Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1916-04-12
MCCORMICK COUNTY.
Visitor in Mccormick Writes
Impressions of the New
County and County
Seat

ure of meeting a number or toiKs
living in the section composing the
proposed New County of McCor-
mick, among them. DR.. D. A. J.
Bell. found that DR.. Bell had a
treatment that I had long needed to
restore me to health, and am now
here under his care. 7 am sure that
I will be glad of having met him az
/ | am already benefited. This is 80
different from our section that l
ana writing something about it. 1t
is nice little town about FORTY
three miles above Augusta on tie
G. & w. G. Railroad and is also
the terminal of the Anderson
branch. 1t has two churches, an
excellent high school and a good
newspaper. The town is populated
by a truly ho<pitable people, two
banks and a goodly number of bu-
siness places that supply the needs
of the town and surrounding COM
munity. Backed by sturdy class
of intelligent farmers, (about twen-
ty new farmers recently moved ln)
having good homes, and the culti-
vation show that they are workers,
and that they do not depend on
cotton altogether. They are so
situated that they are good dis.
tance from a court house, and al
most equally near Abbeville, Edge
field and Greenwood. Irode through
a portion of each of the above
counties in distance of about two
miles. Travel in each of these
counties is restricted to degree
during wet weather. The railroad
facilities do not enable them to
reach their respective court houses
easily. SO out of part of the
three counties they have been and
are now trying to get a newseounty.
with this as the court house town.
1t is admirably suited for 1t IN
many ways. The country roads
all converge here, while the rail-
roads would serve the proposed
new county we'll An election was
held in 1905, and was carried for
the new county by majority of
four to one, but the opponents won
out for the reason that the required
area was lacking. At another elec-
ton held in 1914, the vote in its
favor was six to one, but was again
put aside. The third was held in
1915 with an equally large majorl-
ty in its favor, but still the matter
is unsettled. The last legislature
having created the New County de-
pending upon the Supreme Court
20 decide the technical and consti-
tutional questions involved, and
another session has been called for
April y, which will doubtless de-
lermine the final outcome. | have
never seen a people so determined
as these, and I am afraid that if
they are disappointed by the deci-
sion of the court that some of them
will be sour the balance of their
lives. The same may be true of
some of the opponents, but they are
few, in fact, l have the first one yet
to meet I hope they will get the
New County for they certainly de-
serve it.
There is lots of history about
this place and community. There
is noted gold mine from which
during the few years preceding the
civil war with slave labor one of
the citizens extracted about half
million dollars all of which there is
record and it is believed that an
} equal amount was extracted during
the war of which there is no record.
At any rate it made the owner a
rich man. Tie mansion which he
erected is still in good condition.
though needing repair, and if near
er the town would be very valuable
The vein of gold was lost after the
!, war, and the property is now owned
by company, and will likely bt
developed if the missing vein Ii
: found which will prove of grea
:, value. Small rocks are lying OF
| their property in which small speck'
) of gold are plain to the eye.
; The famous De La Howe proper
ty of several thousand acres is nea
here and is in the proposed new
! county. Under his will this prop
erty was left for an industria
school for poor children, in. tn
. closing years of the seventeenth
, century.
1t is indeed picturesque place
t with grand views stretching fo
i many miles over hills and valleys
It has been maintained under th