The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-10-26
Early History
of Union County
(Cortinued from page one)

Continued from page one)
is customary when a corner stone is
laid with Masonic ceremonies.
Within the corner stone of the
present court house, complete records
were placed, along with pictures of
Sheriff Long, his grandson, William
Wiiburn, and his little "nigger" mas
cot-and | say it with bated breath!
4 half-pint of whiskey Theoretically
sealed. These were put in copper
box, sealed by Il plumber, and placed
in solid rock hewn for the purpose.
One of the striking features of the
old building was the winding stairs
mentioned above, and another was the
heavy stone steps leading up from the
street-and thereby hangs tale:
There was friendly rivalry be-
tween two Union students of Black
Stone--riSing young attorneys who
afterwards became famous at the bar.
Zach Herndon and a. w. ThomSon.)
One of them, on seeing the other
approaching with an armful of books
made this remark: "Yonder comes my
colleague with more law under his
dill JildU uc Will ever nave IN MS
head" The remark being repeated
hy a byStander, a fight ensued. The
court fined each of the offenders $500
and the money was used to build the
court houses steps.
Within the memory of some of the
present citizens both court house and
Jail We're enclosed by wooden pick
ct fence.
The site of the court house was
chosen because of its proximity to
fine spring called Poplar Spring. and
in those days most of the houses of
the village were located on the hill
sloping from the court house to
Tosh's branch.
In 1927 the Legislature of South
Carolina passed an act authorizing
the commissioner of the streets of
Union to keep in repair the spring
supplying the village with water, and
for this purpose they were empowered
to use the money arising from "the
licenses Of billiard tables, retailing
spirituous liquors." and any fines or
forfeitures that came into their hands.
The town of Unionville received its
charter in 1887. An old plat Of the
village dated 1899, shows the Main
street of the town running east and
west. and called Union street. There
are no parallel streets and the cross
streets beginning East, were named
Farr, Mountain, Bachelor, Virgin,
Judgment and Grog. Judgment street
led up to the court house, and Grog
street ran back of the Jail where the
bar rooms were located
One of the oldest houses of Un-
ionville is still standing. a two story
wooden building on Main street be-
low the jail 1t was built by an old
Englishman named Peter Taylor, in
1888 was bought and occupied by Da-
Wis Goudelock, Master in Equity, the
father of our townswoman, Mrs. Ma
ria Boyd, whose husband. the gallant
Col. Boyd, was killed in battle in the
COS. The house next door was oc-
cupied by DR.. Joseph Dogan, son of
VIM. Dogan and the ancestor of the
Arthur family of Union. These two
houses were just across from "The
Big Gully famous place, and so
deep that a sweetgum tree growing
in the bottom of the gully reached to
top and the leaves could be touched
by passers-by on the top of the en-
bankment. DS. Dogan married Miss
Rice. They had several daughters.
very popular young ladies who were
laughingly called "The Gully Birds"
Three of these married Arthur
Strlngfellow and Steadman respective
ly. 1t was in this same big gully
near the Goudelock and Dogan's that
negro was hanged in 1864 or 65. Mrs.
Boyd remembers the circumstances
and she says that her father being
away with the army, she and her
mother and the other children were at
home one night when some one knock
ed and asked for dring of water.
Mrs. Goudelock told him to go to the
we'll, and soon after they heard SOL
dlers tramping in the yard.
The next morning the negro was
discovered hanging to the sweetgum
tree in the gully. The men who had
hanged him. supposedly some of
Wheeler'S cavalry, had gone through
the Goudelock yard and taken DR.. Do
gan's well rope. The negro was named
Sex Joiner, mulatto carapenter; he
had written an insulting note to
white woman and the citizens of I'm
ion had put him in Jail for his own
protection. Tradition saws that DR.
Dogan, on being told of the hanging
said "Hoot! Goot!"-a common ex-
preston of his-"I don't care about
the niger so much, but hate to
have my good well-rope spoiled"
A rose bush grew in the big gully,
a native running rose, and covered the
embankment for years. A cutting