Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-11
S0UTH CAROLINA NOTES.
COUNTY, IT'S HIS
TORY AND STATISTICS.

s.tIement of the City-Wofford
A",,a,,s-DAte of IncOrporatiOn-Clty
,t,tts- Handsome Streets Public
n,,.,dtucs-Fire OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
cation Receipts-Public schools
W. Railroads The Augusta and
-vviIIe Railroad Freight Rates
n,Iained of-The Roads Very Pop
Spartanburg's Enterprise-A
i s,ulion Insurance--The PERSECUTION
nanot Needed and Another Hotel
Merchants and Business Men-Na-
houAl Bank.
The traveller naturally inquiries when
10 reaches strange city which is the
host hotel. At Spartanburg the univer-
~ rasnonse is "rhe Merchants" This
q indeed IS practically the only public hos
Il .oIrvnow open in the place, albeit there are
q numerous private boarding houses. Mr..
N Watkins Lee, the proprietor, is an old
& sand AT the business, having for fourteen
4 roors been connected with the CHARLES
81 ,or Hotel" and the planters" of Angus
"a He has succeeded for the present in
n 5stancing competition, and is ably sup
q oorted in the Office by the genial W. r.
1ones. also we'll known to the public, and
Andrew Jackson. The Merchants Hotel,
Il stately structure three stories high and
vhh front of 200 feet, is monument to
the enterprise of nine merchants, VINO in
vested their funds in this edi6ce for the
GOOD of the community. The plan and
interior construction are well conceived
and convenient, and mine host has an at
n tentlye reUlnue of servants, and IS ever
on the alert to promote the comfort of b is
guests. At this time their are quite
number OF strangers from abroad enjoy
ing this most charming climate.
sPARTANBURG COUNTY
was settled by Immigrants from the north
eru colonies about thirty years before the
breaking out OF the war for independence,
and during the period when North and
south Carolina were one colony under the
same charter. 1t originally formed por-
ton OF Craven and Tryon counties in
North Carolina, and for some time re-
tanned the name of Craven, even after the
division of the colony before the revolu-
ton into North and South Carolina.
After the restoration of peace the boun-
dairy line between the two States was
changed, and Spartanburg fell to South
Carolina, being included in the old Pinck-
ney district. In 1898, when the State was
set off in It's present shape and bounda-
res. 1t derived its name possibly from
the indOmitable courage and fortltude of
the patriotic inhabitants in their resist
aIce to British aggression.
The area of the county is 900 square
miles. or 672, 900 acres. In point OF wealth
and importance it is the second geographi-
cal division in the State, being surpassed
by Charleston county only. The assessed
b ic Z ha l.
roads in 1884 paid taxes upon 1886, 502
worth of property. Since that time the
new railroads TO Laurens and the North
Carolina line have swollen this amount to
figure which Will exceed that of any
other county in the State.
The county aboundS in the finest
water power. 1t contains no
less than seven cotton mills,
running 376SO spindles, 945 looms,
aud employing 1000 hands. The output
of cloth III 1884 was Ii, 273, 800 yards. In
addition there are fifty flour and grist
mills, having $4,000 capital, and which
give employment to 100 lapOrers. The
state tax is about Is mills. The price of
land varies from IS to $40 per acre. Spar
tanbuTg is the banner county in the pro-
ductiOn Of the cereals, yielding in 1884
,544 bushels of corn, 365, 900 bushels OF
4 oats, aud 1S1 ,24S bushels of wheat, show
other county.
THE CITY OF SPARTANBURG
3 vas made the county site and laid off and
y settled in 1856, aud the following year a
s. court house, jail, pillory and whipping
II post were erected. The town languished
q for many years, not even attaining to the
8 dimensions of respectable village. Ac-
n cOrdlng to Mills statistics in 1925, there
81 were then but twenty-siX homes, iuclud-
81 lug three law offices, one saddler's, one
Il tailor's and three blacksmith shops"
3 Our author must have been mistaken,
8 however, If his assertion be correct that
n there were living there at that time a
q population OF 800 souls. Afterwards,
s. with the establishment OF good schools
5 and churches, a marked improvement
II TOOK place, and the town began to pro-
81 gress slowly but steadily.
The present substantial and imposing
court house was built in 1850, and the
same year Rev. Benjamin Woflord, ma
i've and Methodist minister, be-
queathed 100000 Tor the foundation of a
male college. Suitable buildings were
erected, and the institution went into OPP
& eratonln 1854.
81 From that date the growth of the town
was greatly accelerated, and 1t rapidly
oegaihe an important business centre.
81 va wooden stores were torn down and
.helf places supplied with handsome edi-
Ices oil brick, and families from abroad
vesah TO move in to enjoy the superior
iered.
me Town was not incorporated until
s@I Inc act was twice amended, to
nlJ' III 1880 and in 1915. Afterwards, in
n y Tue present charter was granted.
uuoo' >. ;. Il. Thomson was the tirs:
ma!oI The corporate limits of the city
house. VA Wv - 0'I' 'A0 N0''''
IN, me business portion is nearly all built
VI oIIcA, and the stores are handsome and
do. oalous, running back to an unusual
T1p'n, III some instances nearly POO feet.
Il ai uo man street is lined tor a mile with
eah' dwellings, surrounded with spaci-
mus oo court yards and flower gardens
go! Kept, For beauty and variety Of
sn CNlleciure 1t can hardly be eXcelled by
~ boulevard in the State.
cbue public buildings, aside from the
II ,sDu'oues, several of which would grace
81 cl'y Of Charleston, are Wotlord and
Il SIN V,Oouua colleges, costing respectively
Il erao,VO dhd 100000, n stylish opera house
N lUrnru az an outlay OF $4,000, public
O@ costing $4,000, Il court house $l0,-
uu strOng stone Jail.
\ por'.5 10 also well.Ofllcered and or
Steel IRE department, comprising one
s9I T 'II one hand engine, and one hook
4u lauder company.
Ah4 POPULATIDN op apAurANnupn