Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1855-04-12
Aeaot>g,
THE BIRTHPLACE OF CALHOUN.

THE BIRTHPLACE o. CALHOUN.
Not long ago, suddenly Ehrwing off the
restraint and dull monotony # litorship, and
accompanied by friend of nrc social vein we
took an interesting jaunt int the country
The day was inspiringly delIt:sal its bland
sun light glanced and sparJed from every
object that met the view, ar4 the birds, cheat
ed for the moment into forg'tfulness of winter,
warblcd with timid softnes the preludes of
their Spring carols. 1t was day whose sounds
and genial warmth, and s,n-ptncillings, sum-
mon to the memory those vague, underlined,
yet joyous recollcctions, tlat all have felt, but
none yet fully described-a fitting day to visit
the birthplace of Calhoun, and to muse amid
the scenes conSecratcd by the rustic boyhood
of the ilustrous Statesman. This section of
Abbevilc District has been styled, and Ger
tainly not unjustly, its sgarden spot" the eye
is greeted ON every hand by fields in the high
est state of cultivation, and their is something
in the appearance O. the soil, and the en- sent
dhc of the view, that reminds one of the rich
prairie lands of the Northwest \ fertile
loan with due admixturc of vegetable mat
ter, constitutes the soil in its virgin state, de-
signaling it as section peculiarly adapted to
the cultivation of small grain, but in many
plantations that came in sight had evidently
been strained and exhausted in the produc-
tion of the great Southern staple, and We fear,
from the preparations going on, and the very
few fields of grain that relieved the view, that
far more cotton will wave there next harvest
than golden grain, even now so much needed
everywhere
The old homestead in which Mr.. Calhoun
first saw the light stands on the eastern edge
of the beautiful tract of country We have just
partially described, and which is known as the
Calhoun settlement. The plantation passed a
few years ago from the hands Of a young men,
Der of the family (why was that to Mr.. John
White, an intelligent merchant of this village,
and is now occupied by his oyersecr as negro
quarter; other changes, too, and more impress
sive, have come over this venerable relic of
the past.
The house, an object of interest for its anti
quated architecture alone, VS. c, evidently once,
for its day. an elegant m:,;sn buil' il: ne
irregular, no-style order of the age, having 4
spacious central hall, heated by one of those
huge chimncyS, now obsolete, whose ample
hresides were symbolical Of the patriarchal hos
pitalty of the olden time. 1t is situated on
, the brow of a hill, that declines gently to the
eastern bank of beautiful stream that still
bears the family name; for like most of the re-
sidenceS Of the pioneers, the site was chosen
more for its convenience to water than for any
other advantage; and We arc not sure that this
utilitarial impulse has lessenel seriously the
intrinsic beauty of the situation. \ winding
creek, dashing with an audible murmer over
its pebled bed, and hills that stud its banks
with sufficient boldncss to relieve the monoto-
my of a wide expansc of fiat woods stretching
for miles away from the very verge of the wcs-
tern bank, more than compensate for the abb
scnce of qualities that too t;lstidious taste
would have preferred.
To our eye, apart from all historic interest,
there is charm in the bold rugged landscape
uncouth style, and moss grown timbers of these
venerable homestcads of the pioneers. We
love to muse in the humid shades of their
monumental oaks, listening to the wind
as they whistle through shattered gables
strange requiems to the dead and departed
customs of other days. The old Red House,
however on the border of the Flat Woods, is
more indebted for the interest it exacts to its
history than its natural features. Except a
small grove of oaks, and decayed Prides of
China, Immediately around it, and which seem
struggling to impart a scanty shade to the ia
ding relics beneath them, the surrounding
country is a continuous plantation, destitute
of forest, and in many places the worse for
having long since yielded to the cotton mills
of Manchester and Lowell the best portion of
its primitive fertility. There is nothing of
the wild or sublime in scenery to be found
here, that could have impaired, according to
the poets, heroic grandeur to lofty genius !;
nevertheless, in the silent de!k of the mean
dering creek, and the rich vcrdurc of their
evergreen foliage, contemplation found genial
retreat, and doubtless there the inquisitivc
mind of the future statesman imbibed much
of TINT deep, earnest thoughtfulness that char
actcrized him through life.
Some hundred yards east of the house, in
the open field, but nearly concealed by the
spreading branches of large cedar and tall
shrubbery, is the old family cemetery. 1t
contains but single monument of any archi-
tectural interest, and that stands upon the
grave of Mr.. Calhoun's father, mother, and
sister Catharine, Mrs Dr. Waddel. He had
it carved in Washington, and placed in its
present site few years before his DEATH
Each of its four sides has an inscription; they
read as follows:
"Patrick Calhoun, the father of John Cald:
we'll Calhoun. Born in the country of Done
gal, Ireland, June II, 1927, apd died Janua-
ry Is, 1796, in the Goth year.
"Martha Caldwell, the wife of Patric CAL
hcun, and the mother of Catherine, William,
James, John Caldwell, and Patrick Calhoun.
Born on cub crock, Charlotte county, Virginia,
175O-died May, 1902, aged 81 years."
"Catharine, the daughter of Patrick and
Marthy Calhoun, and the first wife of the Rev.
Dr. Waddel, died in March, 1906, in the 2lst
year Of her age, without issue"
Erected by John G. Calhoun, the surviving
member of the family, 1874"