The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1914-04-23
EDITOR CUNNINGHAM
REVISITS KINGSTREE,
AMAZED AT WONDERFUL PROG.
REss TIME HAS WROUGHT
IN "OLD-NEW" TOWN.

The editor had the pleasure of at
tending as a delegate the spring
meeting of Harmony PresEytery,
which met at Kingstree,h his old home,
last week. Most of the delegates
reached Kingstree on the noon train
from Sumter and were met at the
depot by a committee which had au-
tos there to convey them to the dlf-
ferent homes which were thrown
wide open to receive them. The ed
itor, Mrs Cunningham and DIR w )
Mccoy had the pleasure of riding
with that prince of good fellows, Mr.
D James Epps. Well. it was simply
amazing to ride over the old town
as the editor and his hetter half
could picture it in their minds as 1t
was twenty-eight years ago when
they left it and moved to the upper
part of the State ,and now to see the
new town as it has spread out, and
where only a few years ago were
corn and cotton fields are now beau
tiful wide streets and eleganthomes.
One is struck with the thrift and
enterprise of the old town that had
been sleeping for years, but since the
light of progress and modern awak-
ening she has rushed forward with a
speed that beggars description.
There are but few of the old land
marks left, most of which are the old
Nelson House and the residences OF
Ex-Solicitor Gilland and DIR D c
Scott, the old Jacobs home and the
court house. About five years ago
the Methodists were the first to tear
down their old church and erect In
stead a commodious brick structure
costing $4,000. Last year the Pres
byterians rolled aside their little
chapel, which had become too small
for the needs of the church. and
have erected a handsome brick
church with q seating capacity for
five hundred, with Sunday-sehool
rooms underneath and elegantly mt
ted mp with the latest models In
heating apparatus, a sweet-toned
pipe organ already installed, the floor
covered with an elegant Brussels
carpet and the seats and other fur
nishings of plain oak that harmonic
80 nicely the one With the other.
The best part of it all. it was done
at cost of only SIS, ZOO. The secret
it was a turnkey job and they
had building committee that was
ON the job" so that a brick OF in
ferior quality or a shoddy piece OF
work was not allowed.
While Presbytery was in session,
the Baptists were conducting the
dedicatory exercises of their new
church, which has just been COM
pleted at a cost of about fifteen or
sixteen thousand dollars. We could
not get the exact figures.
A pleasing feature is that each is
in sight of the other and their de-
signs so very different. The Metho-
dist is massive, with tall towers and
spires; the Presbyterian, plain roof,
with cupola and large columns in
front, with cement steps running the
entire width of building. The Bap-
tist, in addition TO the main body OF
the church, has Sunday-school rooms,
ladies' rest rooms and pastors study,
all of which give pleasing effect.
Kingstree has, mot yards of cement
sidewalk pavement. but miles of it.
1t is not put down just in front Of a
few dwellings, but wherever there is
a vacant lot, if it extended sometimes
a whole block, it was put there also,
so that the sidewalk may be contin-
uous. The town bears half the ex-
pense and the property owners the
other.
There are three or four large to-
bacco warehouses and there lies the
secret of Kingstree's phenomenal
growth-tobacco and trucking as
s;da crons to cotton and corn.