The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1860-08-10

Its brow, ovel looking more than half the village
there, in imagination, reconstruct the quaint old
colonial dwelling. and the Indian Block House
of Gen. Andrew Pickens, the noblest Roman of
them all.
| The dwelling stood on the western side Of the
rivulet, deep like the homes of all our Scotch
Irish pioneer ancestors, in the valley of the sur
rounding hills, in hearing. rs well as sight, of
| the streams OF pure water that rippled or dashed
headlong through it; seemingly the last sites in
the country to be chosen by people who were
constantly exposed to the attacks of lurking
savages.
The Block House was situated on the oppo-
site side, stones throw from the dwelling, in
u low, most unmltary position, save that it must
needs have been in easy reach of the family for
whose safety it had been chiefly constructed.
have among my papers sketch Of this old
relic of our primitive and revolutionary history,
which, with many others relutingto similar sub,
jscts far more interesting, yet hope the ber
alty of the people will enable me to put in q
popular and more permanent form.
| The whole situation, though low, aud in the
main covered by hills, of easy access in every
direction, except from the South west, where the
present Magazine Hill, already described, rose
beetleb owed above it; and from whose top if
the Block louse had been an open redoubt, an
| enemy armed with the rifle might have succeed.
ed in giving serious annoyanc to its inmates. :
In defensive warfare against savages. the in
genuity of no people ever invented a more ed-
mirable structure for its uses than the block
house, often mentioned in the history Of the
| At,,a,
peculiar to them. Ii once strongly and prop
erly built. accessible to water it mattered little
| where it was situated. It was equally safe and
effective in the swamps, on the mountain summit
or preciPitous ravinc. The balls of the heaviest
guns in the possession of the Indians or of their
pae-fuced allies, fell battered and harmless from
the sides OF its huge logs. 1t was only when
the enemy could reach its doors aud founda alton
timbers armed with clubs frebrands, that the
danger became serious to the bcsged; and even
then. such was the Pecuiiarity Of its structure,
III projecting upper story or loft, tina, every
experienced Indian knew we'll that lie acted in
a forlorn hope if lie approached to stand under
| lis eve.
l ain wandering, however, again from my
main subject 1t does not carry Inc so far back
as the time of the Indian struggles, or even to
the Revolution. The old Block IIouse, however,
WAS still standing, surrounded by scenery almost
primitive; the name OF Abbevillc had Just been
given to this portion Of the ancient Ninety-Six
lerr'toty, a delicate and most generous compli
ment, yielded by the more numerous Scotch
irlshry TO their less hardy fellow pioneers OF the
Huguenot colony, in their deep sympathy will,
the nisfortuEes and magnanimous struggles OF
the Refugees.
Tuesday morning, fifth day of July, 1885,, in
the tenth year of the Independence Of the Uni.
ted States Of America quote the old paper
hteraily-at court held or%Abbeville county,
at Gen. Pickcns plantation lmost probably in
the Block iiouse) present as Mquires Justices
Andrew aPiskens Patrick, Calhoun, William
Moore and Robert Anderson i. was ordered that
road be laid ont, opened and kept in good re-
pair from MIR. VIM. Hagcod's house, near the
town of Ninety six, the nearest and best way ,e
Col. George Reeds house, on Long Cane; and
that Capt. Hugh Wa,dlaw. Capt. John Wilson,
Capt. John Irwin, Mr.. John Logan and Blr. John
Wardlaw. or any three of them. he appointed to
lay out the same.
to work laying out the site OF the future road
followed closely by the laborers whose duty i,
was to open and put it id travelling order, or de;
ferred. at least the latter part oft. ill the period
Of the following record, the second of the OLE
papers referred to, is perhaps. not now 10 be as.
certained nor does it matter seriously. Tie
record, OF all events, gives US the names of thost
who, if not the first, were among the first to to
on this old public highway, thus Incidentally
affording passage in our local history far more
importan, than the Reeds Ninety.six Roads
list of ancient names, once attached to the sol
and its busy scenes, but now sounding, the great
part ofsthem, as strangely in our ears as i
read from the mopIdering catalogues of Doorns
day Book!
December Goth, 1885
i Sir You will warn the undermined person,
to work OH the road leading from Nineiysix &
Col. Reeds Mill on Long Cane. You viii war;
them to meet at Rich. Norrels, near John Logan
Mill. on Friday the 23a inst, aud como in orde
TO work two days with axes and hoes, and al
their male negroes: y
Godfrey Isbuls, VIM. McMschan, VIM
Forbas, James Thompson, John Foster, Ricl,art
Norre'li' George Forbas. John Mem MacIaI, Jane
: Moore. Henry Branan. John Goihers, John Par
ker, James Parker, James Lomax, - HIST
VIM. BOrney, Adam Borney. Sam. Borpey. Johi
Wilson, William wedaworth, Robert Parker
Dayid Parker, Robert Thompson, VIM. Buchan
an James 1rvi6,4 John Edmonstou. John Jack
son, Patrick Forbss, Lennsrd -Broadaway. Sam
Lethera, and his negro, Sam. Porter, John Por
ter, Charles Davenport and his three negroes
Edam HalI' John Pitt, Edam Lucfey, widow
Edin's negroes, John Lombos."
This note is in the handwriting f.capt job.
Irwin, who desigOs.es hinself as ovenser Of tn
hands ordered out. =: g
I'll quies obvious that thesnseross did not
this period edtnumbsr the whites along the lowe
tPortiea q the Resd's Road. King, Cotton ,hAt
: mot ths6 apiiie empire. nor HAD the y sskse
|, begun e bqIla at.sss great afastasies u