Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-10-08
A VOICE FROM OLD pIckEus.
"Lookins Backward Over tho Glorious Past
Of a Noted Section and Noted People.

Il
saying originated, but / have otter
heard it remarked that our Civil Wa,
was the erich mans war and tn,
poor mans fight" Be this as il
may, it is fact that the poor mer
of the South, who had little to fighi
for, were among the first to yolun
teer in defense of the Southern
Cause, were among tho foremost ir
battle and with wonderful fortituds
and courage endured all the priva
tions and hardships of war until ths
final episode in that bloody struggle
at Appomattox. Hence the poor
soldier, the humble private, should
share equally in the glory of victory
and our gratitude with the opuleni
Colonel and the decorated Brigadier
Among this class of soldiers who
went from Old Pickens were James
White and Joseph Kelley. Mr.
White served throughout the war
received a wound from which he
never entirely recovered and died s
few years ago at his home near Ole
Pickens, leaving his widow and
several sons, who are worthy and
useful citizens of Oconee county.
Mn Kelley entered service in the
company of Captain Robert A
Thompson, afterwards Colonel, and
died from wound received in the
battle of Frazier's Farm, near Rich
mond, Va, in 1862. He is survived
by his widow, Mrs. Alsey Kelley, g
most estimable lady and worthy
pensioner.
Though the pension allowed the
Confederate Veterans and theil
widows at present is small, it is a
great help and it is to be hoped that
as the winter of old age advances
upon them and their infirmities in
crease the wisdom and patriotism OF
our Legislature willincrease the pen
sion 30 that every old soldier may
spend his last days on earth in ease
and comfort. 1t is not charity, but
a just debt, eminently Just, due them
for the loss of their time, their
health and their blood in many in.
stances.
Immediately after the war, DR.
William McWhorter, son of the
late Rev. VIM. McWhorter, located
and practiced medicine at Old Pick.
ems for some time, removing from
there to Virginia, where he died
DR.. John Parker, of Abbeville, also
resided and practiced his profession
there after the war, but he returned
to Abbeville. Both were surgeons
in the Confederate army.
Rev. John Burdine, a minister oi
much influence, lived here for num-
ber of years and operated "iug fac
tory" or was manufacturer of Jugs
churns, &c. He went from here to
Greenville, S. O., where he died al
the age of ninety, not many years
ago. The Burdines were q large, re.
spectacle and influential family and
many of them now live in Pickens
county.
That section of Pickens, allude ed
to in my last article as Six Mile, was
first settled by Col. John A. Easley
who built and operated large saw
mill there, and in partnership with
DIR. Sloan, of Pendleton, dealt ex.
tensively in mules and horses. They
imported their mules from Cuba
which were then said to be very fine
Afterwards M. f. Mitchell and others
owned and lived at Six Mile
Col. Easley died there, but none oi
the Easleys or Mitchells are now
living in the neighborhood.
AS roads and bridges have alb.
sorbed much attention recently, it
may not be amiss to relate the his.
tory of Old Pickens in that direc.
tion.
When Keowee river, which flows
in sight of where the old Court
House stood, is swollen it is very
rapid and furious stream and in the
early days it was most difficult
matter to get bridge to withstand
the same. 1851 Capt. John Max.
well and Mr.. Reese Hunnicutt
erected covered bridge at a cost tc
the District of several thousand
dollars which withstood the high
water for more than forty years and
was finally swept away by a storm OF
cyclone. The flooring had to be re.
laid once and the covering renewed
twice. At the time there was mucf
grumbling and indignation on the
part of some of the citizens on ac
count of the expense . attached, but
time proved the economy and wis
dom of the investment.
About the same time Elisha Law
renee and sons built a bridge called
the Swinging bridge" about two
miles below the first, across the river
at cost of about five hundred dol
lars, which I am informed stood OF
swung there until it yielded to the
decaying influence of time.
AS has already been said Ole
Pickens was at one time noted fol
it's fine schools. / believe Rev
Jno. l.. Kennedy was the first and
most distinguished teacher who eve,
taught there. He was a Presbyte
rian minister of much learning ant
piety. He was a firm disciplinariar
and believed strongly in the provert
of Solomon in reference to the rod
Whenever there was an infraction ol
the rules of school, no matter how
large the aggressor, he had to sub
init to the rod or leave school. Some
considered him too severe and he
| 4