Tag: Williamsburg County

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Mill Dam Road, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Dirt road, Williamsburg County, S.C.
Dirt road, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Over 1,000 miles of dirt roads criss-cross the 937 square miles of rural Williamsburg County, retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C. writes.

“The county’s public works department is responsible for maintaining these roads, which is a large expense in the county’s budget, so much so that the county charges residents an annual $15 road maintenance fee in addition to regular property taxes. This one, Mill Dam Road, is in northeastern 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 by Linda W. Brown, taken April 17, 2014.  All rights reserved.

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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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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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Chimneys, Morrisville, S.C.

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“These chimneys are all that remain of a once-stately home in the Old Morrisville section of Williamsburg County, S.C.,” writes retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree.  “All too many of these old home have been allowed to decay and are very often replaced by manufactured housing.”

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 Jan. 19, 2014, by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.

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Old garage, Blakely, S.C.

Foxworth's, Blakely, S.C.
Foxworth’s, Blakely, S.C.

Foxworth’s Garage once operated in the Blakely community in Williamsburg County, writes Kingstree, S.C. photographer Linda W. Brown.  The business is still in operation, but in Kingstree, not in this old building.

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 taken Nov. 3, 2013, by Linda W. Brown, courtesy of the photographer.  All rights reserved.

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Stately old home, Kingstree, S.C.

Thorntree House, Kingstree, S.C.
Thorntree House, Kingstree, S.C.

Thorntree House, nestled in recent snow that blanketed much of South Carolina in a rare super-cold snap, is believed to be the oldest home in “Williamsburgh District,” retired editor and photographer Linda W. Brown writes.

“Built in 1749 on Thorntree Swamp near present-day Salters, it was the home of James Witherspoon, one of the early settlers. It was moved to Kingstree in the early 1970s and restored as a ‘house museum.'”  These days, Thorntree is owned and operated by the Williamsburgh Historical Society.

“Small rural historical societies work hard to preserve the history of their communities, but it is becoming more of a struggle with each passing year,” Brown writes.  “Grant funding for this kind of historical preservation has become scarce and funding, in general, is becoming harder to secure. Historical societies depend largely on volunteers, donations and membership dues to continue their preservation work.”

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.

Copyrighted 2014 photo by Linda W. Brown, courtesy of the photographer.  All rights reserved.

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Library, Greeleyville, S.C.

House renovated into library, Greeleyville, S.C.
House renovated into library, Greeleyville, S.C.

The McCollum-Murray House in Greeleyville, S.C., has been restored and is now used as a branch of the Williamsburg County Library, writes retired editor Linda W. Brown of Kingstree.  The building, once the home of Dr. C.E. Murray, is on the National Register.

“This is an innovative use of resources for a small town,” writes Brown.

The house was built at the turn of the 20th century for a successful African-American couple.  To learn more about the building, its renovation and transformation into a public library, click here for an interesting Power Point presentation.

Greeleyville, pictured here, is a town of 438 people that once thrived in southwestern Williamsburg County.  Just under 34,000 people now live in the 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 July 14, 2013, by Linda W. Brown.  All rights reserved.