The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-04-26

bers of the South Carolina confer
ence. Prior to the Civil war there
was a large camping ground connect
ed with it where great camp meet
ings were annually held. In its con-
gregations were the wealthy, refined
and cultured of that day.
Five miles above Kings chapel was
Harmony Protestant Methodist church
and three miles up the road from
that point and mile east of the main
road was Mount Bethel, one of the
most famous camping grounds in the
Piedmont belt. There the wealthy
planters assembled during the week
embracing the second Sunday in Aug
ust, with a great company of cooks,
waiting maids and coaehmen. Open
house was kept in every tent. Feast
ling was the order of the day. The
fclans gathered from the two lower
! churches with friends from Cokes-
bury, Greenville and all the surround
ling country and worshipped God and
feasted on the fat of the land. Be
tween services and feasting social
converse held high carnival, but the
pleasures of social life were never al
lowed to conflict with the hours OF
worship. Great preachers attended,
among whom I recall DR.. McSwain,
DR.. Fleming, R. D. Smart in his young
days Dear Richard, how / afterward
tlearned to love .him), the, Moods and
scores of others. There / saw and
theard for the only time that eccentric
Epreacher. I can see him yet stand
| ing in the pulpit. I must have been
| quite small for the only thing he said
| that remember was frequent repe-
ftition of the phrase, II fancy, my bre-
thren." presume / was too young to
take in his discourse, but it was the
first time I ever heard 81 fancy" and
| / shall carry that much Of the old
preachers sermon to my grave.
| Mount Bethel was the church of
the souths, Pools, sullivans, McCul-
loughs, Gambre,ls, Epps, Gilkysons
and Woods. They were great peo-
!! pie. Jodie Mccullough, one Of the
| eminent lawyers Of the state and now
of Baltimore, was from this church.
| One of the remarkable features OF
this old camping ground was the great
lspring the waters of which were so
Estrongly impregnated with lime that
1.-THE horses refused to drink it until
4 they were forced to do SO from thirst.
IIt boiled up from basin at the loot
of a steep declNity and fnomed a pool
twenty feet in diameter and several
tfeet deep, and rushing away formed
IA considerable creek. i remember
THAT there were. fish in the spring.
Across this spring there was Always a
Ibriage way Of thick planks. II nave
1stood and watched an almost INTERIM
Unable line of negro cooks and walt
ing men file across this bridge, plunge
their buckets into the spring and pass
Fem. One dip filled them. ands after
thousands of gallons had been dipped
out there did not seem to be the
1least diminution in the out-howlng
Istream. Nor were the. waters the
ileast discolored by the continual
] splashing from morning till dark.
1 A few miles from Mount Bethel
was Oak Hill Methodist church In
+ GreenvilIe county. Prominent among
Its members We're the Epps. Scots
Humberts, sullivans, Gdkersons'
llstokes, Chambers. McDavids, Chap
Imans, Vances and Gambrells were
1.among the first attendants OF this
I church, refined and gentle people
Il Oak Hill was at first union church
and was given by Ransom Cobb, ESQ.,
who owns large tract Of OF! land ad-
j joining the seven acres which he gave
flor church purposes-for the use OF
lau denominations. The building was
4 originally a small frame building un'
! ceiled. The Baptists organized
church in this old building and Wor-
shipped there for many years but the
church did not grow. that denomlna'
/ ton, therefore, abandoned its efforts
3 to maintain an organization at that
! point. During. the year 1S55 there
WAS an unprecedented revival at
4 Mount Bethel. The effects of this
great awakening reached and perme,
ated the neighborhood Of Oak Hill
A brush arbor was built there and the
i ministers who. had conducted the re.
tviyal at Mount Bethel went, at the
y .IL. e ~, oo,,o y,o,1pifxy over