The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-06-15
sk+44+4E& OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
TRADITIONS OF LAURENS COUNTY !.

ieau Ut recent meeting OF the ID. ~ X
chapterJ
Laurens county is quite large thing
When to the subject you closely
cling;
For the county alone has many con
ncctionS,
SO I'll treat the subject from three
directions.
First, | will discuss the name. When
the war for American independence
had closed and the affairs of the gov
ernment had become settled. the uues-
tion that agitated the minds of the
people i'm this section of the Piedmont
belt was What will we name our
county, All old memories had passed
away and naturally their choice was
made from the struggle which had so
indellibly impressed them. Major
Jonathan Downs had exercised such
forttude in this part OF South Caro-.
lima that the people one and all. now
proposed the name OF Downs for th,
county. Mr.. Downs, however. objected
to this. But he said. The name O.
Laurens, propose. for he. you re
member, died fighting the foes. Ant
as ! am yet alive. might disgrac,
my name while with his. we associat,
only honor and fame" Hence. tn,
present name
With the county named. | VIII mex
tell of the selection OF the county seat
one bright August morning Il commits
sion. consisting OF certain leading cIti
IenS, set ont to look for Suitabl,
place to build the principal county
town and after roaming about for
roads and paths in the forests, founC
themselves at noon by Il cool holC
its glory as the eyes OF these public
servants rested upon it. for near a.
hand, little down stream. stood
still house, and close by We're describ.
ed number OF bee gums. Still house
bee gums and nice cool spring al
there together, were not to be treated
with Indifference. The combination
was full of blissful suggestions to the
experienced eyes and palates OF the
tired, hungry and thirsty wanderers
and it was not long till every dry
throat was refreshed with draugh'
that cheered the soul and made the
world anew With renewed hopes anC
appetites they repaired to the dense
shade near where Robertson's hote,
now stands and after dining from the
contents OF their ample wallets. they
lay down to sleep. ON waking. they
seemed TO be moved by an impuse
and as soon as some one could pu,
resolutions into words. it was de-
termined that no better place than
this could be found for the county
seat, so the town was located just
four miles north of the geographic
center of the county.
And last, but not least, your atten.
tion | will call,
TO how these lands into our posses.
sion came to fall;
Mr.. Downs is again the principal fac
tor,
For to us, he surely proved a noble
benefactor.
One OF his daughters, on coming into
her fathers room one morning. no;
long before his death, found him with
trunk full of papers before the fire
taking them out, one by one and
burning them. In answer to her uues-
ton as to what he was doing he saiG
that these papers were grants to him
self from the king covering nearly M,
"hoie OF Laurens county. between the
Saluda and Enoree rivers and that af-
ter reServing ample lands for his fam.
ily. he was destroying these evidences
OF his ownership, so that the hundreds
or innocent persons now occupyine
these tracts might never be disturbed
by any one under him.
Now, history neither records tbes,
TWO generous acts of our noble bene
factor, nor the sad reflections of ou
town founders; granting however that
they are both true. we regret that hi.
spirit OF generosity is waning but w,
are proud to say thai the untiring en-
ergy of our citizens has made the at
mosphere OF our little city polluted
from the very beginning. as pure a.
dew.