House and field, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Old farm house, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Old farm house, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Located in northern Williamsburg County, this old house, with its chimneys beginning to collapse, sits across a field of broom straw from the road, writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.

Across the house, once the bastion of family farms, rural houses like this are as fallow as the fields they surround as people left the country and moved to the city.

Copyrighted photo by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

Old tobacco barn, Florence County, S.C.

Old tobacco barn, Florence County, S.C.
Old tobacco barn, Florence County, S.C.

This old tobacco barn in Florence County, just off the Vox Highway, is beginning to lean and is losing its tin as age, sun, wind and rain take their toll, writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.

  • Copyrighted photo taken Jan. 19, 2015.  All rights reserved.

Three modes, Florence County, S.C.

Count 'em
Count ’em

You can spy hints of three three modes of transportation in this December 2014 taken by Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.  There’s a white horse, wagon wheel and old white sports car.

“We here in the country tend to hang on the past,” Brown writes, adding that the photo was taken Dec. 26, 2014, on Highway 341 between Johnsonville and Lake City.

Copyrighted photo.  All rights reserved.

Flat out, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Scene from the Sandy Bay community in Williamsburg County, S.C.
Scene from the Sandy Bay community in Williamsburg County, S.C.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown sends a long this “tired, worn-out Farmall tractor, complete with very flat tires, [that] sits beneath a shed in the Sandy Bay community of Williamsburg County.

Copyrighted photo taken Feb. 15, 2015, by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

Store, near Britton’s Neck, S.C.

Old store, near Britton's Neck, S.C.
Old store, near Britton’s Neck, S.C.

This old store, located near Britton’s Neck in Marion County, was probably replaced by the convenience store that is now across the road from it, writes photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C.   Country stores provided those who lived in rural areas a means of buying staples without having to drive all the way to town.

Marion County, rural in nature, is home to just over 33,000 people.  An estimated 23 percent of residents live at or below the federal poverty level.

Photo is copyrighted by Linda W. Brown and taken Jan. 19, 2015.  All rights reserved.

Scott’s, Hemingway, S.C.

Scott's Bar-B-Que, Hemingway, S.C.
Scott’s Bar-B-Que, Hemingway, S.C.

Just looking at this picture by Linda W. Brown excites our taste buds because we know from experience that Rodney Scott makes some of the best barbecue ever.

The Williamsburg County joint, located at Brunson’s Crossroads outside Hemingway, S.C., recently was named the most iconic restaurant in South Carolina by ThrillList.  You can learn more about Scott’s tasty barbecue here.

Other iconic Southern restaurants on the list, by state:

Photo is copyrighted by Linda W. Brown, 2015.  All rights reserved.

Ella’s Grove, Marion County, S.C.

Ella's Grove, near Centenary, S.C.
Ella’s Grove, near Centenary, S.C.

“The collection of buildings known as Ella’s Grove reminds me of the ‘perfect’ little ghost town,” writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.

“Near Centenary in Marion County, Ella’s Grove was the name of the B.F. Davis plantation. One of the stores was moved to property; the brick one, I believe, was built there. The property is still in the Davis family, owned today by his grandson.

Marion County, rural in nature, is home to just over 33,000 people.  An estimated 23 percent of residents live at or below the federal poverty level.

Photo is copyrighted by Linda W. Brown and taken Jan. 19, 2015.  All rights reserved.

Stable, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Stable on Cedar Swamp Road, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Stable on Cedar Swamp Road, Williamsburg County, S.C.

This stable on Cedar Swamp Road in Williamsburg County, S.C., used to be home to a large number of horses, photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree remembers.  Now, only a handful of horses can be seen grazing in surrounding fields.

Photo is copyrighted by Linda W. Brown, June 2014.  All rights reserved.

Menagerie, Kingstree, S.C.

Menagerie, Kingstree, S.C.
Menagerie, Kingstree, S.C.

You never know where you’ll run into a menagerie, photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C. writes.  She found these stone lions, elephants and giraffes in her hometown in November.

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.

  • Photo is copyrighted 2014 by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.