if Williamsburg Furniture remained in the store or what business operated there until 1933 when Harry Marcus opened his general merchandise store for business. It is also unclear when the false front was placed on the building; however the balcony and upstairs rooms still remain as part of the building behind the current facade.

Main Street during the 1920s. Williamsburg Furniture is at the far right of the photo.

Source: Williamsburgh Historical Society

The SC Secretary of State chartered Harry Marcus, Inc., in February 1933, with capital stock of $2,000. Marcus was president and treasurer, with Morris Schrieberg as vice president and secretary.

Harry Marcus operated the store until ill health forced him to retire in 1960. His nephew Herman, known as Hymie, and his brother, William, took over the operation of the store until Hymie's death in 1967, when his widow Dorothy "Dottie" Rosen Marcus assumed sole ownership. Their son David became the store's manager in 1976. David and Anita Marcus also ran a travel agency from the ground floor part of the building that was the old entrance to the Nettles Hotel. Anita Marcus also taught dance classes in the building. The store closed in 2010.

On the night of Wednesday, March 20, 1963, fire again struck this block of E. Main Street. The blaze began in the J.C. Duke Grocery to the west of Marcus Department Store. Duke had purchased the grocery business from Hoke Smith in December 1962. That building, however, was owned by Julia B. McGill. After the fire was extinguished, the walls were still standing but the interior was gutted. Three other stores were damaged. C. Tuckers to the west of Duke Grocery sustained by structural and smoke damage as the fires penetrated the fire wall between the buildings, burning into the ceiling and damaging the roof. Marcus Department Store and The Ladies' Shop also suffered smoke damage. Marcus was closed the day after the fire to clean up, but re-opened on Friday.

The Town of Kingstree acquired the property in the summer of 2017 and is actively looking for a buyer willing to bring new life to an important piece of history, whether as a retail establishment or as something new, like a craft brewery and pub. If the false front of the building were removed and the balcony re-imagined with flowering hanging baskets, the building could easily resemble an English pub. And with a name like the Crown & Anchor it could help the town live into its new branding as "Crown of the Black River." A new business in this building would help reawaken Main Street.

Kingstree Drug Company

Several weeks ago, someone posted a photo in a Facebook group of an apothecary bottle which had the name Kingstree Drug Company embossed on it. It seemed fitting for this blog post to look at a little of the history of the Kingstree Drug Company.

This photo of the newly-built Hirsch building in 1911 was

one of the first photographs ever published in The County Record.

The South Carolina Secretary of State chartered it October 1910, with capital of $5,000. The three men who petitioned for the charter were Dr. E.T. Kelley, C.J. Epps, and W.A. Smith. The company had plans to set up its business in the Hirsch Building on Academy Street, which was then under construction.

The building was completed in early February 1911. The County Record called it "one of the prettiest business houses in Kingstree." The contractor responsible for building it was C.E. Harris. The newspaper noted that the building "does credit to the builder's architectural skill, and is a distinct acquisition to the business part of town, both from a utilitarian and an ornamental standpoint." The building measured 33.5 feet by 55 feet and was set up with eight offices upstairs and three on the ground floor. The main part of the ground floor was occupied by the Kingstree Drug Company, with the law firm of Hirsch & Hirsch and the office of the Honorable R.H. Kellahan occupying the other two offices. 

The front of the building was pressed brick, set off by an ornamental transom. The lower floor was constructed of tiles and cement throughout, according to the newspaper, which added, "the law offices are commodious and comfortable, fitted with modern appointments and a first-class library." Total cost for construction was $4,700. In today's money that would amount to $146,526.71. 

All eight offices on the second floor had tenants when the building opened, although The County Record did not specify who those tenants were. From newspaper advertising, we know that dentist, Dr. R. Claude McCabe was one of them, and that Philip H. Arrowsmith's law firm occupied another. R.H. Pittman, a native of Gourdin, opened Williamsburg Realty, in one of the upstairs offices in 1912. He also practiced law, with M.A. Shuler as his associate. Attorney C.E. Saint-Amand also had a law and real estate office in one of the upstairs offices. Following Dr. McCabe's untimely death, in 1917, Dr. F.O. Lentz returned to Kingstree from Atlanta in 1921, and opened his dentist office in Dr. McCabe's old quarters.

Dr. R. Claude McCabe

The first druggist employed by the Kingstree Drug Company was Dr. H.C. Hanahan of Columbia. Dr. Hanahan had 10 years experience in the retail drug business in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Charleston, and Columbia. The Kingstree Drug Company was open from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from 10:30-11:45 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Sundays. Dr. Hanahan, however, was available 24 hours a day to aid those who were ill.

The drugstore quickly became involved in community affairs. When the Town of Kingstree began serious discussions about providing public water and sewer, the plans and specifications were available for public inspection at Kingstree Drug. The company also sponsored prizes for the Williamsburg County Corn Club's contest for young people who gathered the largest yields from corn crops they had grown. In a letter to The County Record announcing Kingstree Drug Company's involvement in the contest, Secretary/Treasurer C.J. Epps noted that as he had been reared on a farm in Williamsburg County, he was interested in encouraging the agricultural pursuits of the county's young men.

In October 1911, Dr. Hanahan left to return to Columbia. He was replaced by Dr. Edward P. Walsh of Conway. In mid-1912, Dr. Walsh was replaced by Dr. C.C. Bean. 

The Drug Company, however, continued its community involvement by sponsoring prizes in the Civic League's Cooking Contest and by contributing prizes to the school's annual field day. By 1913, the drugstore, along with the Nelson House, was also a drop-off spot for locals to leave their laundry. Levin and Nappie Nelson collected the clothing and sent it to Sumter for cleaning.

On November 20, 1913, Dr Bean was able to demonstrate the practical application of the camera the Kingstree Drug Company was advertising for sale when he used one of them to take photographs of the piled up train cars that resulted when a wreck occurred just south of the depot.

In October 1913, Dr, LeRoy Cates bought an interest in the Kingstree Drug Company. He would take over management of the business from Dr. C.C. Bean. Dr. Cates also employed Dr. F.M. Boldridge as a second pharmacist.

An advertisement for Kingstree Drug Company

in the August 20, 1914, County Record.

Dr. F.J. Inman, a Florence eye specialist, began coming to Kingstree every Thursday in 1915. He offered eye exams at the Kingstree Drug Company. 

In September 1915, Dr. Sidney Carter of Darlington joined Dr. Cates as the second pharmacist.

On January 1, 1916, Kingstree Drug moved out of the Hisrsch building. The drugstore set up shop in a store built by R.H. Kellahan, two doors down from their old building. This building had formerly been occupied by a store operated by Harry Riff. Wallace McIntosh and Clarence Alsbrook opened a haberdashery in Kingstree Drug's old space in the Hirsch building.

Dr. Cates undertook renovating the Kellahan building in 1919. He built a new warehouse behind the store and renovated the front of the building as well. He also set up a room to use as on office. In January of 1920, the Kingstree Drug Company held a stockholders meeting to increase capital stock from $5,000 to $10,000. LeRoy Cates and C.W. Boswell were listed as officers of the company. By May 1920, they had installed a "large, new, and very handsome soda fountain."

The Hirsch building today (far right) is the office of Barr Law. 

The building to the far left is the building Kingstree Drug Company

moved to in 1916.

It is possible that sometime between 1920 and 1922, Kingstree Drug moved back to the Hirsch building. In September 1922, it opened a seed division, selling garden and farm seed. The County Record noted that the seed division was in the Hirsch building and was managed by G. Ollie Epps. It also states that it was next door to the Kingstree Drug Company, which if it were in the Hirsch building and Kingstree Drug was still in the building to which it moved 1916, would not have been possible. However, earlier in 1922, J.R. Ritter Seed Store was located in the building between the Hirsch Building and Kingstree Drug, and it is also possible that Kingstree Drug took over that business. 

During the late nineteen teens and early nineteen twenties, Dr. Cates employed a number of pharmacists, including Myron Lloyd, S.L. Gilleland, H.B. Brenecke, and J.H. Hawkins. In the summer of 1922, Gordon Rodgers of Lane, a student a MUSC, worked at Kingstree Drug Company.

In July 1927, as many businesses in Kingstree struggled, creditors of Kingstree Drug Company filed a petition against the company. I could find no other newspaper references to the company after that. However, in May 1928, Dr. Gordon Rodgers, then a registered pharmacist, and Dr. J.W. Davis of Scott Drug Company, opened a drug store of their own in the three-story Nexsen building on the corner of Academy and Main streets. Rodgers Drug Store had a long, productive tenure in that location.

Major Anniversaries Provide Reason to Make Our History Shine

Over the next several years, Kingstree and Williamsburg County will mark several milestone anniversaries in the area's history. Next year, 2023, is the 200th, or bicentennial, anniversary of the building of the Williamsburg County Courthouse. Beginning two years ago, in 2020 with the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre, communities throughout the thirteen original colonies began marking the American Revolution's Sestercentennial anniversary. For Kingstree and Williamsburg County, 2030 and 2031 will be the years in which most of our 250th American Revolution anniversary events will fall, but planning for those events should begin now. Also, in 2032, the Town of Kingstree will celebrate the 300th, or tricentennial, year of its founding.

A scene from the 2012 re-enactment of the Battle of Kingstree in Kellahan Park, 

sponsored by the Williamsburgh Historical Society and the Francis Marion Trail Commission.

A couple of weeks ago, a number of local residents met with Bill Davies of the South Carolina Sestercentennial Commission. He presented information about the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in South Carolina and encouraged citizens of Williamsburg County to form a committee to not only plan for the upcoming anniversary but to also find ways of telling the story of Williamsburg County's participation in the fight for American independence in an ongoing way to promote the area's history. While most people know the stories of Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter and Andrew Pickens, the state 250th anniversary committee is looking for ways to tell the stories of those whose names may not appear prominently in the history books: women, children, persons of color, indigenous peoples, and those who remained loyal to the King–all of whom played important roles in the fight for independence. 

The Williamsburg County Courthouse will celebrate its bicentennial

next year.

We here in Kingstree and Williamsburg County won't be starting from scratch in this endeavor. We already know a number of stories, such as those of Margaret Gregg Gordon and Jane Hawkins. Major John James' son, William Dobein James, was just a teenager when he fought alongside his father and General Marion. Dr. Samuel D. McGill, in his book of reminiscences, tells the story of Carolina, who was an enslaved man during the American Revolution, but who fought alongside his master, Gavin James, and afterward gloried in telling and retelling tales of his wartime adventures. 

Mr. Davies remarked that the promotion of historical tourism is an important piece in the economic development program of any community. As an example, he used Ninety Six, SC's, American Revolutionary War site, the Star Fort. The fort is not on a major highway. Therefore, visitors to the site don't just stop in; they have made a conscious decision to visit it. In 2019, 95,000 people visited the fort. Those numbers are expected to increase as the 250th anniversary draws closer. And those visitors will also likely stop for lunch or gas or take some time to look around the area. Promoting an area's historic ties is good business for any community.

Denley Caughman portraying British Lt. Col. John Watson on the front porch

of Thorntree House, during an Afternoon at Thorntree in 2019. After the Battle

of the Lower Bridge, Watson's troops commandeered Thorntree, then in its original location,

 to recover from their losses, but were seriously harassed by Francis Marion's troops. 

Another aspect of historical tourism that should not be ignored, Davies said, is genealogical ties. He said surveys show that if five people visit an American Revolutionary War site, whether it's a battlefield or a historic house or building of another sort, one of them is interested in the war from a historical perspective, while four of them believe they had an ancestor involved in the events that took place there. 

Here Williamsburg County could really make a big splash. Four companies of militia from this area formed the nucleus of Francis Marion's Brigade. Their descendants are now scattered throughout all 50 of these United States, and with the popularity of genealogy today, it could be a powerful attraction to bring those descendants to visit the area where their forefathers and mothers lived and fought for the nation's freedom. 

A re-enactor at the 2015 Francis Marion Living History Day

at Camp Bob Cooper in Clarendon County.

And, as we think about the Town of Kingstree's 300th anniversary in 2032, having as many genealogy resources as possible available to descendants of the first settlers here could also play a major role in the celebration of the tricentennial. We know that early settler John Witherspoon's great-grandfather was the theologian John Knox and that Knox's second wife, Margaret Stuart, traced her ancestry to Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. We already see a number of Witherspoon ancestors in Kingstree every year, but perhaps we should marshal our resources and promote more genealogical information about this family and others who settled here in the 1730s and then spread across the country.

A close-up of Denley Caughman during An Afternoon at Thorntree.

In 1973, James A. Rogers wrote this about Williamsburg County in his Pee Dee Pen column in The Florence Morning News. "It's a strange thing about Williamsburg in South Carolina. In contrast to the Williamsburg in Virginia, they make so little of their rich and wonderful history." He went on to write, "There is in Williamsburg history substantial data which, when related to other events of the American Revolution, add up to rather convincing evidence that the successful fight for independence from Great Britain turned in the final analysis upon seeming trifles in the revolutionary history of Williamsburg." That is OUR Williamsburg he was writing about!

Forty-nine years later, perhaps the time has come for us to grab hold of that history and make it shine for the rest of the world to see.

Aromatic Tobacco Sales Debuted in Williamsburg County Sixty-Seven Years Ago This Week

Sixty-seven years ago tomorrow, a handful of farmers from throughout the Pee Dee gathered on Marion Few's farm near Nesmith for a momentous occasion–the first sale of Turkish, or aromatic, tobacco grown in this part of South Carolina.

W.W. McCullough of Indiantown standing in his barn specially equipped to handle

the smaller leaves of aromatic tobacco.

The "warehouse" for this sale was an outbuilding on the Few farm. Marion Few's brother, Joe, was president of the Southeastern Aromatic Tobacco Company of Anderson. While there had been a fairly active aromatic market near Saluda and in some other parts of the Piedmont, 1955 was the first time Pee Dee farmers had grown the smaller-leaved tobacco. Seven farmers participated in that first sale They were Marion L. Few, Kingstree: K.N. Huggins, Johnsonville; A.D. Lee, Scranton; Alex Kelley, Olanta; T.S. Ragsdale, Jr., Lake City; and W.W. McCullough, Indiantown. It should be noted that Alex Kelley was 16 years old in 1955.

According to an article written by Ann McIntosh, and published in the July 28, 1955, issue of the News & Courier, some 10,000 to 12,000 pounds were sold that day. It had been pressed into bales of 20 to 35 pounds each which sold for as much as $1.35 1/2 a pound, although the average was around $1 a pound. Tobacco specialists from Clemson Extension were also present at the sale. 

The leaves of Turkish, or aromatic, tobacco are much smaller

than those of the regular flue-cured tobacco best known in this area.

The aromatic market was still around in 1958, warranting a full page of coverage in the News & Courier on August 3. It was described as a "quick crop" that was a good source of extra income for farmers, although finding labor was enough of a problem to keep many farmers out of the aromatic market. It was considered a quick crop because seedlings were planted usually the last week of March or first week of April, with harvesting completed by mid-June. Some local farmers used their regular flue-cured barns for the earlier aromatic tobacco, but others constructed a special barn with swinging doors at each end. At night, they used a flue-curing method to keep warm air circulating through the drying leaves, but during the day the doors were propped open, allowing the crop to air cure.

The first aromatic tobacco in South Carolina was grown in 1941 at the Pee Dee Experiment Station between Florence and Darlington.

By 1958, South Carolina had become the largest domestic producer of aromatic tobacco, with about 150,000 pounds sold each year. Williamsburg County led the eastern part of the state with five growers. Prices in 1958 had fallen some from 1955, but were averaging 89.5 cents per pound, far above flue-cured's top prices. 

An Ordinary July

It seems that when many of us think of "history," we envision the big moments, the turning points, the events that everyone who was alive at the moment will remember for the rest of their lives. But sometimes it's worth looking at the everyday, ordinary events that, in their own way, shape the life of a community. So, today, we are going to look at Kingstree and the ordinary moments of July 1927.

A photo of an older M.H. Jacobs, who announced his run for mayor in July 1927.

There was no community celebration planned for the Fourth of July, although the Kingstree baseball team was scheduled to travel to Lake City to play a morning game. Rain, however, canceled the game. The day was remembered instead as a day of tragedy for the family of 30-year-old Melvin Tisdale. Tisdale, one of Kingstree's Black residents employed at L.D. Rodgers' livery stable, drowned in Black River at Boswell Beach while attending a church picnic. It took officials two hours to recover his body from the river.

Just down the road from Boswell Beach, the new "Lower Bridge" would open shortly after July 4. It was described as a "beautiful iron structure, replacing an unsafe wooden bridge." The paving of the Atlantic Coastal Highway from Kingstree to the Santee River was also in full swing. The first concrete had been poured at Heineman, three miles on the Williamsburg side of the Santee bridge. Motorists going to Charleston from Kingstree would now be detoured over the new Lower Bridge, "via Lanes, coming into the Charleston Highway by way of the Georgetown Highway."

The Town of Kingstree was gearing up for a municipal election. Friends of M.H. Jacobs announced his candidacy for mayor. The Charleston Evening Post noted, "Mr. Jacobs is one of Kingstree's most highly respected citizens and has been identified with this community all his life, having proved himself public spirited in a substantial way." J.W. Davis, a local pharmacist, had also thrown his hat in the ring for the mayor's position. Incumbent Mayor William R. Scott had not yet filed to defend his position.

In those days, residents of small towns amused themselves by entertaining their friends and neighbors. Kingstree was no exception. In July, Serena Lee Reynolds, who now lived in Tampa, FL, was visiting her parents LeRoy and Eva Lee. Mrs. Lee invited a number of her daughter's old friends to an afternoon of bridge at her home on Academy Street. Six tables were arranged in the living room. The rose color scheme "brought out by the draperies...was further emphasized with bowls and wall vases of zinnias and gladioli." Fruit salad and refreshing lemonade were served during the afternoon.

Mrs. J.C. Kelley also entertained, honoring her guests from Hartsville. She decorated with shasta daisies to enhance her yellow and white color scheme. 

Shasta Daisy

Barbara Nexsen hosted the Weekly Bridge Club in early July, with Mrs. W.L. Norwood and Louisa McCutchen hosting on subsequent weeks.

Toward the end of the month, Sarah Rigby hosted an afternoon of bridge at her home. "The living rooms were brightened with a profusion of yellow daisies which gave the keynote of the color scheme. After the games a salad course was served, a mould of the dainty concoction being placed on each table with a yellow daisy surmounting each mould. 

The Girls Circle of the Presbyterian Church met on Wednesday afternoons. In mid-July, Elizabeth "Bet" Montgomery served as teacher for the afternoon Bible lesson. At the conclusion of the meeting, those attending enjoyed cake and iced tea.

The Columbia College Club also met in July, where members heard about the little theatre movement from Jennie Lee Epps, using the Columbia Town Theatre as her example.

Young people also entertained frequently in those days. Margaret Florence Kelley entertained about 50 of the town's young people at the home of her grandmother, Mrs. C.F. Kelley. Mary Frances Montgomery also hosted the younger set at her home during the month.

Flinn Gilland

During the month Flinn Gilland served as chauffeur for Mrs. L.S. Weinberg and Mrs. A.C. Hinds, driving them to Florence for a day trip.

Lena Whittle of Blacksburg, SC, who had taught at the high school in Kingstree for the past two years, married Richard Smart of Manchester, TN. The people of Kingstree offered their sincerest good wishes for her new life in Tennessee.

Charles Hilliard, whom The Charleston Evening Post noted was no stranger to Kingstree was in town that month, directing a play to be performed at the school auditorium. The paper also noted, "Contrary to reports, Mr. Hilliard was not drowned in the Florida storm, but is very much alive and will himself take one or two roles in the entertainment Tuesday evening.

"Mrs. Strauss and her sister, Mrs. Hill, arrived in Kingstree recently from St. Louis, having motored the distance and visiting en route in Washington, Richmond and Wilmington, the entire length of their drive having been about two thousand miles. Mrs. Strauss has come to join her husband, who is manager of the Pearlstine Grocery Company here and will make her home in Kingstree. Mrs. Hill will remain for a visit at her sister's home. Mr. and Mrs. Strauss are occupying the bungalow which was formerly the home of Dr. and Mrs. R.W. Sease."

In late July, Kingstree and its electric power transmission system was tied in to Carolina Power & Light's hydro-electric system in Sumter. According to the News & Courier, this opened up many possibilities for the future of Williamsburg County. It was now possible, the paper said, for this area to receive power from Niagara Falls and from the Boston-Chicago lines. Kingstree's existing diesel station would now be a reserve power source ensuring uninterrupted service for the community.

John S. Brown, Jr., in the early 1930s.

July 1927 was not a random choice for this post. There was another event in Kingstree that July that has special meaning to me. On July 7, a baby boy was born to Pearl Altman and John Samuel Brown. That little boy grew up to become my father, and it was largely through his tales of growing up in Kingstree in the 1930s and '40s that my interest in the everyday, ordinary history of the area was sparked.

Shoo-Fly!

It's summer which means it's fly season. However, the deer flies that have bothered me lately on my morning walks apparently are minor compared to Kingstree's fly problems in years gone by.

Fly on a tulip.

The Kingstree Civic League, in cooperation with the town council, sponsored a Fly Killing Day in 1910. Six years later, in May 1916, the entire month was devoted to promoting "A Flyless Kingstree." The ladies of the civic league promised prizes to the children who killed the most flies. The rules were surprisingly complex. The league would pay 10 cents to each child who turned in 200 dead flies. After the first 200 were turned in, children were instructed to deposit the flies they killed in pint jars. For each pint jar turned in, the civic league would pay an additional 10 cents. However, if a child chose not to participate in killing the first 200, he/she could still earn a dime by turning in a pint of dead flies by the end of the month. 

The child who turned in the most dead flies by the end of May would receive $2. The town was divided into three sectors: Kingstree, New Town, and Nelson's Addition. A member of the civic league was assigned to each sector to receive the dead flies. Children in Kingstree delivered their flies to Margaret Arrowsmith; those in New Town to Ann Swittenberg, and those in Nelson's Addition went to Lillian Clarkson. These ladies received flies on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons only, from 3-4 p.m. Children were not allowed to bring in less than a half a pint of flies. 

Black children living in town were also encouraged to kill and collect flies. They would compete for separate prizes. However, The County Record did not print what those prizes were.

Perhaps not surprisingly, participation had not been quite up to the ladies' expectations. They expressed their disappointment in The County Record, noting, "In an enterprise which is for your good as well as for the good of your neighbor, it should be a pleasure as well as a privilege to contribute thereto."

But, it is possible that years earlier, Williamsburg County may have contributed to the old minstrel show song from the 1860s, "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me." There are many versions of how the song originated, but in November 1882, The St. Louis Post Dispatch re-printed a story which ties Williamsburg County to the origin of the song. Here is that story:

"The other evening a party of gentlemen were seated in the social room of the Meridian Club, discussing the smiles and frowns of fortune. In the party was Henry J. Sargent, the well-known theatrical manager. Finally someone said, 'Sargent, were you ever dead broke in a strange place?'

Sheet music for Shoo Fly.

"'That experience has been mine on several occasions; in fact, they have been too numerous to mention. While you were talking I was reminded of my experience in 1867, at Charleston, SC. On the 1st of July of that year, I found myself walking on the Battery with no money, save a lucky penny bearing the date 1833. I had a railway map, and added to that quite an extended knowledge of the geography of the South, for by that time "Sargent, the Illusionist" had become pretty well known in that section of the Union. After looking over the map, I decided on a tramp to Kingstree, a country town sixty-three miles from Charleston. I at once went to the hotel, packed my traps in such a shape that I could carry them, ate a big supper and went to bed. 

"'At four the next morning, I left the hotel without breakfast, for I did not want a scene with the proprietor, and took up my march on the railway track. Time was too precious to stop for dinner, so I trudged along until nine that night when I reached Funkstown, 37 miles from Charleston. It had poured rain all afternoon, and I had not a dry thread on me. The army of dogs which seemed to inhabit the shanties along the railway, near the station, were all on the alert to give me a reception, and somehow I felt that I reciprocated the feeling that they had me under suspicion. I went on until I came to the station which was occupied by the station-master, his wife, a sick child and a Negro servant. I asked the man if I might sleep in the depot, but he said that he could not allow me to, as the roof leaked. I finally curled up on my bundle outside, beneath the eaves and spent the night battling with mosquitoes. 

"'The next morning I was up early and on the march, though I was as stiff as a broken-down racehorse. As I walked along, I overtook a jolly-looking Negro, who was whistling a merry air, and I asked him if he had not had his breakfast. He said he had not. My resources consisted of a gilded watch-chain, which I used for tricks on the stage. This I offered to the Negro if he would procure a breakfast for me. He said he would, and I waited while he went across the field toward some cabins. In a little while he returned with a watermelon and two roasting ears. I ate the melon, which was only half ripe, and then continued my journey. At noon, I came to a small station containing a variety store, and I went in and asked for the proprietor. To him I handed a pair of tortoiseshell eyeglasses, saying, 'I am hungry, give me as much cheese and crackers as you can for these. I will send for them if I ever get any money.' Without a word, the man made up a bundle of the articles I wanted, and it was a good big one, too, then gave me his address and I moved on. 

"That night I reached a place six miles from Kingstree, but having no money, none of the white inhabitants would take me in. Their refusal was a lucky thing for me, for that night I discovered the tune, 'Shoo-Fly.'

"'An old Negro man seeing my trouble followed me a short distance and said, "Boss, I ain't got much of a house, but you're mighty welcome to go there, " and there I went. They gave me some cornbread and fat meat, with which I mingled the remnants of my cheese and crackers and feasted royally–far better than we have here tonight. After supper a Negro with a banjo came and played and sang "Shoo-Fly." The air impressed me, and before I went to sleep I had learned it. When I resumed my tramp the next morning, I marched to the tune of "Shoo-Fly."'

"'But you did not march into finances and comfort to that tune, did you?" asked one of the party.

"'No, indeed. I marched to the water-tank about a mile from Kingstree and waited until the train from Charleston came by and stopped for water. As it moved away, I climbed on, and when it reached the station, I stepped off, and inquired the way to the hotel. After that I did not go hungry, though I came within a hair's breadth of it. I had arranged for the hall for three nights and had posted the few bills I had with me, and all was going well, when a man who had seen me pawning my eyeglasses for the cheese, said to a merchant that I was not Sargent, but some fraud, for he had seen me on my tramp and told the circumstance. That night I had but $22 in the house, but the next night I had $75, and my troubles on that trip were at an end. When I reached New York in the Fall, I was flush, and I got a young man in Boston to arrange the music for "Shoo-Fly" and he gave it to Delehanty and Hengler."

So, did the song "Shoo-Fly" originate in a little cabin just outside Kingstree? I don't suppose we'll ever know, but it's a good story, nevertheless.

Watergate Committee Chairman Had Deep Williamsburg County Roots

Fifty years ago last week, a break-in occurred at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate in Washington, DC. The scandal it created eventually led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon two years later. But between the break-in and the President's resignation, the Senate Select Committee on Watergate held publicly televised hearings during the summer of 1973 from mid-May until late September. Presiding over those hearings was Senator Samuel James Ervin, Jr. (D-NC). Although he was born in North Carolina, Sam Ervin's roots ran deep in the soil of rural Williamsburg and Clarendon counties, South Carolina.

The Honorable Samuel J. Ervin (D-NC)

Sam Ervin was the son of the Samuel J. Ervin, Sr., a prominent attorney in Morganton, NC. His grandfather was John Witherspoon Ervin, known as Witherspoon, who married Laura Catherine Nelson, the daughter of John Jared Nelson. Witherspoon and Laura Ervin raised their nine children in Clarendon and Sumter counties, where he taught school in the Brewington community, edited the Black River Watchman in Sumter and was headmaster of the Manning Academy. His roots, however, were in Williamsburg County, and Senator Sam Ervin could boast that he was the fourth great-grandson of not only early settlers John and Janet Witherspoon, but also of Major John and Jean James.

Three of Senator Sam Ervin's uncles lived for much of their lives in Williamsburg County.

Lawrence Nelson Ervin, a farmer at Indiantown, was a Confederate veteran who was wounded in battle. Not much other information is readily available about Nelson Ervin. He died on May 7, 1893, and is buried in the graveyard at Indiantown Presbyterian Church. His wife, Gotea Wilson Ervin, died in 1920, and her obituary states that she was one of the best known women of Indiantown. His son Lawrence Nelson "Laurie" Ervin, Jr., may have been the surveyor who was hired by Williamsburg County in 1903 to survey the Williamsburg/Florence county line after a dispute arose between the two counties. Laurie Ervin was admitted to the Florida bar in 1905.

Lawrence Nelson Ervin, Sr., tombstone at Indiantown.

Source: Findagrave, Nancy Lee Huggins

Another of Senator Ervin's uncles, Erasmus Ellerbe Ervin, became a Presbyterian minister, eventually serving churches in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, including a number of years as pastor of Williamsburg Presbyterian Church in Kingstree. E.E. Ervin was a graduate of Davidson College, where he married Lily McPhail, the daughter of Davidson's president. She, however, died very young, and E.E. Ervin later married Mary Guthrie. Mary Guthrie Ervin died shortly after her husband accepted the call to preach at Williamsburg Presbyterian, so that during his tenure here, his daughters, Lily and Belle, became involved in many community activities.

In 1905, E.E. Ervin was called as a supply minister for both Williamsburg and Central Presbyterian churches. He was described as "not a brilliant orator, but a lovable teacher." Two-and-a-half years later he was installed as the regular pastor at Williamsburg Presbyterian. Participating in the installation service were Dr. Wilson J. McKay and Elder D. James Winn, who had been E.E. Ervin's classmates at Davidson. All three claimed ancestors who had been among the founders of Williamsburg Presbyterian in the 1730s. During his tenure in Kingstree, Ervin was deeply involved in the community. He also was instrumental in raising the money to build a new manse. In 1909, he gave a lecture to Kingstree's school children on the local history of Williamsburg County.

In November 1911, Ervin was called to pastor the church in McClellanville, where he remained until his death on May 13, 1918. He, too, is buried at Indiantown Presbyterian Church.

Tombstone for the Rev. E.E. Ervin and his wife, Mary Guthrie Ervin.

Source: Findagrave, Nancy Lee Huggins

The third of Sam Ervin's uncles who lived in Williamsburg County was Donald McQueen "Mack" Ervin. He moved to Kingstree from Clarendon County in 1879 where he worked as a clerk in John M. Nexsen's mercantile business. He then moved to Indiantown where he opened a mercantile business of his own and married Susanna Theodosia Barr. 

In 1907, his health began to falter, and the Ervins moved to Kingstree, building a house on what is now Third Avenue in what was then known as New Town. The Ervins threw themselves into the community, Mack Ervin served on the local school board and was one of the incorporators of the Williamsburg Livestock Company. In 1909, during the auction of 63 of P.B. Thorn's lots east of the railroad, a handful of coins was thrown out into the crowd. According to The County Record, Mack Ervin picked up a $5 gold piece. He was also active in Democratic politics. He and Sue regularly visited family in Indiantown, Darlington and Morganton, NC,  during the years they lived in Kingstree.

The house on Third Avenue built by Mack and Sue Ervin.

This house was known as the Sue Ervin House when I was young.

In 1911, Mack became seriously ill, undergoing an operation in Richmond, VA. He survived, but over the next few years, his health failed. He died on April 7, 1915, and like his brothers is buried at Indiantown. After his death, Sue Barr Ervin rented the house on Third Avenue to H.A. Fennell, a shoe salesman, who had not been able to find suitable housing to move his family to Kingstree. She, however reserved one room in the house for her own use and often sat on the front porch, engaging anyone walking down the sidewalk in conversation. 

Sue Ervin, for whom the Ervin Bible Class at Williamsburg Presbyterian was named, gave Presbyterian College $1250 in 1916 to endow a ministerial scholarship in Mack Ervin's name. He had been an elder both at Indiantown and Williamsburg Presbyterian churches. Candidates from Kingstree and Indiantown were to have first claim on the scholarships.

Sen. Sam Ervin (second from left) presides over the Watergate hearings.

Ranking Member Howard Baker (R-TN) is at far left of photo. Counsel Sam Dash is

to Senator Ervin's left and Sen. Herman Talmadge (D-GA) is to Dash's left.

In ten short years, Kingstree will celebrate its tricentennial. In the 300 years since its founding, there have been many descendants of the early settlers, such as Senator Sam Ervin, who have made names for themselves all across the United States. It would be a huge undertaking, but collecting as many of their stories as possible would make an interesting tricentennial project.