Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-04-16
A VOICE FROM oLO .plcxrNs.
Something Of the Glorious Past Of the Historic
Old Town--Iier People.

OLD Pickens. s. O., April s. Editors
Courier: The very name of Old Pickens.
Z" cne familiar with the place and lis his.
tory, suggests sad and gloomy thoughts. !.
Forty years ago there nestled on the hills
IN the eastern part of Oconee, near the
iimpid waters of Keowee river, many
handsome buildings, In the midst of
which stood a magnificent Court House.
surrounded by splendid hotel, mercan-
tile houses and law offices. Being the
Court House village of Pickens District,
which then comprised the territory of
what is now ,Oconee aud Pickens counties,
large business was transacted there.
Though not very populous town it was
place of wealth, refiL sment and culture.
1t was the birthplace of The Keowee
Courier, which takes its musical name
from the beautiful stream adjacent,
and which for more than fifty wears
has weekly visited the homes of our
people, replete with the news of the
day, good advice, lessons of morality,
honesty, temperance and Christianity,
bearing aloft the inspiring motto: "To
thine own self be true, and it must fol-
low as the night the day: thou caus't not
then be false to any man." Noble
Courier, long may you live and prosper,
and long may the venerable R. A.
thompson, so long connected with your
conduct and management, live to witness
your success and usefulness under the
new, bnt not less efficient, management.
Here was the home of the Alexanders.
Hagoods, Holcombes, Craigs, Lawrences,
Kirksey's, and others, among whom
were the families of that superb advo-
cate and matchlels orator, VIM. @. Keith,
and that able counsellor, immaculaLc
Judge and Christian gentleman, JOS. j :.
Norton, both of whom have entered upon
higher duties in a higher sphere. There,
tOO Was tho vanarahla II TT n;h,oo
of your TOW n, whose service as Magis-
trate, Sheriff and lawyer are we'll known |;
and the learned VIM. j. CAN'T, deceased,
who served his. people long and we'll as
Magistrate and COUNSELLOR. He was
noted for his kindly interest in young
men, and though considered 10y those
more competent to judge than ~ the
most brilliant conversationalist of his
time, he was modest as a maiden.
But times change and men change
with them" So do places. Old Pickens
is now in its truest sense "Deserted
Village"-only three or four white fami-
lies living there, all the best buildings
having been torn down and moved either
to Walhalla or New Pickens when the
old District was divided in 1868. There
is no school nearer than a mile, and it
is in progress only for part of the year;
no post office nearer than three miles (;
and but one church, at which the Bap.
lists hold service once month. The
church building is splendid brick
structure, built long ago, andSowned by
the Presbyterians; but it is now in q
dilapidated condition.
Rev. John l.. Kennedy, that prince of
educators of the oldeu time, is said to
have dedicated the church and preached
the first sermon in it. Revs. VIM. Nc
Whorter, deceased, aud - Grady served
the church as pastor for a long time.
1t is the custom of the Alexanders,
HagoOds, Bruces and others, whose dear
ones lie buried there, to visit annually
the sacred scene and decorate the graves
of their dead.
At one of these reunions two or three
years ago, out of the l.indness of their
hearts, these good people subscribed and
placed in bank a liberal sum with which
to repair the church. But why this
fund has not been made available for the
purpose intended is unknown to the
writer.
'Tis a pity for such building, hal
lowed by associations 80 sacred, to go to
ruin. g.