The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-07-09
LEAVES FROM HISTORY.
A Brief But Interesting History OF
Lexington County.
BY EDWIN J. DREHER.

But with a spirit and energy born
of despair, and heroic determina-
ton and tireless perseverance, that
baffied all difficulties and overcame
all obstacles, our people went to work
to rebuild and restore their homes
and farms, and to erect mills and
open up other branches of industry.
They soon restocked their farms and
supplied themselves with improved
agricultural implements for more
diversified husbandry. By the re-
suits of the war their system of labor
was completely overturned and
greatly demoralized. Besides their
industrial and financial troubles, they
were cursed for number of years by
State government, composed OF
carpet-bsggers, native renegade
whites, and ignorant negroes, which
became in few years an intolerable
burden and disgrace to the country.
But the sturdy and indomitable yeo-
manry of old Lexington county
forged ahead. Cotton was good
price for some years, they put mp
better gins and presses, and raised
more cotton. They put circular saws
in their saw mills, and began to tap
their magnificent bodies of pine
timber. They opened turpentine
farms, brick, yards, and tanneries.
The phosphate mines were discovered
on the seacoast near Charleston, and
soon the railroad brought the ferti-
lizers, which have proved such a
timely boon to our agricultural
interests.
But it required about twenty years
to bring about all these hsppy
changes, and place our people again
fairly on their feet. Ia the mean
time a political wave arose in The
State, the Anglo-Ssxon asserted his
right to rule, and under the lead of
the peerless Wade Hampton, the
rotten Scott-Moses- Chamberlain gov
ernment was swept away, and honest
and decent government restored TO
the State. Peace and good order
soon prevailed among the people;
confidence in the settled order of
things revived: and satisfaction
and hopefulness took the place of
discomfort and encouragement.
With the restoration of confidence
in the stability of the State govern
ment and the industrial and business
interests of this section of the country
o spirit of progress and enterprise
seized upon our people such as
they had never before known. Large
and commodious new public build
ings, built of brick, and furnished
with many modern improvements,
soon took the places of the temporary
structures that were erected just
after the war. The town of Lexing-
ton was now steadily growing up
again, the ugly signs of grim war
were fast disappearing, and in some
respects the place was undergoing
decided improvements.
Now, thirty-seven years after the
war, we find Lexington county fully
abreast of the times, and in touch
with the rest Of the country in all
that pertains to industrial progress
and development, as we'll as educa-
tional and religious advancement ard
improvement. Some half dozen
railroads run through different sec
tions of the county, bringing nearly
every farm and mill in it's borders
within a few miles of railroad.
More than dozen towns, some of
them of considerable size
and importance, have sprung up
along these railroads. There are at
this time three cotton mills iu the
county, the Lexington Manufacture
ing Company near Lexington, SAKE
Gotha Mill, three miles south of
of Lexington depot; and the Bates
burg Mill, in that prosperous towr;
all equipped with the best modern