The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-08-23
ABBEVILLE HISTORY.

Col. P. A. Roche, OF Cambridge
Road, denies that he belongs to the
ancients, but Notwithstanding he
knows all about the events transpir-
ing in this city from the time when
General Pickens had his picture
STRUCK" in front of the old block
house in Fort Pickens (Which Alex
Salley says never existed) and which
picture is now in the National Bank,
up to the date when the hoop snake
made a drive at a hillbilly on South
Main, sticking his tail into a tree
on the Mcmillan place, behind which
the hillbilly jumped, causing the tree
to die before night. It may be said
in passing that the hillbilly escaped
and that accounts for the number of
the tribe who live on South Main
now, and at points beyond.
But that is not what we started
out to say. The Colonel has just
brought US a copy of Industries and
Resources of the South" a paper
covered volume of 800 pages printed
by the Empire Publishing Company,
of Charleston, in 1884, ONE thirty
eight years ago. AS all the ladies in
the city, as shown by the club rolls,
were born subsequent to that year
it may be interesting to note some
of the facts stated about Abbevil]Ss
because Abbeville seems to have en-
comprised a large part of the indus
tries and resources of the state at
that time judging by the amount of
space taken in the volume referred
TO. '"-~ - AZ
We are told in this volume that
the first settlement in Abbeville
District was about the year 1856
when Patrick Calhoun with four
members of his family settled on
Long Cane. He was followed by two
other families, one of the name of
Gowdy and the other of the name of
Edwards. We are next told of the
settlement of the French protestants
at New Bordeaux and New Rochelle.
Following this is something of the
history of the county in Revolution
airy days, and something of the &C
~tivities hereabout during the War
Between the States. Mention is made
of the Waddell School, at Willing
ton, of the old schools at Cokesbury,
and of Erskine College.
. 1t is stated that the county has
rs towns, with 173 stores. Of these
40 are at the court house town, Fl
in. Greenwood, 10 in Ninety Six, Is
in Hodges, IL in Due West, 10 in
Troy, 7 each in Mccormick and Dom
JACKSONVILLE, 4 in Antreville, 8 each
at Calhoun's Mills, C%okesbury, Maple
ton, Lowndesville and New Market,
with l each at Mountain View, Phoe-
nix and Sawney. Of these 9 sold IL
quor, exclusively, 81 miscellaneous,
and 107 general merchandise. The
estimated value of the stocks is plac-
ed at $6S1,OO0.
1t is stated that in 1882 Abbeville
County had planted in cotton 88,727
acres, the largest acreage of any
county in the state, growing $4,000
bales. 1--WE grew more than that in
1920 with more than half the county
taken away 1t is further stated that
49,397 acres were planted in corn,
yielding 743,624 bushels; 1882
acres in oats, yielding 709,366 BUSH
els; 1896 acres in wheat, yielding
158,140 bushels. 48S acres in sweet
potatoes made 1884 bushels. 143
acres in Irish potatoes gave a return
of 21,736 bushels. The county made
266,933 pounds of butter, raised
64,353 head of poultry, with 155,657
dozen eggs. In 1881 it is stated that
SO pounds Of lint cotton was made
TO the acre and in 1882, 17S pounds.
a total of 1876 tons of fertilizers
were used in 1882, while I'll tons
were used in making compost: Corn
sold for $1.09 cash, bacon at 10c,
flour at $500 per barrel, and hay at
$1.68 per hundred pounds. Wages
paid farm laborers ranged from Sc
b. en- oor poopfb With hoard