Author: Andy Brack

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HuffPost: S.C. finally remembers a hero

From The Huffington Post, April 8, by the Center’s Andy Brack:

It has taken more than 60 years for people in the city where the Civil War started to figure out it was home to an authentic civil rights hero.

On Friday, April 11, Charleston city fathers will unveil a statue commemorating the bold prescience of J. Waties (pronounced “wait-eez”) Waring, a federal district judge who was the first in the South to write that government-mandated racial segregation was unconstitutional. The reward for his courage? The eighth-generation Charlestonian became a pariah, run out of town after he retired following his strong dissent that directly influenced the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board school desegregation decision.

A Charleston blueblood born in 1880, Waring had a solid but comparatively undistinguished legal career, first as an assistant U.S. attorney in South Carolina, followed by private practice that included a stint as city attorney. He was close to leading politicians. When confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the bench at age 61 in 1942, few dreamed he would rock the boat that separated black from white. …

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Rocking Horse, Workman Crossroads, S.C.

Rocking horse and old store, Workman Crossroads, S.C.
Rocking horse and old store, Workman Crossroads, S.C.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown found an old country store, a vintage rocking horse and a restored farmhouse standing within yards of each other at Workman Crossroads in western Williamsburg County.

Williamsburg County, which is about 75 miles north of Charleston, S.C., has a population of just under 34,000 people.  Population peaked in 1950 at 43,807, but has dropped slowly since then.

About two-thirds of county residents are black, with almost  all of those remaining being white.  Only 2 percent of those in the county are of Hispanic descent.  Some 32.8 percent of residents live in poverty, according to the Census.  Of the county’s 1,921 firms, 36.5 percent are black-owned — a percentage that is three times South Carolina’s average.

Photo taken March 30, 2014, by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

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Tobacco barn, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Tobacco barn, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Tobacco barn, Williamsburg County, S.C.

An old tobacco barn, still standing on McIntosh Road in Williamsburg County, has given way to less production and new methods of processing what is grown, retired Kingstree editor and photographer Linda W. Brown observed recently.

Williamsburg County, which is about 75 miles north of Charleston, S.C., has a population of just under 34,000 people.  Population peaked in 1950 at 43,807, but has dropped slowly since then.

About two-thirds of county residents are black, with almost  all of those remaining being white.  Only 2 percent of those in the county are of Hispanic descent.  Some 32.8 percent of residents live in poverty, according to the Census.  Of the county’s 1,921 firms, 36.5 percent are black-owned — a percentage that is three times South Carolina’s average.

Photo taken March 30, 2014, by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

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A little love, Sardinia, S.C.

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This old farmhouse in the Sardinia community in rural Clarendon County seems to be getting a little long-needed loving. Retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C., noted how the scaffolding across the house’s front porch indicates it is getting a new lease on life.

Clarendon County has 34,357 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 population estimate.  About half of the county’s residence are white; the other half are black.  Some other statistics:

  • High school graduation rate of those 25 or older:  76.3 percent.
  • Bachelor’s degree graduates:  13.8 percent
  • Median household income:  $33,267
  • Poverty rate:  22.8 percent
  • Unemployment rate, November 2013: 9.9 percent (2.5 percent higher than the state average)
  • Black-owned firms:  30.1 percent (18 points higher than state average)
  • Women-owned firms:  35.4 percent (8 points higher than state average)

Copyrighted photo is by Linda W. Brown; taken March 30, 2014.  All rights reserved.

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Creepy, Montrose, Ga.

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Just looking at this photo of an abandoned bus and a creepy row of dried corn stalks gives us the Willies.  It’s part of Haunted Montrose, a seasonal attraction in the small Laurens County town of Montrose, population 154.

In the bigger picture, however, what’s interesting is how folks in this small community put the town on the map in a non-agricultural time of the year to generate extra revenue.  See earlier photo.

Montrose, located in central Georgia, has a relatively low poverty rate of 11.2 percent, although 30 percent of its children live in poverty. Some 23.6 percent of residents of Laurens County (population 48,434) live in poverty, according to Census data

Photo taken Feb. 16, 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.

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Haunting success, Montrose, Ga.

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This old Cadillac hearse in Montrose, Ga., advertises a clever local success — a ghoulish Halloween sensation called Haunted Montrose.  What apparently happened is some local residents took an abandoned house in the small Laurens County town and converted it into a spine-chilling attraction open a few days each year.  Just walking around the area, which has a creepy corn field, abandoned vehicles and more, might give you the Willies.

But from another perspective, it’s an interesting way in which a small community — 154 people — has put itself on the map in a non-agricultural time of the year to generate extra revenue.  On April 2:  Another photo from Haunted Montrose.

Montrose, located in central Georgia, has a relatively low poverty rate of 11.2 percent, although 30 percent of its children live in poverty. Some 23.6 percent of residents of Laurens County (population 48,434) live in poverty, according to Census data

Photo taken Feb. 16, 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.

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Brick shell, Montrose, Ga.

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At one of the main intersections in Montrose, Ga., sits this abandoned brick shell of a building that is across the street from the Montrose Baptist Church along U.S. Highway 80.

The building had few clues as to its past use, but it may have been part of an agricultural business, such as  a farm supply store.

Montrose, located in rural Laurens County in central Georgia, is home to 154 people and a relatively low poverty rate of 11.2 percent, although 30 percent of its children live in poverty. Some 23.6 percent of residents of Laurens County (population 48,434) live in poverty, according to Census data

Photo taken Feb. 16, 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.

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Friendly, Wrightsville, Ga.

Wrightsville, Ga.
Wrightsville, Ga.

Wrightsville, Ga., bills itself as the “friendliest town in Georgia,” as highlighted by the town water tower near Brown Memorial Baptist Church on Vally Street.

Wrightsville, county seat for Johnson County in east middle Georgia, is home to about 2,200 people, 35 percent of whom live in poverty.  Some 46 percent of the town’s residents are white; 53 percent are black.

Johnson County, part of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area, has just under 10,000 people, 21 percent of whom live in poverty.

Photo is copyrighted 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.

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Rusted roof, Wrightsville, Ga.

Along the tracks, Wrightsville, Ga.
Along the tracks, Wrightsville, Ga.

Here’s a shot of another shack along the railroad tracks in Wrightsville, Ga., which bills itself as the “friendliest town in Georgia.  Earlier photo.

Wrightsville, county seat for Johnson County in east middle Georgia, is home to about 2,200 people, 35 percent of whom live in poverty.  Some 46 percent of the town’s residents are white; 53 percent are black.

Johnson County, part of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area, has just under 10,000 people, 21 percent of whom live in poverty.

Photo is copyrighted 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.

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Down by the tracks, Wrightsville, Ga.

Along the tracks, Wrightsville, Ga.
Along the tracks, Wrightsville, Ga.

Wrightsville, Ga., bills itself as the “friendliest town in Georgia,” but conditions don’t look too great along the railroad tracks. The above shack on East Trilby Street appeared to be abandoned, but you can imagine how the walls rattled when trains clicked by in the old days.

Wrightsville, county seat for Johnson County in east middle Georgia, is home to about 2,200 people, 35 percent of whom live in poverty.  Some 46 percent of the town’s residents are white; 53 percent are black.

Johnson County, part of the Dublin Micropolitan Statistical Area, has just under 10,000 people, 21 percent of whom live in poverty.

Photo is copyrighted 2014 by Andy Brack.  All rights reserved.