Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-07-17
Tomassee, Hospitality and Some
Of Oconee's Most Beautiful
Scenery.

Of Ooonee's Most Beautiful
Scenery.
MEssRs. EDlToRs-On Saturday lsst Mr.. G..
Jones, proprietor Of Tomassee Hall, invited
several Of tho young people Of Walhalla to
mako him visit on tho following Tuesday and
spcnd afew days in the mountains. II is not
necessary to say that this kind Invitation was
accepted, for{no one has ever yet enjoyed tho
Hospitality and Kindness shown to guests while
at 'Fomassee without desire to repeat tho visit.
On Tuesday morning, bright and carly,
agreeable to promise, our party, twelve in num-
Der, consisting of an equal number of young
ften and Indies, with faces which woro tho
hnppy expression of pleasure prepense, found
themselves travelling IN the direction of Tomas
see, at which place they arrived about II 80 A.
VI. AS We drive up thu avenue leading 10 tho
house We see Mr. Jones ahd family standing on
tho front vefanda, waiting 10 Welcome Us over
their hospitablo threshold. Aud by way of
parenthesis ALLOW us 10 anticipate by rcmarking
that just here was commenced scfics of kind
attentions and assiddous hospi.slties, That it
| would seem impossible to keep up for Two days,
| TO any body except 10 those who have been tho
recipients Of them.
After being shown to our rooms aud having
succeeded in getting soise of the dus, or travel
shaken off, Tho whole bnrty feurhcu 10 the
veranla to be introduced 10 some ef the most
beautiful scenery that tah be shcnn, we Venture
to say, from ahy private rcs:dchte i'll This bcat-
tiful country Of Chicora Mr.. Johcs' large and
commo'liol,s residence is situated OH a beautiful
c,hihentc, ncat tho Southern portion of his
fartn, slipping gradually and gently from height
of about go feet above the level Of Little River,
which washes it on the Southwest, down into q
fertile valley which begins tu expand ut a dis
tuncc of from 100 to 20O yards from the top of
the eminence and continues to widen until it
appears to tho observer 10 contain several hun
dred acres of as fno bottom land do can bo seen
anywhere in Oconco. Besides this, this lovely
Vdlley is environcd on oil sides by rieh slightly
undnlating hills, which are oil in high state
Of cultivation and must add several hundred 10
the acreage in cultivation. On these hills we
were somewhat surprised to find tho cotton plant
growing luxutiantly and 10 hear from our host
that. as near rs it vas to tho mountains, nearly
oil tho fruit maturea and opened before the enrly
trosls. But this was not so surprising after VIC
observed little more closely and saw that nearly
all the hills had q Southern slope, thus getting
tho full benefit Of the warming sunshine. This
magnificent valley is divided in half by the
mcanderngs of the clear, limpid waters of tho
celebrated Little River" which enter il about
q mile above tho residence, passing through it
and cutting away the foot Of the cmincnce on
which tho residence is situated at On almost
perpendicular distance from its apex of about
o0O feet. Just opposite this point the river is
intcrscctcd by Tomassce Crock which comes into
it from tho West On this creek there arc also
some beautiful lands included in tho Tomassee
farm, which cannot be seen from the yeranda,
however, as large hill, as yet unclcarcd. juts
in between tie two streams, shutting out full
view Of the latter. magnificent as this portion
of the view is, it is yet but half told. Sitting
on tho Northwest corner Of tho broad ycranda,
which runs the full length of the North side of
the house aud half round cach of the East and
West ends the first thing that meets the cnrap-
tured gaze is the beautiful, undulating, grass
covered lawn which makes off from you in three
directions, dotted here and there with tho mag
niiiceht native oak Of tho Forest inviting you
with its arms outstrctclled to conc md luxuriate
in its cooling shades, reclining on tho grass
beneath IL which is being waved TO and fro by n
brisk Northern breeze, lately cooled by the
mountain torrents and brooklcs seen winding,
rushing creeping down the mountain sides only
a short distance away. Popping between these
trees and under tho limbs and over them, the
valley above dcscribcd opens out in all lis beauty
and fruifulncss, tho lowlands covered with the
waving corn and the hills, at this season, re-
Scmbng vast Hover garden, so thirkly set and
brilliant are the white and rcd cotton blooms
which deck their brows. From two directions,
the West and North, this scene, which might
otherwise become monotonous, is brol:cn in
upon and varied by the entering Of the two
streams, which, rs We have said, gradually con.
verge until they become one just opposite where
VIC are sitting. Now turn to the left just over
tho setting sun and look over and beyond oil
this and yonr gaze is interrupted by .'Tomasscc
Knob" which rises before you 10 height of
about 900 feet, solitary and alone, standing
aloof from the main range of tho mountains
like somo sturdy character in the uneven surface
Of human life, who has wrought out his own
destiny by being true to himself, his own indi-
viduaity md depending upon his own efforts TO
stand, and now does stand, unsupported, strong
and independent, dofyng tho open storms of
life rs vel! rs tho secret, silent nndercurrcnts
whose constant tendency is to undermine and
destroy everything that is noble and good in
life. a little further on md to the right tho
main spur of the Blue Ridge range closes in md
seems, ut the distance 10 fold to its breast "To-
masscc Knob" as q fond mother would carcss
her noble boy who Ind obtained footing in the
world aud was being looked up 10 By the hosts
around him. But on examination through n