The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-05-14
lS59---l884.
ABBEvILLE THEN AND NOW.
The Men OF n Quarter OF n Century
Arm. and Their Successors.

The Men OF n Quarter of n Century
Aso, and Their Successors.
Several months aso we undertook the prep
aration of a synopsis OF rome Of the matters
which had been published In our paper be.
twccn April, 1859 and April. 1881. This ns q
celebration OF our twenty-dnh anniversary In
the Press and Banner office. About the first
Of March we were compelled TO abandon the
work, because OF other pressing matters
which demanded Our attention. Tho time
has now passed, and VIC are In no spirit TO re-
sumo n tusk which would he much grc"ter
,hnn We at first Thought, hence we give place
this week TO the type which has been stand
Ing on our gallcys since the first OF March. II
anything In II should be OF Interest to our
people we shall DC pleased. II they are not
interested, however. they can hive the salts
faction of Knowing that the work has not cost
them as much labor MS 1t has cost ua. We
still believe II the work had been completed
TINT nothing could hive been 80 valuable,
which was at our command.
1t will be seen by the reading OF the lists OF
he names OF our citizens. TINT twenty-five
years has wrought q ercnt change, not only IN
our citizenship, hut in cur notions, our hnb'
It's. and our business. BEFORE the war n lner-
chant who did twenty thousand dollars OF
trade was a merchant prince. Now. We have
twice as many merchants, and each sells
something like that amount, while the trade
o. some Of our houses will reach a hundred
Thousand dollars. Before the wal no flour or
bacon was shipped to this place from abroad.
While several OF the stores kept small qnanti-
Ties Of bncon, flour, lard, ETC., for the retail
trade about town, they obtained their snr'
piles from the thrifty farmers hereabuut who
always had such articles for sale.
The railroad through this county was built
moro 10 ship our surplus corn, flour and ha-
con, than to carry of our cotton. The cotton
could be easily enough wagoncd to Augusta,
hut -four n corn was too bulky and heavy.
At the present time tho farmers come to town
and buy everything nut Of the stores. except
cotton. They come here 10 buy their mules,
M we'll rs corn with which to feed them. Be-
fore the war mules were raised on the differ
ont farms, and the NAH who bought corn was
considered no farmer ut ADJUST like he Ia To-
day. Before the war. some OF our largest
houses kept no groceries at all. Now, nearly
nil the capital OF every house ia in that line OF
business. Before the war, our prosperous
people made composis and gathered manure
from their lots. Now, our farmers let much
of the manure wash away from their lots, and
they come 10 town for commercial fertilizers.
Before the war, when we were rich. we did
comparatively little trading Mt the stores.
| Now, Abbeville village sells more goods than
| the whole OF the county sold before the war.
The credit business OF this county by mer.
chants to farmers alone will reach nearly a
million OF dollars. Before the war we had no
public schools when we bad "I'y-Mhjfs chill
dren IT, educate. Now, the blessed little negro
is TO educate and two mills Of all our property
Is cOnfscated tor that purpose.
The reader cannot but he struck by the
great change In our citizenship. Only three
lawyers are at the Bar to-day. who sto"d there
twenty-five years ago. Only one merchant OF
1850 has stood the test OF time, and Ia still able
to sell goods as before the war. The marble
business. among the many changes. remains
unchanged. 1t will be seen that the Jewcler
is one OF the few who Is still at his post.
While here md there are to he found the
names OF some who were here twenty-five
years ngo, yet many Of the few who still re-
main with us are In q different line Of busl.
ness.
We had no record from which to make up n
lis. Of the citizens IN 1859, and were dependent
entirely upon the memory Of friends to assist
us, and IT. Is fair 10 presume that many names
have been omitted. 1t will be noticed that
we had US many citizens then as we now
have.