The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1888-04-26
MIR. CLEMSON'S REQUEST.
A STATEMENT OF THE PROBABLE
ENCtNC OF THE GIFr.

|
sonal Property Given fur ~ College where
Agriculture and Other Branches shall
BE Taught.
| (From the Grecnvillo Daily News, April H..
No event of recent years has aroused
mole interest among the farmers, and
the people generally, than the death, last
Saturday, Of Thomas G.. Clemson, the
venerable son-in-law and heir of John G..
Calhoun, aud his bequest Of "Fort Hili,"
Mr.. Cnlhoun's home during the latter
days of his life, 10 the State of South
CaroiInl for uao as an agricultural col
lege
y reporter f0r tho Grccnvi!lo Da;',
News went to Fort Hill ou yesterday to
obtain particulars IL confirmation Of and
addition to the icw facts heretofore given
the public. Ike waH fortunate enough to
meet thcvc tn" Hon. X. w. Simpson,
Mr.. Cl,mson'S trusted friend aud agent
and executor, who had gone from Pen.
dl"t"n TO Fort I:il with Mr.. Lee, OF
Now Nulk, wLU married Mr.. Clcmson's
daughter, and Miss Ice, very youua
lady, the dead mans only grand child
and tho grcat-grAYd- -daughter of Mr..
, Culh ,un.
Miss lHG GGN not been TO Fort Hill be.
! fore Nncc She was siunll child and
, tnGre WAS Z very picturesque scene soon
after her arrival when the old family
srrvnntS sUme Ut then with suOw white
hair ana beard, gnthered in The old fash
loned, moss covered porch of the home
stead to see and pny their loyal respects
TO the youngest representative of the
family with which they have been idan-
tilted so long.
Mr.. Simpson is the only living person
who la, econ and read Mr.. Clcmsons
will, and aS he has not Yet pr0hnted it
he WAS evidently reluctant to talk Of its
contents III detail. As So much has been
published, however, most of 1t based OF.
statements mndo by Mr.. CLrms III before
his death and some OF it incorrect, Mr..
Sin psOn communicated the most I'M
DortanJ facts.
Mr.. ClcmsOn's will was drawn several
years ago by the late Col. Jas. II. Rion,
but several amendments and additions
more recently made were drawn by MIR.
Simpson. lie hcqucaths to his Grand
daughter, Miss Lee, SO, 900 i'll money.
and securities and $50 acres Of the Fo@t
Kill place, with the provision that that
tract ma, be bought III and added to tho
remainder Of the estate at fixed price
Other lcSacics amount to $4,000, of
which 81 900 WAS paid before his death.
Al tue remainder OF the Fort H;l estate,
WITT me buildings md tho lrWoniiicont
collection Of rare pictures, except the
family pictures, which go to Miss Lee,
Mr.. CnlhoHn'S furniture and books re.
manning III the hOuue aud the stocks,
bonds, money and other securities of
MIR. CIcnhOn, go to the State for the
estahhshncut and maintenance Of an
agricultural college.
The Fort Jill place contains l,l5O
acres. OF this $50 aclcs, us already
stated, go to Miss lIoc, but can bo pur-
chased to keep the estate intact at a
fixed reasonable price. Those intimate
~ acquainted With Mr.. Clcmson's Affairs
cStlmut3 that tho securities and cash re-
manning after the payment of all encum-
brHnCcH and expenses viii be between
$50, 900 and $50, 1000, available for de-
VclOping and ondOwing the college.
The maGmticcncc of the bCqlcSt can
no. well be appreciated without an
understanding Of what and where Fort
Ihil il.
1t is in Oaonco county ju5ts 1T the point
where OC0nCc, PickrDs and Anderson
unite. 1t rams for some distance along
the GuLccu river and thence back into
rolling uplundB and icnvi timbcrcd
woodland. The house htuuds on the
crest Of II gently rising hjll III the midst
Of VICE park, m hvcnue Of Old and
beautiful cellars leading 70 it. From the
front there ja Il glorious view directly to
the mountains until their purple lines
mlngio with the horIHYD; ON another
SIDE the view over locks the Seneca,
vending It's way among the hills, and
the Old British Tort, from which the place
takes It's name and which is on the Fort
Hill plantation.
The residence is in sight Of the Rich
mOnd d DanYiilc railroad track, ut n
distance of half Il mile, ana ia four miles
from Pcn,tIctOn, on the Blue Ridge rail
road, four miles from Central, on the
Richmond N DamvlI road, aud seven
miles from Seneca City, the meeting
point Of the two raiirOaus mentioned.
|, is hard to imagine requisite for
an agricultural college which Fort Hill
docs not possess. 1t has nearly 200 acres
Of the finest bottom land, creek and
river bottom, cleared upland, pastur,
land in wide stretches and great bell
OF first growth timber, and its upland
soil is putly gray and partly red land
1t is abundantly watcrcd with springs,
wells and creeks and has all possible
natural convenience for dairy, bathing
houses and laundry purposes. Who're n
creek on it emptics into the Seneca river
there is good water power which has
| been used for mill which did the neigh
| borhood grinding.
y fair estimate of the value Of the real
and persona! property included in the
| bequGst makes it exceed 100000, with
on, Of course, including the pictures and
furniture, which arc priceless. Contrary
to general expectation, the library is o
very ordinary one, most of the more
valuable books having beer borrowed,
stolen or otherwise lost during Mr.
Clcmson's long period of retirement and
partial illness.
Tho property is givou to the State to
be used az an institution for instruction
in agriculture, but the will directs that
the college shall not be exclusively agri-