The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-04-29
PACKSVILLE.
Mr.. Mcdonald Furran Writes up
one of Clarendon's Pleasant
Villages.


Villages.
At the kind invitation of Mr. R. j Brad
ham, we paid visit to Packsville for the
porpose of writing it up-we went down
yesterday afternoon and left to-day. As the
". 4 S.has several readers in tina. section,
We seed this artice to you. First we will
give some account of the origin of the name.
Dr.. Henry Reynolds. of that section. who
is versad in local history, informs US that
some time in the tbirties post Office was
opened near where the present village stands
aud that Mr.. Joseph Pack owned all she land
through that section. We see, then, how
the place FIRST got it's name. Mr.. T. A. Pack,
of Greenville, informed US in 1881 that the
original Pack came from Wales and settled in
Virginia, and his son, Joseph, came to South
Carolina. This Joseph was the one 10 whom
DR.. Reynolds alluded. Two Of bis soue,
Messrs Alexande: aud Ben Pack, will proba-
bly, be remembered by several of our readers.
We don't know what the etymology OF the
Pack.name was in Welch. but probably it
differed considerably from the English way
OF spelling. Having glanced at the name,
Packsville is situated on the Wilson aud
Summerton Railroad. in northern Clarendon,
and is about IL miles from Sumter. 1t is
pleasant, scattered little town of about 300
Inhabitants roughly speaking, 1t has two
streets aud the principal street affords "A
pleasant place for stroll. About 20 years
ago this place was covered with woods, In
which there was one residence At that time
Mr. George Curtis opened store here and we
understood that he was the one who moved
the post Office to what was the cross roads.
Mr.. Cartis' store was the auly one here when
the Railroad reached this point-about Eve
years ago. The reader can form an idea Of
the growth of the place by the following
statement about the business houses and
other buildings.
Messrs. Bradham l. Cole, Mr.. George Cur.
tis aud the Troube6eld Brothers, have gene
raj merchandise stores. Mr.. j. NJ. Bradham.
who is the Postmaster, keeps a stationery
store in connection with that Office. Miss
Nara Bradham has dressmaking and mil
linery store. Mr.. W. R. Mcleod has gro
cery store, and although there are not many
negroes in the village, there is general mer-
chandise store kept by Durant, Logan & Co.,
of that race.
One of the leading industries of Packsville
is the saw mill and giuuery of Aessrs. Brad
ham & Cole-in the summer season the for
mer is run and 10 the fall and winter the
gins g n number) are run, and bale can
be ginned and packed every 20 minutes.
Shed Robinson, a colored man, also has
small ginnery aud grist mill.
Another important industry is carried on
by. Messrs. Bell l. Mathis, who do building
aod general repair work. They have Wheel
right and blacksmith shop.
In addition to their merchandise, the
Trouble6eld Brothers are engaged in the
crosssie business, and they Lave the signal
service iu charge, for this little town has a
weather service, and not only do these gen.
slemen get daily reports, but they report 10
Silver, ST. Paul and Summerton.
Packsville has four churches-1wo white
a Baptist and Methodist, and two colored,
which represent the same denominations.
All are neat buildings. The pastors are,
white Baptisr, the Rev. g n. Billings, To-
Gated at Packsville; white Methodist, the
Rev. A. B. Watson, of Summerton colored
Baptist, the Rev. Abram Conyers, of Wedge
field; col6red Methodist, the Rev. N S.
Gamble, of Privateer. The white Baptist
have neat parsonage near their church, at
which church a protracted meeting is now
being carried on We had the pleasure last
night of hearing Mr.. Billings deliver
thoughtful and forcible sermon. The white
Baptist Church is to be repainted. The
white Methodist Church is a new building
and is finished, except the painting. Both
would do credit to large town.
Another good feature of Packsvile is its
white school. The building is a large one
and the school has been run for about two
years. The first session there was one assist
ant teacher. Last session the corps of
teachers were Mr. J. D. Wilder, of Sumter,
and assistants, Misses Hattie Bradham and
Eva Curtis, both of Pscksville. There were
at least hundred pupils in attendance at
the last session. The school is now cortin-
red as private one by the Rev. G. N. Bill
ligs, who has over 80 scholars; among the
branches taught by him are Latin and alge'
bra. We visited the school this forenoon
and found the children polite and attentive.
The colored people have neat school build
ing near the celored Baptist Church. Packs
ville's school trustees for both races are
Messrs F. S. Geddings, J. N Brown and ".
N. Stukes. Mr.. Billiogs' private school has
Eve trustees.
The depot is convenient one, but is
greatly in need of repairs. which are to he
made Mr. C. K. Curtis is the agent. The
cotton shipping business ranges from 1000
to 500 bales through season. Packsvile
is also fgocd point for shipping cross-ties
and lumber.
The people of Packsville are turning their
attention to another important industry
truck farming Messrs. J. II. Bradham and
Charley Reynolds, Mrs. n. N. Taylor and
Master Boyd Cole all bave truck patches.
We viii remark, in passing, that this indus
try as carried out in Packsyille, has met with
There are some good lands 10 the neighoof-
hood of Packvile which are we'll adapted to
cotton culture Packsville's largest and
most successful farmer is Mr.. F. S. Geddings.
The next best thing 10 3 newspaper 10
town is spicy correspondent, and this we
understand Packsvilie has in the shape of
good correspondent of the Manning Times,
whose identity, however, is not known to
the public.
Packsville is not an incorporated place,
and it is no use that it should he, for 1t is
such an orderly place that there is no need OF
town officers.
Mr.. Gerge Curtis, the original merchant of
Packsvllle, was born in Connecticut, but