Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-09-16

ure last FRIDAY a1ternOOn Ol uidhiHS
trip into the Ramah- Santiago country,
and meeting amid the surroundings OF
their daily labors, many people with
whom he has long been more or less
intimately acquainted and with whose
splendid progress in educational mat
ters and general citizenship our read
ers have been kept reasonably familiar.
The immediate occasion Of the trip
was the picnic at Santiago, mention OF
which is made elsewhere In this issue;
but with the scenes presented and facts
and Impressions gathered during Se
few hours while the editor was in the
neighborhood, 1t would seem to be
worth while to try to give our readers
a somewhat clearer idea as to how and
why this particular neighborhood Is be-
ginning to attract such widespread at
tention. s 10.
Less than twenty years ago the ter
ritory which now goes up to make
school district Al, of which Santiago is
the capital, was little better than
wilderness. There were then living In
the neighborhood, people who remem-
bered when deer, bear. wild turkey and
other game was more or less abun-
dant. The game, Of course had long
since disappeared; but still there were
very few houses, and in the sparse pop
ulation there was practically no idea or
desire for material progress. Such in
tellectual and social ambition as there
was, lay practically dormant, and farm
lands were almost without money
value. But beginning about that time,
there began a gradual quickening
among the natives and an influx Of
new blood, some of 1t from contiguous
neighborhoods, and some Of 1t from
across the North Carolina line, and
within the next ten years people gen.
orally began to realize that the country
was being pretty we'll filed with hard
working, small farmers who we're be-
ginning to count in everything that
seemed to make for progress. ...
In the course Of time Ramah Pres
byterian church was established by
Bethel Presbytery at the initiative Of
some of the more enlightened people Of
the neighborhood, and then later on
came Santiago school house. about half
a mile away. The school building.
though looking like somewhat Of a
travesty now, was q very good one for
that day and time, and was built short
ly after the battle of Santiago for
which 1t was named. The population
grew steadily. the church and school
house grew with the population and a
little over two years ago Mr.. A. M.
McGill erected and stocked quite a
large and commodious store building
at the cross roads between the church
and school building. Last year the old
school building, having been outgrown
by the community, was discarded for a
handsome new structure that was
moved about a quarter Of mile nearer
the store, and now that which only a
short while back was a lonely cross
roads in the midst Of a wilderness, Is
the centre Of populous community,
pulsating with life, activity and high
planed ambition. - ;.. ..a.
Only recently completed and still
shining in nice fresh coat of white
paint, the school building is quite a
handsome structure. 1t Is two stories
high. The school room provided with a
full complement Of regulation desks,
and with a seating capacity of about
two hundred, Is entered through a ves-
tibule with cloak rooms on either side.
There is a Woodman hall in the upper
story, and a small bell tower on top of
the building. The only thing that ap-
pears to be lacking is a suitable play
ground; but that will no doubt be pro-
vided in due time, While of course the
building was erected solely for educa-
tional and fraternal purposes, 1t stands
as an unmistakable evidence Of the
progress, liberality and breadth. of the
people who gave up the money for II
from the proceeds Of their honest,
faithful toll.
Santiago Is eight miles from York
Vile in bee line; but about thirteen
miles around by the way Of the Kings
Mountain road on which 1t was neces-
sary to go by automobile. 1t Is 81 miles
southwest of Bethany and about the
same distance northwest of Piedmont
Springs. Kings Creek and the South
ern railroad Is about seven miles to the
south west, and Kings Mountain bat
tleground is pretty nearly the same
distance to the northwest.
After turning off from the Kings
Mountain road at Bethany and as we
started into the Ramah- Santiago coun-
try, Mr.. Wilborn began to call atten-
ton to the unusually large number OF
painted houses, the large substantial
barns and the heavy crops Of corn and
cotton, especially cotton. He said that
a few years before he went into the
real estate business, large tracts of this
land changed hands at SO, $3.50, 81 and
S5 an acre, and that since he has been
In business he has bought, and sold
some Of the farms several times at
higher and higher prices ranging from
$40 and $12 at the beginning, up to SIS
and $50 now, and he pointed out
two farms that could not be uuught
for $50 an acre, and little bet
ter. He made no hesitation in say
ing that there had been more agricul-
tural progress in this community than
in any other rural locality in the coun-
ty, and he was as positive as to the
reason Of it-good, cheap lands in the
hands of live, energetic and ambitious
small farmers.
There may be, and no doubt are,
those who think it little strange that
these Santiago people have put so
much money in a school building; but
when one goes into the neighborhood
he finds a complete explanation with
but little difficulty. The people have
caught the spirit Of progress. They
seem to realize that the way to grow
is to work and hustle, and that almost
all of them are doing with a vim and