Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-09-17


the very nature of things the value
of the products of the soil is con-
sumed in many instances before they
are harvested. Mr.. Hughes is sur
vived by his widow, (now Mrs. Har-
per), who, with her husband and
nephew and niece, Mr.. and Mrs.
w. p. Dickson, live at Six Mile, in
Pickens county, where Mr.. Dickson,
well known in Walhalla, is largely
and successfully engaged in farming
and merchandising, as well as rear
ing fine quartette of soldiers for
any future war in which his country
may be engaged.
In speaking of Six Mile it may
not be amiss to state that it is one
of the most thriving and prosperous
communities in Pickens county.
Near Six Mile Mountain, from which
the place takes its name, during the
war powder works were built and
operated, but as to the quality of
the article made or how many Yam
KEGS were killed with the same l am
unable to state.
Notwithstanding the devastating
effects of the war vast improve
ments and great progress have been
made throughout this section, and it
is hard to understand how any one
can complain of the want of progress
and advancement here if he will
only compare conditions fifty years
ago with the present. Then the
nearest market for our products was
Hamburg, and the only means of
transportation by wagon, from
which place We, obtained all our salt,
sugar, coffee, rice, molasses, &c.
Thousands of acres of land which
could then have been bought for
from twenty-five cents to one dollar
per acre are worth now from ten to
twenty-five dollars per acre. Popula-
tion has more than quadrupled itself,
handsome churches and public school
houses stand in every neighborhood
as indices of prosperity and progress.
Hundreds upon hundreds of acres,
then covered with primeval forests,
have been cleared and put in culti-
vation and are now towering with
Indian corn and bearing the snow
white crown of the king of COM
merce.
Where then you could 60 for
miles without seeing dwelling, now
stand within sight of each other, on
almost every road, elegant residences,
occupied by happy and contented
people, and spacious barns we'll filled
with the products of the farm !;
where then roamed at large the
"razor backed shoat" and the "scrub
COW" now walks the splendid Berk-
shire hog and the gentle-eyed Jersey
COW grazeso on pastures green and sue
culent. On the numerous branches, in
whose hidden recesses was located
and operated distillery, now may
be heard (to the lumber man) the
music of the shiDgle or saw mill. At
every CROSS roads, where once stood
the country grog shop, now you be-
hold church or public scho oil house
Then there was no New Pickens
Court House, with her churches
academies, banks, hotels, mercantile
houses, public buildings and enter.
prising citizenship; no Cateechee
Cotton Mill, no Liberty, no Central
no Easley, with their splendid
churches and schools, banks, mer.
chants, cotton mills and other indus
tries; no Clemson College with hel
magnificent endowment, able faculty
hundreds of students and modern
system of education no Blue
Ridge Railroad, connecting the
mountains with the sea coast nc
grand Southern Railway, traversine
our county, along whose line have
sprung into existence the thriving
and prosperous towns of Ben Cleve.
land, Westminster, Richland, Seneca
City and Newry, with their cotton
mills, banks, shuttle factory, hotels
stores, churches and schools.
! Fifty years ago small colony oi
thrifty and enterprising Germanf
founded Walhalla, and where then
stood few small isolated wooden
buildings, now meet the eye of the
visitor magnificent Court House and
Jail, suburb graded school building,
towering brick edifices, elegant man
sions, splendid hotels, banks, large