The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-06-12
PIEDMONT REGIONS NAME
What Does it Mean An Alleged
Curious Fact in History.

Mrs. II. NJ. Green, of WASHINGTON.
Ga, civ cs the following explanation of
the term Piedmont in II recent issue of
the Atlanta Journal
We all have IL vague soit of idea that
we live in the great " Piedmont Re
glon," hut exactly what that means,
what lis boundaries are, or why So
called, not one of us can tell. Thcr,
Is no Piedmont river nor mountain nor
Indian tradition upon which to found
the name. In fact, it is not an Indian
name, but French.
We hear people in Virginia ana
North Carolina say they live in the
Piedmont region" We hear South
Car"linans ami Alabamans say tn,
same thing, and as for Gcorgiaus, YOU
would think the whole State ought to
be called Piedmont, since people from
every corner claim to nhahit tha;
mysterious region whose center is no.
where and whose boundaries every.
where.
1t puzzled me Il long time. | used
to ask common morials, like M, self
about IT, bnt they could not tell. Then
| asked those who We're authority on
ohcnclaturc, with the same result
Then | watched for some mention O
it in ali the Southern histories that /
read, ana only once did find nythuns
like clcw. That was in I.oman's His
tory OF South Carolina, Il book, by tn,
way, as rare and as valuable as Gov.
cinor Giilman's Gcorgians. Here | saw
II stated that upper South Carolina
around Abb -villc-was settled in parl
by Picdmontcse. This seemed clue
bu, was not satisfactory, for the region
called Piedmont extends from the
Chesapeake bay to central Alabama.
In the life of Alexander Stephens
by Richard Malcom Johnston, mcnllon
Is made that MIR. STEPHENS on one oc.
SION away back in the foltics, wen
over to Washington, Ga, TO take the
Piedmont stage line" and this sen
tcncc, coupled with local traditions.
explains the whole thing. The Pied
mont region is simply the region trav.
erscd by line of stage coaches run b,
Frenchman Of the name of Piedmont
The line originally ran from Richmond,
Va, to Columbus, Ga, but later was
extended To Montgomery, Ala. Pos
sibly II changed horses AT Marlhasyillc
ana Tor this reason Atlanta claims to
be the head ccntcr OF the Piedmont rc.
ylon.
Whether the Frenchman's name was
llcdmnnt or whether he w,s refugee
from the province Of That name in
Italy, cannot say, but he and his
stage coaches gave the name TO the rc.
slon through which they passed. The
line followed the Indian trails and the
Indian trails followed the natural
wealth of the country. lhc Indians
selected those places Tor building their
Villages most favored by nature. They
sought pure water to dr,nk, uoru
streams to fish in and yoou forests To
hnnt IN. The best hunting ground
was always where vegetation was most
luXurlant, for wild animals fed ON nuts
fruits, cane and grass.
1T is curious to look back hun lrcd
years and see how civilization has |
marched in the fou.prinls of savaucrv
FIRST came the Indians, single file
silently marching one behind the other.
lhcn came !hc traders, with their pack
horscs, fo.l wing the paths of the I'm
Illans and selling them rum and pclIry
Tor skins and furs. Then came the whit.
settlers, with their families. Wn,.n
.he settlers came the paths or trails
we're widcncd to admit wheels. Then
came the stage coach. Th,n The team
engine, plunSing, plowing and burst
ny VIDE open the hidden treasures oi
stream and forest. 1t is fact that tbe
'allioads arc built, for the mo p,,t
'long the lines of the old stage roulcs
10 that in looking backward we see
ilat me Indians surveyed many Of The
mes now covered hy steel rails, telo-
,raph and telephone wires.
TO my mind, The romance oil clinos
the days of stages. There IS fasci-
ation about thabX,ode of travel tRat
= = Z. 8. s. g AUxu1