The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-04-23


boy.
Mr.. J. NJ. Smith has secured the contract
for building Mr.. S. T. Craig's new resi-.
dence at the corner Of McDufie and
Church streets. It will be handsome,
commodious building. Mr.. Craig's pres
ent residence, which will be torn down to
give place for the new one, is al old land
mark of the town. 1t is two-story
building and used to stand upon the
Square, near the old Centennial building,
(Which was torn down few years ago.,
and was moved to its present site. In re-.
building it, the workmen made big mis-
take, putting the second story on the
foundation and then erecting the first
story on top. AS consequence the cell.
ing of the first floor as it now stands ls
lower than the ceiling of the upper story.
The mistake was not discovered until the
building had, been completed.
At a meeting of the City Council, held on
the evening Of 2lst inst, it was voted to
number the buildings Of the city Of An
derson according to the New York sys.
tenn, dividing the city into four sections,
Main, Depot and Whitner Streets being
the dividing streets. ALI streets running
East and West to number from Main
Street and those running North and
South to number from Depot and Whitner
Streets, space of twenty feet being al.
loted to each number. All streets will
start from No. l from the above points
and continue the length of street East,
odd numbers being placed on East and
South sides of streets, even numbers on
the West and North. Mr.. A. e. French,
of Indianapolis, who has just completed
the mum bering Of Spartan burg, will call
upon the citizens and each property owner
aud give them chance to select the style
and price Of number they wish put on
their buildings. Numbers will cost from
so cents to $l.00 per mum ber in nickel plate
raised figures the owner Of property to pay
for the number when put up. AS MIR.
French does not require the city to be at
any expense in spacing and laying out the
streets for these mum mbers, We ask each cit.
izen to he prompt in making his selection,
so the work may be completed as speedily
as possible. The owners of residences are
requested to allow the ladies to make Sc.
lections in case of their absence. Or if they
prefer, they can Gallon Mr.. French, be.
tween and 9 o'clock any evening, at the
residence of P. Gilbert, first house north of
Railroad bridge, east side of North Main
Street, and make their own selection.
While engaged in tearing down q por-
ton of the old Benson House, Mr.. N. B.
Jackson, one of the workmen, found
brick in one of the walls with the follow
ing inscription upon it.: "Olmstead-
1Y45." The inscription had been made
before the brick had been burned in the
kiln, and naturally excited the curiosity
of every one who looked at it. Very few
OF our citizens could remember that far
back, and no one was able to tell anything
of the inscription. Last Tuesday morn
ing, meeting up with our venerable
townslpan, Mr.. J. F. Wilson, who is now
the oldest resident citizen of Anderson,
and who assisted in erecting the Benson
House, We asked him if he remembered
the name "Olmstead." Mr.. Wilson has
most remarkable memory, and from the
information he gave US, Olmstead seems
to have been notorious character. Ohm
stead came to Anderson from Georgia
about 1886, and was stonemason by
trade. He was sharp, witty fellow, a
fine workman, and had good education.
After working around here for several
months he married q Miss Moore. Some
time afterward he went over into Green
Vile County to dress some mill-stones for
old Col. Jas. Mccullough, we'll known
citizen OF that County. About the time
he finished his job he burglarized Col.
McCullough's store, and securing 2 lot Of
goods, fed to Pickens County, where he
broke into another store and then went to
Georgia. He had not been there long be-
fore he attempted to burglarize another
store, but was captured, tried and sem
fenced to the Penitentiary for FIVE years.
In the prison he learned the trade Of
harnes maker, and, serving his time out,
in 1845 he returned to Anderson under the
assumed name of Thompson and secured
a position in a harness shop. The work
of building the Benson House had COM
menced, and as lot Of granite was need
ed for the hearthstones and other portions
of the building, Mr.. Benson was seeking
a stone.mason when Olmstead, alias
Thompson, offered his services Mr.. Ben
son accepted them, but knowing that the
man was harness. maker, he had very
little faith in his ability to do the work.
In this, however, Mr.. Benson was mis-
taken, for Olmstead, alias Thompson, did a
good job. The stones to-day show that a
| fine workman had handled them. While
engaged on this work Thompson was iden.
titled as Olmstead, and he frankly ac-
| knowledged it as true. When he finished
his work for Mr.. Benson, Olmstead went
| to Augusta to work on the first cotton fac
tory erected in that city, and he was never
heard of again. Such is the history Of the
man who inscribed his name upon the
brick.