The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1917-10-26
Early History Union Library
OF Union County
Historic and Interesting Incidents of the old Davs
of OnionpHie-Graphic Description of Some of
the old Landmarks That Haze Long
Since Passed With Time.

of worship because it was intended to
he used alike by Presbyterans and
Episcopalians.
1t was a noted place and the name
Union was transferred to the whole
district. The town was first called I'm
lonville, but gradually the Suftix was
dropped
Little is known of the appearance
of the place before 1900 when the seat
of government was moved from Pinck-
NEVILLE. At that time there were
about 200 people in the village and a
score or more buildings.
In Mills Statistice, published 1926,
we are told that Unionvlle is pleas
antly situated at the head spring of
Shoaly Creek, branch of Fairforest.
nine miles from Broad River. Mills
also speaks of "respectable Acad-
envy and a Presbyterian church, and
tells us that 'literature had made
some progress but was mostly CON
fined to professional men.
In the Statutes of S. c., VOL 8 D.
263, we find mention of the Union Lii
brary Association, chartered by the
Legislature A. ID. 1911. and Mills re-
cords respectable library at the
village" There is no account of arti-
cleS manufactured for sale in the town
except the tanning of hides.
Coarse cloth for home use was made
in nearly all the homes; every house
hold having it's own spinning wheel
and hand-run loom.
The oldest part of the town is
around the court house The business
portion extended to where Farr &
Thomson now stands.
The records at the court house 90 as
far back at 1882, the first year that
Union is spoken of as county How
ever even after that, the district con-
tinued to be used down to Recon
struction times.
The first court in Unionville was
held in an old wooden building, across
the street fro mthe court house, be-
hind J. 3. Porter's old store.
Some of the oldest deeds on record
at the court house are as follows:
William White to Henry Long, 1887
Robert White to John Layton, 1887.
Robt. Burlington to Henry Davis, 1871.
John Herndon to John Thompson and
wife, 1894.
Joseph Hughes to James Gage, 1899.
John Goch to John Gage. 1899
Jesse Lyles to James Clowney, 1913.
The land for the court house and
Jail was given by Col. Thomas Bran
don as shown by an old deed which
reads partly as follows:
"Thos. Brandon to Union County.
nf h.
lection which he hath and beareth to
the said county of Union *be-
queaths twenty (20) acres of land to
be used as a site for jail and a
court house henceforth. forever.
and hereafter.
Signed, sealed ard delivered Dec.
26, 1887.
John McCooll, c. of C.
Witnesses,
John Ewart,
John Halle"
Wooden buildings were first put
up, but in the course of time these
were replaced by stone structures.
The date on the Jail is 1923. The walls
were commenced in brick, but fine
building rock being discovered
within a mile of the village, it was
substituted and both jail and court
house were built of granite, quarried
in Union county.
The old court house, which is dis
cribed by Mills as "handsome build
ing on the most approved plan" was
torn down a few years ago and re-
placed by the present structure, of
Doric Architecture, at cost of $75,-
600.
The old building had a double fight
OF circular stairs on the outside and
above the balcony where these met,
there was a stone arch bearing the
date 1922. The top stone of the arch
(the one with the date on it) is now
in the yard of Sheriff j. G. long, Sr.,
highly priced by him, because his
grandfather, Womack Fowler was a
mason and helped to put the stone
in place.
There is a story about how the
| name Wormack came into the family
Mr.. Fowler, the great-great grand
father of Sheriff Long, was staunch
Wing, and in common with the other
inhabitants of the district, suffered
much from the depredations of the
Tories. On one occasion, hearing of
an impending outbreak, he took his
family to Virginia for protection and
spent one night on the road with the
family of General Womack. When
Mr.. Fowler asked for his bill, the gen
tleman told him that the only charge
| he would make was that he should
name his next son Womack, and this
was done.
| No records were found in the corner
stone OF the old building except a
broken quart bottle, and it was under
the s. f. corner and not the N. f.. as
| Continued on last nooal