The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-01-12
FAIR FOREST CHAPTER, d. A. R.
REIDSTOWN.
{By Mrs. Mary Murphy Maddox

About the year 1892, perhaps be-
fore, Mr.. Joe Reid founded q settle
ment on Broad river IL miles east Of
what is now the city of Union. He
was an English gentleman of means,
or was of English descent. He laid
out streets and lots for the town
which he called Reidstown.
He first built brick house very
near the river on bluff one hundred
feet above the water. The house is
situated about a quarter of a mile
from the Piedmont road at the foot
Of an avenue bordered on either side
with large cedar trees, which Mr..
Reid planted himself, several of them
are still living. This was about the
first brick house built in the district
and was considered a very fine house
at that time.
He built several other houses, many
of them two stories high, with five and
six rooms, besides these we're wheel
right shops, shoemaker shops, tailor
shops, blacksmith shops and two
large stores managed by Mr.. Reid and
in which he kept a fine stock of goods.
The line of stage coaches which
ran from New Orleans to Washington
stopped at Reidstown and changed
horses, passing the mansion, as it was
called then, and crossing the river
at Reids ferry into Chester district,
thence proceeding on the journey to
Washington.
Mr.. Reid was a very enterprising
man. Besides building fine flour mill
and a saw mill on Fanning's creek, he
had a tannery in operation and had
shoes made from the leather tanned
there.
His tenants and employees drank
from the same spring of clear cold
water which he enlarged and walled
with an arch of rock five feet high
1t was near the store and is now in
the same state of preservation, as
when built, and is still called the
"store spring"
Mr.. Reid owned this place some
years after 1922; it then passed into
the hands of his brother, Mr.. Zack
Reid, who did not own it very long;
and it was then bought by Col. Dan
iel Thomas, who sold it to VIM. c.
Dunn in 1912.
Capt. Dunn died in 1880 and be-
queathed it to his only child, Mrs.
Sarah V. Murphy, who is still the pos
SCISSOR.
All that stands of this once pro-
gressive settlement is the brick house
and few large granite blocks, which
were the foundations of the several
buildings. The house is in perfect
state of preservation; two of the
rooms have the original plastering.
The paneled wainscoating four feet
high is put together with wooden pegs,
which are invisible. The hand carved
nnantels show the ingenuity of the
workmen of those days.
The massive granite steps, leading
to the entrance of the narrow hall,
were quarried on the place. Many
distinguished and prominent men
have ascended these steps, among
them could be mentioned Andrew
jackson, James X. Polk, John C. Cal
heun, besides some the governors of
our State, including Seabrook, John
son, Gist, Jeter and other men of note.
This old house was always consid-
cred haunted; stately ladies in black
silk dresses, handsome gentlemen in
knee pants and silver buckles have
been seen dancing the minuet, laugh
ing and talking and slipping their
wine. The different owners of the
place, however, never saw or heard
anything that they could not account
for
Rumblings and tremors were often
heard and felt at Redstown, which
terrified some of the people, and which
did not originate at the place as some
people thought
The view of the river from the
bluff, as we'll as from the house, is |
beautiful, the river bending at
Dunns eddy in the shape of horse
shoe. At this point is the subterran-
can passage, the bottom of which
could never be found and which was
said to be the home of "sea horse"
which was sometimes seen by different
persons swimming in the river.
Years have passed; times have
changed; the house stands as of yore
and Broad river flows gently on.
(The house at Reidstown, the most
important building of this settlement, |
is the girlhood home of Mrs Maddox
and her family have lived there for
several nerations-Regent)