Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-09-15

anu Ills uauSnter, MISS henrietta,
aided him In his teaching, she occu-
pying one room of the school, while
he taught In the other.
School boys in those days seem to
have been much as they are now.
In that neighborhood foxes abounded
| and once in while some hunters
would come up with a pack of dogs
to hunt. Many a night these stu
dents, supposed to be studying or
sleeping, were away from their rooms
and upon the back Of some mule or
other beast of burden and spent the
night hunting with the visitors, COM
ing In at dawn and catching d few
minutes sleep before going to the
days work.
Another source of trouble to the
managers Of the school was the
blockaders, who made whiskey in the
ne1ghborhood, and would now and
then sell little among the students.
Other places where the students of
the academy amused themselves at
night were the watermelon patches
or the various farmers in the COM
munity.
The School Abandoned.
The school ran on until late in the
seventies, when it was abandoned.
Rev. Mr.. Kennedy mad by this time
become an old man, and by the up
growth of the other institutions of
learning In that section of the State
the old Thalian Academy was de-
serted by those seeking higher in
struction. The building still stands,
however, and there are many of the
old students still living who look
upon the place with reverence. 1t
was the largest school in the State
at the time OF it's founding, and was
the scene of the early training of
nearly all the youth of that part of
the State.
A reunion Of the students of this
old academy was held at the old Car
mel church on the 14th Of August
last. Many of the old students were
present, many of them having bent
figures and gray heads. There were
about two dozen of the old students
present, and they grouped around
the monument which has been erect
ed to the memory of Mr.. Kennedy,
and had a photograph of the group
taken. Afterwards the members of
the church grouped together at one
corner Of the church, and a photo
graph Of them was taken also.
The church is a large brick build
ing and still strong and, stable, in
spite Of it's more than a hundred
years. Inside there are the old-fash-
Toned pews with the stiff, straight
backs, and there is a small balcony
overhanging the rear end of the
church.
The old school building still stands
and is now the residence of Sam
Moorehead, a negro. The building
stands in the middle of field, with
the forest which once surrounded it
entirely gone. Nothing now re-
mains Of the old Thalian Academy
except this one building, and it is
fast crumbling under the destroying
ravages Of time.
The old church and school build
ing are landmarks in the history of
the upgrowth of America. These
are symbols Of the outward reaching
OF the early American settlers to-
ward something for their children
which they did not have, and though
the school seems insignificant enough
as 1T now Stands-a snail cabin-it
was once the largest school that the
State OF South Carolina could boast
or. 1t and Others Of its kind were
the parents of the modern school sys-
'o'' " inc AoIoSCp anu lHClI
still lives in the great complexity of
schools and colleges in our beloved
South Caroina.
Surviving Students of the Old Tha-
liam Academy.
The surviving students Of the old
Thalian Academy who attended the
recent gathering and were photo
graphed in the group at the
Sc lie OF their early college" days
Were:
Mrs. Alice Bruce, Mrs. N. r. Mar
tin, A. j. Boggs, b. F. Russell, II.
F. Taylor, G. w. Russell, d. H. Rus
sell, d. Fl. Rush, M. A. Boggs, Mrs.
S. J. McWhorter, A. r. Hamilton, ].
p. Smith, p. II. Boggs, w. w. Rus
sell, T. j. Moore, Mrs. J. r. Newton,
Mrs. l.. G. Boggs, w. C. Smith, ]. C.
Caldwell, VIM. A. Watkins, Enoch b.
Richardson, w. A. Neal, Mrs. Mamie
Russell Neal, and Mrs. Corrie Glenn
Smith.