South Carolina – Page 11 – Building a better South

September 17, 2014September 16, 2014

Another empty store, Colleton County, S.C.

Here’s another empty store just down the road from one we profiled a couple of days back. It, too, is in Colleton County, S.C., just east of Walterboro on S.C. Highway 64.

Walterboro is the seat of government in Colleton County, a Southern Crescent county split by Interstate 95,. The county is home to 38,153 people, 21 percent of whom live at or below the federal poverty level.

Quickfacts on Colleton County from the U.S. Census Bureau.

September 15, 2014September 16, 2014

Swap meet, Colleton County, S.C.

Creative advertising, Colleton County, S.C.

If you’re looking for a “swap meet” — a gathering of folks who want to trade stuff that others might like — look no further than rural Colleton County east of Walterboro, S.C., on S. C. Highway 64. According to this clever advertisement “vehicle,” there’ll be a swap meet here on November 1.

Quickfacts on Colleton County from the U.S. Census Bureau.

September 13, 2014September 16, 2014

Empty station, Colleton County, S.C.

You can see where gas pumps once lived outside this now-empty and deteriorating cinder block store in the Neyles community a few miles east of Walterboro, S.C.

Quickfacts on Colleton County from the U.S. Census Bureau.

September 11, 2014

Country church, Clarendon County, S.C.

This simple country church sits among the pines in rural Clarendon County, S.C. Kingstree photographer Linda W. Brown writes, “There is a newer church building across the road, so this particular building may be used for other functions now, but I’m glad that it’s still standing.”

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.

More QuickFacts from the U.S. Census.

September 7, 2014

Empty porch, Kingstree, S.C.

This chair sits on the porch of a house in the Kingstree, S.C., neighborhood of the photographer, Linda W. Brown. She writes, “Although no one has lived in the house for several years and the house is in serious decline, the chair appears to be waiting for someone to come along and ‘set a spell.'”

Kingstree is the county seat for Williamsburg County, which is about 75 miles north of Charleston, S.C. Just under 34,000 people live in the county. 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.

Williamsburg County on Wikipedia.

QuickFacts from the U.S. Census.

September 5, 2014September 4, 2014

In the beginning, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Genesis store, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Overlooking nothing but fields, the Genesis Variety Store & Diner in northeastern Williamsburg County, S.C., posts its menu beside the front door, with breakfast including grits, country ham sandwiches and waffles, writes Kingstree photographer Linda W. Brown. Later in the day, the store offers barbecue, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and onion rings among its tasty offerings.

More on Williamsburg County.

August 27, 2014August 24, 2014

Co-existence, Lane, S.C.

This old nightclub in rural Lane, S.C., in southern Williamsburg County has a large tree growing through its awning. Photographer Linda W. Brown of nearby Kingstree observes that in many towns, the tree would have been cut down to make way for business, but the two co-exist in Lane, once was a thriving railroad town where few businesses remain today.

More on Williamsburg County.

August 23, 2014August 24, 2014

Prospect Grocery, near Johnsonville, S.C.

Prospect Grocery on S.C. Highway 341 near Johnsonville, S.C., rests in Sunday-afternoon quiet, but is busy during the week.

The Prospect community is famous for “The Neck” Christmas Parade and is infamous as the spot where Pee Wee Gaskins buried a number of his murder victims, according to photographer and retired editor Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C.

Johnsonville, population about 1,400, is in the southeastern tip of Florence County, which had 137,948 people, according to a 2012 Census estimate. Its poverty rate — higher in the rural areas than the county seat of Florence, averaged 19.4 percent in 2010.

QuickFacts about Florence County

August 21, 2014

Gourds, Florence County, S.C.

Photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C., observes that gourds are used as nesting boxes from purple martins and are a common sight in the rural South. This photo was taken near a packhouse in rural Florence County not far from Johnsonville.

Florence Countyhad 137,948 people, according to a 2012 Census estimate. Its poverty rate — higher in the rural areas than the county seat of Florence, averaged 19.4 percent in 2010.

QuickFacts about Florence County and the City of Florence.

August 19, 2014

Tobacco field, Florence County, S.C.

Although tobacco no longer dominates the agricultural landscape in the South Carolina’s Pee Dee region, there are still a number of acres of the golden leaf planted, photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree writes.

This field, ready for harvest, is located in the Vox community of rural Florence County.

Florence Countyhad 137,948 people, according to a 2012 Census estimate. Its poverty rate — higher in the rural areas than the county seat of Florence, averaged 19.4 percent in 2010.

QuickFacts about Florence County and the City of Florence.