The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-08-06
MEANS GRASS is MEAN.
TIE HILLS AND VALLEYS OF KINGS
MOUNTAIN.

MOUNTAIN.
The Way People Worked In the Cid.
en- TinleS..The Way in Which they
Provided for Their ionsehoI,Is az
Compared With IN lazy Lien and AZ
Poverty slrnciS People.
KINGS CREEK, YORK CO.. S. G., July -.
The western portion Of York county is III
the strIctest sense OF the word piedmont re.
Blue Ridge runs near the line which sepn.
rates the TWO Cnrolinas. Several peaks be-
longing TO this range are IN York county. TO
OF .NannIe's Knob, Henry's Knob, Cruwder's
M0unla!n and Kings Mountain.
Crowders Mount,ln is IN GHston cGun,y,
Kings Mnuntin. IL Was on King's Noun
tain, In York county. that the Americans on
the 1th OF October. l1SU, defeated the British
Colonel Ferguson. This wiS Lie first real vic.
tory gained by the American colonies In their
struggle for independence, and the most COM
plete victory on record. The Americans had
only twenty eight men Killed and they killed
aud captured, every man III the cnmmand 0t
Colonel Ferguson. file bnttle Of Kings
Noun tain was the turning point In the Rcvo-
lutlUnary war. Before this nIl had been de-
feat, and The American soldiers were on the
very edge Of starvation. After the defeat of
pens the draw battle OF Guilford Court
House, and finally the defeat and overthrow
OF Lord COrnwalls at FORK town.
After the ca pture of Charleston on the 18th
OF May, liSo, there was, so far as any numnn
being, could see, no grounds upon which the
colonies could place hope that they would
be successful, and IL was not until the defeat
of Ferguson that hope wns revived.
Through the Northwestern corner OF York
county there flows large creek called Kings
creek. 1t rises In Gaston county. North Caro-
tIrp
emptes into Broad river, about ten miles
North Of Smiths Ford. The name Kings
creek is Of doubtful origin. One tradition Is
that 1t was SO named by Colonel Ferguson
while camping on its tributaries. II this be
true the name Is cOeval with The battle OF
Kings Mountain. Another and better estab-
llshed tradition IL that the name of both the
mountain and creek were given In honor of q
man hy the nnmc Of King, who settled before
the Revolutionary var near the town OF
Kings Mountain on the Air Line Railroad.
Kings creek flows Is picturesque her than
beautiful. The bottoms jnL uut against hills
so precipiious that In manly places neither
man nor domestic animal can either ascend
The region generally built their houses in the
bottoms at the edge Of the hills. For many
ycnrs-untIl nftcr The fall or the Southern
Confederacy very little of the upland was
them have been In cultivation for more Than
u century. are to-day producing on an average
forty bushels of corn TO the acre.
The first settlers were men OF energy.
Many Of them, although beginning the world
with nothing accumulated what In their dny,
was regarded a fortune. They cut down huge
Lreea iii the forest, hewed them on Two sides
and bnilt with these hewn logs large DWELL
meat houses, which they called "smoke
houses. AT n later period SAW mills were
built and the old log houses were weathtr
boarded and cciled, side rooms and dining
room added to the rear side and II "poarch" to
the front SIDE In some OF these old houses
three generations Of men have lived ana died.
These old houses were all about II story and
half high witlia chimney at the end. capable
Of taking In II log OF wood eight feet long.
In The oldem times during the long winter
nights The mother Of the family SAT In one
The mother spun while the father carded and
the older children picked the sect out of the
cotton. The barn was full Of hay and fodder.
The crib of corn. the smoke house OF bacon
and lard, the stable were occupied by fat
horses, and droves Of COWS and sheep rnnged
on the hills. When the clothes for the family
were all made the father OF the family with
Il wee one on his knee read aloud the tales Of
the trial Of their ancestors In England or Ire.
land or Scotland, while the mother nimbly
piled her fingers In knitting Il stocking In
tently listening to the reading at tho same
time.
These were primitive times. The people
used no coffee. no sugar anil no molnsscs,
which they called treacle, except on rare oc-
casons. BY and by they besnll Ito gather
gear" and buy negroes, and cultivate cotton.
The fingers were supplanted by the cotton
gIn the wheel and cards were stored away in
The Gurret and "Nnr'd home spun" bought.
The women ceased TO wear checked irocks and
the men home made jeans pnnts In winter
and corperns pants In summer. Times
changed. The corn crib and barn became
empty by the middle of Apri! and the meat
house and horse stables were bui;t IN tne great
Northwestern cities Of Chicago and Cincin-
natl.
But It is no use to cry over spilled milk.
The country still remains nnd that plenty
with which It, once al,Dund"d may still be
brought back !f the people wonIu only take
common sense view OF things !. If itwere to-
day rs It WIS seventy years a;n II disgrace for
q farmer to buy corn the present state OF
things In uur Southe:ii country would be
changed for the better.
This Kings creek region Of country Is
thickly set with what Is known rs Means
grass. In other sections or the south u pears
Of the grass into the South AMI probably into
America Is this. About the yenr 1870 one OF
the Means family living In the W estern por-
tlon of Fairfield county. South Carolina. sent
10 some region of country bordering on the
Baltic Sen for some barley seed OF II peculiar
variety. When the seed was received 1t was
discovered that there were in IL some seed of
q strange appearance. These seed were plant
ed by Mr. Means In his garden. The spot In
which they were planted Wns carefully pre-
pared and we'll manured. The few seed sown
6erHllUnteu anu IHe RFdES QlQ W ell, attaltIUS
the enormous height OF seven or eight feet
and producing an abundant crop o! seed. Mr..
Means thought lie had found II treasure. All
the seed OF the first years growth was care
fully saved and at the proper time sOwn.
These germinated and produced an abun-
dant crop. IN about three years the grass
took nlll possession Of the garden, rOnting out
everything else. TO get rid Of II Mr. Means
had It ding up md carried out and thrown on
q hill side hoping that he wns rid Of his pet.
But to, his nslUnishment and bitter regret ev
cry root left in the garden sent up u stulk and
those thrown on The hill side grew, and the
seed was washed by the rains down into the
hollolEsand In few years The whole p!nnta.
tlon and NIL the plantu ions in The neIghbor-
hood were polluted with the grass. The name
Means WINS given to the grass In honor. or 9TH
erwise, of him who Oaccdenially INTRODUCED 1t.
Means grass was introduced into the West
ern portion OF Yolk county by Ins. a. Black.
/ do not know how II got into Nbbeville
county. From Abbeville county II was takeil
to Alabama by Il gentleman by the name or
! where Il Is called Johnston grass.
I,nt more about Means grnss ut another
time. II. T..
Principle and Interest.
Wait: "Now, if understand cor
rectly, tile first principle OF socialism
is TO divide with your brother man."
Potts: "rhcn YOtl don't understand