The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-05-06
Historic Points Lower Able
vile County.

vile County.
Col. W. P. Greene, of this city, has spells
occasionally that make him HE to the
most ancient cemeteries in search of data
touching those long since dead. II the
cemetery happens to be buried In the
trackless wood, where hooting owls call to
each other, ever at the noon hour, it is es-
pecially attractive to him. Being a good
linguist he esteems it a most excellent lind
if he can fall upon an old Latin or French
inscription. While he is a good lawyer,
one of the very best in the State, this ed
itor is disposed to think that he would
have made more lasting renown as an MIS-
torian, ever II he had made less money.
Col. Greene keeps an automobile, as good
as the town affords, and he has his family
fooled into the belief that it is kept as a
pleasure vehicle. The fact is he keeps 1t
for visiting cemeteries, and thinks nothing
Of going forty or fifty miles in an after
noon to examine some tomb inscription, II
it is reputed to be over 100 years olo.
Knowing that the editor OF the Press Il
Banner has a similar mania, only in a less
degree, he frequently has him to join him
on these excursions.
In company with Mr.. Greene n his
family it was our privilege to take such an
excursion one evening this week through
the lower section of Abbeville county. One
of the places. visited was the old Pettigru
burial ground, near the home of MI. j. N.
Allston. The land on which the Pettigru
home and burial grounds are located, once
belonged to James L. Pettigru, the famous
Charleston lawyer and the home was his
summer home. Much of the old furniture
and wagon loads. Of books, some IN
French, some in German, some In old Eng
lish, some in Latin, some religious, some
legal and somo literary, are to be found
now in the Allston home. There are many
other heirlooms and curios. Among them
is an African calabash gourd used in olden
times as a water gourd; an African Carl
bou's horn, nearly three feet long, meas
ured with the curve; small desks OF ex-
quisite workmanship, chairs of ancient de-
signs, and many other such articles as go
to make up the modern museum. Other
interesting things on the premises are a
sun dial of solid stone located in the front
yard, and an old spring house made Of
dressed stone and covered with slate.
The approach to the old Pettigru home
is through an avenue Of white oaks a mile
long, set out over n hundred years ago.
The Pe.tigru place was originally grant
ed to James L. Gilbert, pastor Of the origi-
nal French Huguenot colony that settled
in lower Abbeville county. He and many
Of his descendants are buried in the fami-
ly burial ground. Of course we visited
that burial ground. 1t is located in the
thickest of original forest on a point
around which a stream of considerable
size curves, in its course to Little River.
The grounds are. enclosed by a wall Of
dressed rock about eight feet high and
three feet thick, that must have cost sew
eral thousand dollars to build. The en-
trance is barred by an iron door which is
kept locked. On the iron door a r%eproduc-
ton in iron Of old Father Time" with his
long heard and wings, scythe in hand,
walking over the skulls and bones of the
dead. a part OF the iron mould, hung
for many a year. Mr.. Allston has re-
moved this image from the door and it
now leans against the stone wall.
Within the grounds were the graves OF
some of the first settlers of Abbeville
county, notably that Of Jas. L. Gilbert,
leader of the Huguenots already referred
to. The inscription on his tomb, in
French, tells the story Of the departure Of
his people from France, for; conscience
sake, and their settlement in the wilds Of
America.
From the Petigru home we went, to LIE
the, a place OF kindred interest.
Lethe was the home Of DR.. John Della
Howe, also n Of the original French set
tiers Of AbbeviIle county. DR.. Della Howe
left his entire estate, some 1000 acres Of
magnificent land, to sustain a school for
orphan children in Abbeville district.
There are enough interesting facts in con-
nection with this school to fill a book, but
SuluC6 IL W say IudG III Cuo Qdyo WuOu Iuo
rich educated their own children, this
school did q noble work for the education
of orphan children in Abbeville county. It
is being run o successfully by one OF
the most practical as we'll as one Of the
most useful men in the county in the per-
son of Rev. H. B. Blakely.
OF course we visited DR.. Della Howe's
tomb. 1t, too, was buried in original for.
est, the same that shaded the red mar in
the long ago.. 1t is located on a hill some
three hundred yards from Little River.
The Della Howe tomb is brick enclosed
and has an iron door, which tells in Latin,
a short story Of the occupants. The occu-
pants are only two, the old Doctor and his
faithful ho%usekeeper, who in death is ~
ing very, very near him.
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