The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-08-23
CLARK'S HILL AS IT Is.
Post Office Department Reetores Old
Name-Ox Teams that Live In Ira.
dItfOu.

Many OF the older people OF Abbeville coun.
ty have travelled with loaded wagons the road
gusta, Ga. and heard Of the "ox teams" which
became famous equally with their owner, the
well.known Sage OF Clark's HILL" The
matter was very pleasantly referred at Wash.
was again asked to give back the Clark's Hill
people the old name to their post Office.
Mr.. Hugh G. Middleton, a native OF Clark s
Hill, writing TO Mr.. j. Altheus johnson, at
Washington, said:
"Dear Mr.. Johnson: DO you want q monu.
ment built to your name right away without
waiting till you are dead? Well, II you Will
Master General strait talk about the name
OF the post office here, and get him TO change
the name back 10 "Clark's HILL" the people
here will engrave your name on their hearts
even to the second and third generation.
which will be the best kind OF q monn men t.
drop In and chance sling at him. II you
can hit him In the forehead. your name will
be David, and our tents will be open TO you"
Soon after Mr.. Middleton had written this
letter TO Mr.. johnson, the following article on
Clark's Hill appeared in the Washington
Post: . ~
FICE WAS CHANGED, BUT THE CITIZENS
STICK TO OLD NAME.-A year or two ago the
Post-otice Department undertook an over.
hauling OF post office names throughout the
adunes @stnE Be
under the pruning knife Of the department
was Clark's Hill, In Edgefeld county, 8. C.
When the official pruner for that part OF
Uncle Sans domain was through with his
work nothing was left of the original name
but the word "Clark," by which term the dc
partment wished the place to be thereafter
called In the menclature OF the posJal SER
vice. The dentsens of the vicinage, however.
seem slow to yield allegiance TO their new
post-ofice name, and are nxious for resto.
ration in their mail matters TO the name by
q
and In the traditions OF the people.
"A resident OF the place writes concerning
the change af follows:
The complication Is really grievous. The
railroad. telegraph, and express name for the
place is 'Clark's Hill anu this local name, so
indelibly fixed In the public mind by the
lico' OK teams. will never be changed. The
people were never asked by the department
about the change OF name, which Is against
the wishes OF every man, woman, and child
tested in three or four petitions. Have the
people no rights In q name? How about cut.
ting up New York and calling 1t New {?
What sense would there be in It? Is that the
erty HIP and call 1t Poverty; or Rock Hill
and call II Rock; or Due West aud call ii
.Duer Clark is an entirely different name
from Clark HILL The department is try.
ing to rename the place. Has IT the right7
'Drummers come to 'Clark's HIP and sell
goods and the goods are shipped to 'Clark's
ILL.,. OOLlOu duu OtuoT IdTlu u6Te
are are waybi 'Clark's HILL and shipped
from .Clark's HILL and thousands of crates
Of fruit are sent by express every year from
'Clark's HILL The place is called 'Clark's
Hill' and always WILDE. People visit 'Clark's
HIP and buy their tickets and send their tel
egrams TO 'Clark's HILL and twenty years
from now merchants will be sending theil
bills of lading to 'Clark's HILL and nineteen
twentieths of the mail will still be written
addressed to 'Clark's HILL 80 what's the use
freezing 10 the name Clark continuing the
confusion and causing no telling how much
mail In the meantime TO be sent to the Dead
Letter office or returned 10 the writers?
81 have myself sent from here 1000 letters
in the last ninety days. Correspondents try
to telegraph to Clark and cannot, and write
in confusion. Some OF my mail has gone to
CLARK, Fla and some to CLARK, 8. d.
(Clark, s. D.. mail Ia constantly coming here
have been forced to rent box In Augusta
an d have most of my mail sent there and for.
wa rded TO me here. People write to Clarke
Hill, and frequently have their letters re
tur ned marked, No such office"
The matter was then taken home TO the
De psrtment in the following letter:
at be Fourth Assistant Postmaster General:
el ipped from the Washington Post OF this
m orning, and bring IL to your attention In
tn is way because of the very pleasant knowl
ed &c / have OF some of the people in the
CT ark's Hill neighborhood.
THE Sage Of Clark's HIP is Mr.. George D.
I'll llman, who has been a well-known charac
te in that region for nearly fifty years, and
W no represented that district in congress fol
fifteen or sixteen years. He is the oldes
br other OF the present Senator Tillman.
1.-THE road past George Tillman's house Wal