Tag: Linda W. Brown

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Vacant farmhouse, Wiliamsburg County, S.C.

Vacant farmhouse, Suttons community, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Vacant farmhouse, Suttons community, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Rusted-roofed, vacant farmhouses are not an uncommon sight in rural Williamsburg County, writes retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown.  This one is in the Suttons Community in southern 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.

Copyrighted photo is by Linda W. Brown; taken November 2013.  All rights reserved.

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Erosion, Clarendon County, S.C.

Soil erosion, Clarendon County, S.C.
Soil erosion, Clarendon County, S.C.

Strong March winds caused erosion of topsoil in this disked, but unplanted, field near the Sardinia community of Clarendon County.  Across the rural South, modern farmers are seeking to protect land from agricultural erosion.  See this report.

This photo by retired Kingstree editor Linda W. Brown is our 200th post of Southern images on Southern Crescent.  Hooray for us.

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

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Wooden bridge, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Wooden bridge, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Wooden bridge, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Wooden bridges are not an uncommon sight on dirt roads in South Carolina’s rural counties, writes retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C.  The bridge above is on Smith Swamp Road in northeastern Williamsburg County.

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

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Red field, near Kingstree, S.C.

Field of sorrel, Clarendon County, S.C.
Field of sorrel, Williamsburg County, S.C.

By springtime, most agricultural fields once were under cultivation, writes retired editor Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C.  But this Williamsburg County field near Kingstree has been taken over by common sorrel, an herb often viewed as a weed with small bright red to purple flowers.  “The changing agricultural outlook leaves many of them [fields] fallow,” she writes.

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.

Copyrighted photo is by Linda W. Brown; taken April 2013.  All rights reserved.

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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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Livery, Mayesville, S.C.

Old livery, Mayesville, S.C.
Old livery, Mayesville, S.C.

The old Livery Stable in Mayesville, S.C., appears to be undergoing renovation, retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown writes. The livery is across the railroad right-of-way from the Kineen Hotel, pictured earlier in the month.

Sumter County’s Mayesville, population 731, grew up along the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad, she writes.

“It reached its heyday at the turn of the 20th Century with two banks, a hotel and various other businesses associated with a farming and railroad community. What remains of the Kineen Hotel still stands, but is in very bad repair. The old railroad bed has been removed  and the old railroad right-of-way now serves as green space thought the center of town.”

Sumter County, which is home to Shaw Air Force Base, is comprised of 108,052 people.  Just under 50 percent are white; 47 percent are black. The poverty rate is estimated to be 18.2 percent in the county, but it is a much higher percentage in places like Mayesville.  Poverty there has been estimated to be 36.5 percent for all, but 49.5 percent for children under 18.

Photo taken in February 2014 by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

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Kineen Hotel, Mayesville, S.C.

Kineen Hotel, Mayesville, S.C.
Kineen Hotel, Mayesville, S.C.

This two-story brick hotel in Mayesville, S.C., is a shadow of its former self.  Intricate glasswork hangs awry alongside broken windows.  Second-floor windows are boarded-up.  The first floor is virtually gutted.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown captured this shot earlier this month on a trip through the Sumter County town.  Mayesville, population 731, grew up along the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad, she writes.

“It reached its heyday at the turn of the 20th Century with two banks, a hotel and various other businesses associated with a farming and railroad community. What remains of the Kineen Hotel still stands, but is in very bad repair. The old railroad bed has been removed  and the old railroad right-of-way now serves as green space thought the center of town.”

Sumter County, which is home to Shaw Air Force Base, is comprised of 108,052 people.  Just under 50 percent are white; 47 percent are black. The poverty rate is estimated to be 18.2 percent in the county, but it is a much higher percentage in places like Mayesville.  Poverty there has been estimated to be 36.5 percent for all, but 49.5 percent for children under 18.

Photo taken in February 2014 by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.