The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-09-16
For the anderson I7atelligencer.
Resources and Advantages of Anderson
County.

in upper South CarOllna, DuC tne lasI lolts
years of my life 1 have lived i'll Anderson
County. With your permission, 1 desire to
present in q very concise manner, through
the medium of your paper, the peculiar
merits and advantages of Anderson County
as they have appeared to me during this
long period of forty years, hoping that 1t
NAV meet the eve of some who might be
induced to become settlers among US. 1t is
possible to realize such hope at this time,
as almost the entire Northwest has suffered
during this year and the year previous from
grasshoppcrs, droughts and floods, and to
such an extent that many of its citizens
have become dissatisfied, and are seeking
homes in the milder and more congenial
sections of the country. 1t would be good
move at this time if the Changers would
take some steps to have published in an
extensive form the history and resources of
this County.
The principal things which render coun-
try desirable are climate, productions, soil,
health, market facilities, churches, schools,
law-abiding citizens, and equitably admins
tered laws. do not believe there is sec
ton to be found anywhere in the United
States which possesses these advantages IN
greater degree than Anderson County. 9th
er sections may possess some one or more OF
these advantages to higher degree, but
then such sections have their disadvantages,
which Anderson County does not possess;
and these disadvantages go long way to
render these sections undesirable if they
were properly understood. Anderson Coun-
ty has but one apparent drawback and that
is the wretched government of the State OF
which it is a part But in this, so far, An
derson County has been to great extent
exempt, owing to its large white majority,
and consequent freedom from dishonest
administration of its local government,
which in other counties is the worst feature
of our bad government. Of the section OF
the County in which live, can speak pos
itivcly. Take section about ten miles
square, and up to the close of the war there
had not been in the twenty-five years pre-
ccding that time, to my certain knowledge
a law suit, fight or drinking saloon, nor
was single one of its citizens drunkard.
Anderson County is situated not far from
the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but
far enough not to be affected by the early
and late frosts, to any great extent, but yet
near enough to be famed by the cool and in
vigorating breezcs which are almost con-
stantly blowing from off the mountains.
The thermometer scarcely ever rises higher
i'm summer than 800 F., and that degree is
not maintained for q longer period than
three or four days. The winters arc short
and comparatively mild-therc not being a
day too cold to work in the open air. The
thermometer seldom falls below 100 F., and
that, like it is in the summer time, only for
q few days. The location and temperature
of the County occupying mean or average
position between the colder North and
warmer South, almost, if not quite, every
production which is grown in the United
States, except the Tropical, are raised here
to perfection. The principal productions
are corn, cotton, wheat, oats, barley, rice
flax, buckwheat, turnips, sweet and irish
potatoes, with all the known vegetables and
fruits. The soil is, for the most part, rich
and fertile, the bottom lands, that is, the flat
lands lying along the streams subject to
overflow, being the richest. A vast deal of
the land has been cleared in times passed,
and has grown up in pine forest. Under an
improved and better system of farming,
these lands which were once considered eX-
haustcd. are found to be rich and produc-
tive, and capable of being improved to a
high degree by cheaper process than is
known or practiccd anywhere in the United
Stales, namely: by sowing and turning
under the cow-pea which can always be
done on stubble land, after crop has been
gathered. Our bottom lands, when well
prepared and worked have, in many instan-
ces, produced IS bushels of corn without
manure The uplands can, with little m;i-
nure and good cultivation, be made to pro-
duce 5000 pounds of seed cotton per acre,
which fact numbers of my fcllow-citizcns
can verify-from 20 to 35 bushels of corn,
from so to IS bushels of oats, from 25 to 80
bushels of wheat; have raised 100 bushels
of barley per acre myself, and the largest
amount of rice per acre, to my knowledge,
ever raised in the State, was grown near
Pendlcton-Dr. Broyles having raised some
wears before the war 112 bushels per acre,
and Mr.. Shanklin since the war at the rates
of 13O bushels per acre. Rice is not much
cultivated, and will only grow on the bot
tom lands. Turnips, cabbage, onions, sweet
and irish potatoes grow in abundance as
well do all the other vegetables. Peaches,
pears, apples, apricots, plums, cherries, and
grapes of all varieties grow as well as they
do in any other part of the South.
The upper portion, which is nearest the
mountains, has been used as place of sum-
mcr resort by the inhabitants of the low
country for a number of years. Here they
arc exempt from cholera, and yellow fever,
such diseases never having been known to
exist in one single instance. The Grccnvillc
e. Columbia and the Blue Ridge Railroads
traverse the entire County, and the Air Line
road runs just outside the line for its entire
length.
The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and
Episcopal denominations are pretty evenly
divided, and have their churches scattered