Tag: Jesus

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Old store, Clarendon County, S.C.

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An old country store on the side of the road in eastern Clarendon County still proclaims the message that “JESUS SAVES.”  But as photographer Linda W. Brown of nearby Kingstree, S.C., observes, the Almighty apparently was not able to save the store from closing.

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

Photo taken by Linda W. Brown.  Copyrighted; all rights reserved.

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Sign, Cedar Swamp, S.C.

Sign, Cedar Swamp, S.C. Photo by Linda W. Brown.
Sign, Cedar Swamp, S.C. Photo by Linda W. Brown.

It’s hard to go far in rural Williamsburg County, S.C., without encountering a “Jesus Loves You” or “Trust Jesus” sign such as this one taken in September 2010 in the Cedar Swamp community.

Retired editor Linda W. Brown tells us the story behind these signs:  “They were the work of the late Jimmie Stephenson, who was a sign painter by profession, but had a Bible Study and maybe a small regular congregation, as well.”

Just under 34,000 people live in Williamsburg County, which is about the number who lived there in 1900, according to Census figures.  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 September 2010 by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.