The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-06-11
iNDERSONyILLE.
An Old Town-Reminiscen of tic Past
Bad Guns, &c.i
tIa,.tluell. Gu. S,l,,


fiart,vcn, Co., Sun.
The Sunday School picnic was post.
poned three times, and therefore when
the last appointment Saturday dawned
cloudy and threatening rain, big, little,
old and young seemed determined to 80
anyhow, rain or shine, so early in the
morning the caravan of picknickers began
to wend its way toward Andersonville,
S. c., distant niue miles. Mr.. Robert
Stephenson and ourself event in togeth.
er" and procured conveyance for our
families-a two horse wagon, which was
amply sufficient, there being only four.
teen of us all told. AS we got one horse
at one place, the other at second place,
the wagon at third, and the harness at
fourth it was rather late before we got
ready to start, and we did not arrive at
the scene of action until everybody else
had got there, including Eli. When we
crossed the ferry we found a gay crowd
of probably 800. What were they doing?
Well-oh, you've been to picnic, hav-
emit you? They were boating in the
river, roaming about aimlessly, fishing,
courting, listening to the band play,
playing in the branch, and waiting for
dinner. And ere long the baskets we're
taken to the island and the hungry crowd
began to play havoc with their contents.
Before dinner was quite over a heavy
shower of rain came and. much of the
dainty food was spoilt. However no one
went away hungry, and the shower was
only laughed at for its breach of good
manners in approaching the feast without
an invitation.
Andersonville is the most attractive
place we have seen for picnia-in dry
weather; but on this occasion there vas
rather much wetness and it cast damper
upon the spirits of the crowd, as it was
simply impossible for them to wander
over the hills and valleys, gather the
flowers wild, and obtain a fair view of
the picturesque spot in it's entirety, and
our people will never be satisfied until
they try it over again on some more
auspicious day. 1t was pity, too, when
We think of the pains and expense the
good people of Andersonyille had put
themselves to in arranging for the picnic.
Under the superintendence of Miss
Fannie Earle, a noble Christian lady,
they had cleared off the underground on
the island. placed beautiful rustic seats
made of birch under the shade trees,
built bridge to the mainland, and ar.
ranged everything for the comfort and
pleasure of the visitors. The Georgians
were quick to perceive these evidences of
Carolina hospitality, and one of onr en-
thusiastic friends clapped us on the
shoulder and asked: "John, amt you
glad you were born in South Carolina ?"
To which we replied: "Yes-and live
in Georgia"
The clouds becoming more threaten.
ing, it WAS not long before the crowd
began to disperse for their homes.
Andersonville is one of the oldest
towns in upper Carolina, and we would
be glad if we could give our readers
sketch of its early settlement, rise and
fall, for it was once place of no incon.
siderable commercial importance. To
Hon. John B. Benson we are indebted
for the few historical facts that we are
enabled to give. Mr.. James Harrison,
father of the late Frank Harrison,
whose daughter was married to Mr..
Preston Earle, the present owner of the
place, did business there for fifty years,
and ran store, iron and wood shops,
lanyard, merchant mills, and two ferries.
He made large fortune although he
had his fine dwelling, mills and other
machinery destryed by fire, and again
had his mills and other machinery washed
away by the great May freshet. Mr..
Harrison married the sister of Mr.. Sam.
uel Earle, the father of the excellent
pastor of the Hartwell Baptist Church,
Rev. J.. R. Earle. Mr.. Harrison inher
tied large body of land lying between
the Tugalo and Seneca Rivers, including
Andersonville, and Mr.. Samuel Earle
the fine and valuable property known as
Evergreen about twelve miles from Hart.
we'll, where he had extensive machinery
and large store. He also made large
fortune. Andersonville was in early days
land Office, with large number of
stores and business houses, and was iu-
corporated about the year 1892, and was
in full blast in the days of Vienna and
Petersburg, lower down on the Savannah.
1t was quite an important place, as
great many boats were loaded here for
Hamburg, and afterwards Augusta. Mr..
James Harrison was man of great ener.
gy and ability, and his business extend
ed many miles above and westward. He
bought as high as 600 bales of cotton in
the seed and ground 10000 bushels of
wheat per year, which was a big thing
for those days. Hon. John @. Calhoun
visited this place for the purpose of con.
sulting the best pilots on the river with
view of having the Savannah opened
for slack water navigation. During the
war of 1912 Mr.. Elias Earle, father in
law of James Harrison, got a contract
from the government to make muskets,
and procuring 80 machinists from Har-
pers Ferry, Va, established an armory at
Andersonville, but the iron ore did not
suit for the business, as the guns would
burst and were more dangerous to the
shooter than to the shootee. At one time
the town boasted hotel with thirty or
forty rooms. Mr.. Benson says that when
young fellow he went from Pendleton
to Andersonville to fish with Frank
Harrison and there were many old stores
and other houses there, among them the
dwelling of Mr.. Rusk, an old stone
mason, who was the father of the great
Rusk of Texas, for whom Rusk County
10 that State was named, the friend Of
Augustus Maverick and Bonham, of
Pendleton, S. c., and Davy Crockett
Every school boy has read of Crocketts
and Bonham's death with the pile of
dead Mexicans around them slain with
their bowie knives at the Alamo. Now
not stick of one of those old houses re.
main at Andersonville. Mr.. Benson
says that when his old friend Waddy
Thompson was Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary of the United
States at Mexico, when in the city of the
Montezumas, he wrote Maverick, who
was then confined in the castle of Perote,