The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1910-06-16
KINGSTREE-PAST AND PRESENT.
observations of Newspaper Man
Anent Our Towns Progress.

Observations of Newspaper Man
Anent Our Towns Progress.
Mr. J E Norment, the brilliant and
versatile newspaper writer known
and loved all over South Carolina,
was so impressed with Kingstree's
marvellous growth and improvement
while on visit here recently that he
wrote letter to the Columbia State
telling in characteristic style his i'm
pressions of the old town after an
eight years absence. Our Ed" as
the late lamented Col James T Ba-
con was wont to affectionately refer
to him, although out of active news
paper work for some time, has lost
nothing of his charming style and
graphic power of expression, as the
following product of his facile pen
will prove:
Ancient, honored and hoary Kings
tree, the capital of old Williamsburg
county, with its history and its ira
ditions! Kingstree has awakened,
has put on the garments of fresh
ness and youth and is not only keep
ing up with, but is actually setting
the pace for younger growing towns.
Your correspondent had not been to
Kingstree for some eight or ten years
until few days ago, and he was lit
orally lost-and Kingstree has no
dispensary, not a single blind IL
ger. CD
The growth and improvement here
are simply marvellous. The topogra-
ply of the former town remains the
same, except where the opening of
new streets made necessary changes.
The historic old court house has been
splendidly furnished throughout, a
handsome iron fence now surrounds
the square, cement walks are all
around the building, which has not
been changed from the striking old
architectural design which has stood
as landmark, ancient and honored,
for so many historic years.
New buildings are literally every
where. 1t is hard to find them thick
er during the same length of time,
nor of finer design and finish. Plate
glass, iron and brick, with cement and
granite occasionally thrown in, are
the materials used, and modern de-
sign and finish are always in evil
dence. If the patent medicine device,
before and after taking" were
here available, marvellous things
would be seen.
The brand of medicine here used
is not patented, is open to all, a free
race, no cost, as to the purchase price
alone, guaranteed to do what the
users and dispensers claim for it.
For this patent medicine is only a
combination of local pride, exempli-
fled by local work, done by an entire
and interested community.
A potent factor here seen and in
evidence is furnished by that same
wonderful force. the power and con-
sequent results of which are so little
understood. This ignorance is so
general and is so all-pervading that
| fear this force is not even known
as it should be at Kingstree, where
its beneficial effects are so marked
and of such fine calibre The
County Record and its editor and
proprietor, C w Wolfe. This is the
source from which much Of this
wonderful growth has sprung. This
is a well-edited, well-managed pa
per, with a large circulation, and
with the influence that comes from
such a journal, when an educated,
patriotic editor is doing work with
out hope of any adequate return,
but because it is a matter of princi-
pie. Like The Record, the growth of
Kingstree and it's environs is we'll
balanced, symmetrical and of a
higher order than is usually the case,
and this progress was never better
or healthier than it now is.
The Kellahan hotel is one of the
most striking exponents of this re-
cent spirit of improvement. The
building is modern and handsome,
well built AMI commodious, airy and
comfortable, the rooms being unusu-
ally comfortable, and under the man.
agement of J w Chandler this hos
telry furnishes a home for travellers
second to none of a town of its size,
no matter where it is to be found.