Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-07-29

parchcd up. Tho fruit crop seems quite
| abundant. To see peach trees bcrling under
tho weight of the fruit on them seem an unnatu-
raj sight to ono accustomed to look on fruitcss
| trees. BY tho Kindness of frioud and by tho
aid of gentleman "Dilly' the writer reached
this place several hours in advance of the rail-
roads regular schedule. Tho "Narrow Guage'
and the Charlotte Railroad mako wrctchcd con-
ncctions ut Chester, passengers being compelled
to lie over four or five hours. This sheet is
nearly ended and nothing is said Of ercum-
stance around tho writer at present. s.
BhAcHsToCK, July 20, 1870.
DEAR CouRIER: My former letter closed with
out any notice of Blaokstock, near which place
it was written. This little town. on the Char
lole, Columbia and Augusta Railroad, has
grown into considerable Importance since the
war. It's Southern limit comedies with, or is
very near TO, tho Southern limit Of Chester
County, bordering tho Northern edge Of Fair
| field County. 1t now numbers several hundred
inhabitants, composed of both races, dwelling
| together in peace, the colorcd race yielding the
| right Of ruling 10 tho white mcn, as all the
municipal Offices are filled by the whitc race.
The town has four stores, all doing a good bus-
| ness in the various lines of merchandise aud Que
grocery. 1t has three churches within its COR
| poralc limits and one not far from its Northern
border. The town churches nrc Methodist,
kcV. s. a. johnson, pastor; Presbyterian, Rev.
). c. McMulen, pastor, and the colorcd church,
| also Presbyterian with colorcd pastor, Rev. -
Russell. Each church has tlouvisliing Sabbath
school, aud the colorcd church in addition
thereto good day school Taught by the pastor.
learn the whites arc dcvising ways and means
by which they will soon DC able 10 afford first
class educational facilities 10 their children
The church out OF town belongs to the Bapliss
Rev. Il. W. Sanders PASTOR aud all that may be
said OF the town churches, in respect to growth
and activity, may be truh(ully said of it.
The citizens Of this growing thorough" arc
mol content with their present railroad facilities.
| They are contemplating other connections and
| the most prominent one now spoken of is II
railroad to McCullcugh's Factory, OH the Ca
tawba River. This road if built, will be narrow
gungc suppose, and will be run so rs TO make
connection with the other narrow gua,;e roads
| terminating Mt Chester This will bring this
place, in connection with same grade of road
| by means OF the Chester and LcnUir and the
| Chcraw and Chester Narrow Guage with a line
| Of trade and travel reaching between fifty aud
| hundred miles into North Carolina and about the
same distance TO Chcraw on the banks Of the
Great Pee Dee, connecting with roads at Chcraw,
extending into the Goa! fields of North Carolina
and TO Florence on the Wilmington, Columbia
and Augusta Railroad.
Judging FROM Tie progress made in the last
decade in facilities for travel and transportation,
who can family conjecture what may be our
means Of locomotion and where will The lines
and centres of trade and travel when tho census
takcr Of $50 shall go around?
| The community around Bnckstock are chiefly
| descendants of the Scotch. lris! element and
sill exhibit The characteristics Of that sterling
class Of people wherever found, sober, industri-
Gus, energetic, frugal aud indspcscd to change.
| Hence This community have undergone fewer
changes perhaps and have prospcrcd more since
tho var than almost any other community 10 be
| found in tie upper portion of South Carolina.
This people have ever been Jealous in supporting
churches and schools and some noble spirits
cultured here have made themselves felt amorc
their fellow citizens. OF these may mention
the name Of The late Hon. John lIcmphill Of
Texas. If am not mistaken, Judge lcmphll,
nj the time Of his death, had 40 peer in the
United States in the department Of the civil law
practice. The remains OF his vcneratcd teacher
lie in the graveyard Of llopcwcl ca. II. p.) in
the vicinity OF Backsiock. One might journey
many weary mile before he woi,ii find another
| community so willing to endure painful self
dcnals to afford their sons and daughters the
best educational advantages ihc country can
afford. The numbers of boys and girls from
| this section in our different schools and colleges
well attest the high appreciation in which a
liberal Christian education is held by this pco-
pie.
Since my former letter was written showers
have been passing around, and perhaps The
long 'dry spell' has come to an end. In many
places heard from copous rains have been
poured out and The crops are wonderfully i'm
proved. Looking at The advanced stage Of The
cotton for this season of The year very largo
crops must be gathered, even if the showers of
rain fall in diminished frequency. The upland
corn in some instances will be very nearly a
failure still much Of it will make large yield
if the next few weeks atlo,d frequent showers.
The fruit crop is quite abundant wherever |
have been Many family hac apples peaches,
grapes, &c, TO support the whole household for
months TO come, if the fruit could be properly
utilized by being preserved. Would that some
inventive genius would give the world some
simple and cheap appliance by which all the
fruit Of the county coud be utilized and laid np
in Tic farmers store houses for future uses, ns
Joseph laid up the corn Of Egypt in the years
Of great plenty. Many would rise up to call
him ''blcsscd." s.