Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

♦ CLINTON, PC, THORNWELL - WE GREW UP TOGETHER By Hugh S. Jacobs P resbyterian College, Thomwell Orphanage and Clinton are all about the same age. You might say they grew up together. One hundred years ago. Clinton was a forlorn and hopeless hamlet which had come into being with the railroad in the early 1850’s. The town square was surrounded by 12 to 15 lopsided store buildings; the largest of which were the depot and a hotel on the comer where Adair’s Men’s Shop now stands. All the buildings were old, unpainted, and leaning on their foundations. Entering the village from the east, you didn’t see any sign of life until you passed the first house across the street from where the Clinton Paper Box Company now stands. The next struc ture was the small Presbyterian Church, a white frame building, sitting well back on the lot which now holds the present sanctuary. There were three more homes between the church and Broad way, as Broad Street was called, then another three homes extended about one block west . . . and the town ended there Broadway started to the south about midway of the present Thomwell Orphanage campus and ended a block beyond the present post office There were a half dozen houses on its entire length. Musgrove Street was the best street on which to live, with two fine houses and a couple of small ones. Pitts Street ran into the country about two “Mocks west of Broadway. Neither of the wars touched Clinton directly ... there was no town here during the Revolution, and during the Civil War Sherman’s army stopped at Pomaria about 35 miles east of here. The smoke from the burning of Columbia could be seen in Clinton, and hundreds of refugees poured through here . but no battles were fought, other than the battle of poverty and reconstruction. There were no public schools in South Carolina before the war . . . those who could afford it paid tuition in private seminaries, and the state paid for those who could not afford it. Shortly before the war a frame two-story building, built at the end of Academy Street on the northern end of the village, served as a school known as a female academy. But teaching there became spasmodic and occasional during the war. This is the picture which presented itself to William Jacobs, the founder of our college, when he arrived in Clinton as a young minister in 1864 at the age of 21. William Jacobs had chosen the ministry as his vocation when a lad of 16. He had complete faith in God—to whom he prayed constantly—and al though small of stature his energy was boundless. His vision and determination were extraordinary. One of the first Southerners to learn shorthand, he served as a reporter at the Secession Convention in Charleston and as a clerk at the first meeting of the Southern Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Ga. He worked as a printer’s assistant when a boy and opened a small print shop in Clinton shortly after arriving here. He was a tireless writer, and put everything he did or saw down in writing . . . much of it he printed. A great deal of this history has been preserved for us in the Founder’s Library. Early in his ministry young Jacobs began to think of two goals for Clinton, toward which he would direct the efforts of his congregation: First, the establishment of an orphanage Second, the founding of a Presbyterian Male High School The orphanage had its beginning when a ten- year-old fatherless boy appeared at the Jacobs home with a 50-cents contribution. Three years later, in 1875, the first building of Thomwell Or phanage opened its doors and took in eight orphan boys and girls. Meanwhile, in 1872 the trustees of the almost abandoned female academy, plus other interested citizens met in Mr. Bell’s store (J. C. Thomas, Jeweler, stands at this spot now) to organize the Clinton High School Association with Jacobs as its president. Membership was set at $20 per person, and $425 was raised to repair the old build ing. The Rev. W. S. Lee was retained to serve as principal and teacher. Classes opened in January, 1873, with tuition ranging from $10 per year for primary grades, up to $40 per year for high school grades. (It is interesting to note that this academy build ing stands today, with porch added and moved down Academy Street from its first site to its present location behind Gates Service Station. Because the High School Association evolved into the College Association, the wood-framed structure may be considered PC’s first home.) While the high school organizational meeting was being held, United States Constables came into town and arrested 50 men as conspirators against the peace. (Twenty of these were mem bers of the Presbyterian Church.) Five of these men were later tried in Columbia, but the trial ended with a hung jury and the prisoners were released. Such trials as this were part of the harassment suffered during Reconstruction. In 1878 Dr. Jacobs wrote: “Our town is rapidly growing as a center of educational influence. I doubt if any village of its size in this state has a larger school enrollment. Professor Lee now has over 50 students. We will soon have boarding students when our reputation spreads and people are aware that boys here will be free from the temptation to dissipate, so com mon in South Carolina villages. “Our water is good, our place is healthy, house rent is at a reasonable figure and town lots are cheap. Parents will certainly consult the best interest of their children by trying this place if they want a good education in good surroundings for them.” The dreams expanded to college level in 1880 when the Clinton High School Association became the Clinton College Association. Principal Lee was instructed to organize a freshman class im mediately and to hire the Rev. Z. L. Holmes as an additional professor. The preparatory school was to be carried on as usual. Of this action, Jacobs commented later: “It was with a little degree of surprise at our own audacity and of amusement on the part of the town people that we made an announcement of what we had done upon the streets. Neverthe less, it took well from that day till this. The institution, then known as Clinton College, has gone on steadily until it has reached its present splendid development. ... At the first meeting of the Clinton College Association the Presby terian feature was introduced. All of the stock holders with few exceptions transferred their stock to the session of the Presbyterian Church. Nineteen-twentieths of the stock was in this way so to speak Presbyterianized and the other twen tieth died out in the course of time, by the death of its holders.” The founders, at the start, advertised three advantages the College offered: First, it was to have both men and women (mixed). Second, the cost would be only $100 per year board and tuition so the poorest families could afford to send their children there. Third, “Our College will be a Presbyterian Institution. We are laboring to bring our people to see that religion is a matter of the greatest importance, and have arranged for a regular course in Bible study.” The next year Clinton College was called a “Vigorous tree of knowledge . . . where boys and girls who were sent there for an education could get one ... if they could take it.” The first class graduated in 1883, with three girls. One of whom was Florence Jacobs, daughter of the founder. Later that same year plans were made to secure land, about seven acres, at the head of Broadway (where Stewart Baby Cottage is now located on the Thomwell Campus); and in 1884, funds totaling $5,500 were solicited for the erection of an auspicious college building to re place the old academy structure. While the first of 400 wagon loads of rock and 500 loads of sand for the building were being hauled (before winter rains cut up the road), Dr. Jacobs was already dreaming of an even greater future . . . “Our college is to be a Presbyterian Institution and is founded with that purpose. We hope it will win its way into the sympathies of this great denomination, but for the first efforts we will have to rely upon ourselves. We have no intention to make this college a sectarian institution.” It is interesting that in spite of his frequent references to Presbyterianism, his appeal for help was on an ecumenical basis. He wrote later that In the Family Tradition • Hugh S. Jacobs, author of this article, is the great-grandson of Founder William Plumer Jacobs. He researched his ancestor’s old records and diary in preparing the material. Hugh’s father, William P. Jacobs, II, attended PC and served as president from 1935-45, being instrumental in extricating the College from the financial difficulties referred to in the article. Hugh Jacobs received his BA degree from PC in 1941. After service as an infantry officer in World War II, he returned to the family printing business in Clinton and is now president of Jacobs Press. He continues the family tradition of PC leadership by serving as a member of the board of trustees. Some of the photographs used here were provided by J. F. Jacobs, Sr. ’15 of Clinton, a grandson of the founder and a former PC trustee, who is president of Jacobs List religious advertising agency. year . . . “While this is a Presbyterian School, my Baptist and Methodist brethren, this College is going to put hundreds of dollars into your pockets, enhance the value of your property, throw trade into your store, and bring visitors to our town. $2,000 more is needed to complete our building. Dig deep into your pockets and write down what you will give.” It took six years of praying, pleading . . . selling and work before the first classes were held in this building. Farmers from all over the county brought in rock and sand . . . and every year, if the crops were good, a subscription list was passed around for money. The spring of 1886 was a proud time for Clinton, when classes were first held in the new College Recitation Hall. At the time when Clinton College was organized, the Presbyterians of South Carolina had an insti tution at Walhalla for young men known as Adger College. There was no intention to interfere with the progress of that institution, since Clinton College was for the education of local sons and daughters. But later developments were presented by Jacobs in these words: “Just after the opening of our new building, Adger College was closed forever. The thought then entered into the minds of our trustees that we were now called to widen our scope, and to secure if possible patronage from abroad. One or two Presbyteries agreed to elect trustees, a charter which we had obtained making this possible. Again and again, in fact on three successive occa sions, the College was offered to the Synod of South Carolina but was declined by them. Our people worked on, however, the faculty was en larged, the primary and preparatory departments were cut off and turned over to the state under the State School System.” Dr. Jacobs could not stand debt, and every day he worked to pay off anything owed by Thomwell or Presbyterian College. He frequently prayed about these needs in specific amounts. When the debt on the new college building had been whit tled to $110, and the contractor offered to settle for $100, Dr. Jacobs quickly took him up on his offer in order to save $10 for the school. By 1892 Dr. Jacobs could write proudly . . . “There are twenty candidates for the ministry being educated here without charge. (The student body was seventy.) While this is the youngest of nine colleges in the Presbyterian Church it is doing more to lead young men to the Christian call than any other college save two. Before PC was established, Enoree Presbytery had two candi dates for the ministry . . . now it has twenty. Our Clinton Church has more candidates for the min istry than any other church in the Southern Assembly.” And a footnote . . . “This is the only College in the Presbyterian Church which teaches the West minster Confession of faith as a text book.” By now Presbyterian College of Clinton had almost reached his goal of 100 students, but this was no time to “take one’s ease.” Plans were underway already to obtain an even larger section of land for PC and to construct a permanent-type dormitory. In 1891-92 he obtained a new tract of land further south on Broadway and across the street from Thomwell and sent his oldest son out to canvas the alumni for funds. Alumni Dormi tory was built with this money, and still stands on our-campus. It is now Doyle Infirmary. A president’s home was built the same year and has recently been razed to provide space for the parking area behind Georgia Hall. In the first decade of the twentieth century a blow fell on the Town of Clinton and Presbyterian College which presented a crisis of the first order. In 1902 the trustees had applied to the South Carolina Legislature to amend the College’s char ter so that the six Presbyteries of the Synod of South Carolina would each have three trustees, the alumni three, and the City of Clinton nine. (The nine Clinton trustees were discontinued the following year—the same year that Clinton put in water and lights.) He wrote hopefully; “Having passed its 21st birthday it might be said that our college has earned the right to live ... as for that matter it’s going to live whether it has the right or not.” Two years later there was real reason to doubt that the college was to live ... in Clinton at least. June 9, 1904, we find these sad words in his diary. “Our college has been taken from us by th^ Board of Trustees ... it is a shameful thing that makes me hang my head. I resigned my Presidency of the Board after twenty-five years of service and received in return not one word of commendation, not one syllable of regret, not one expression of encouragement, but as pay for my services, only the throwing open of sale of the college to the highest bidder. What will I do? I have already decided that the College Association will take steps to continue Clinton College. Our session will open next year as usual. Forever our dependence is on the Lord, but if Presbyterian College leaves Clinton, may God give it success.” Although very little is written of the events that followed, it is evident that Dr. Jacobs and the people of Clinton were busy. The citizens of Clinton were distressed over the prospects and (Cont'd. On Page 2) From this small Clinton 1st Pres byterian Church came the power to found the College and the orphanage This building— minus porch—was the high school academy when col lege classes were started there. It stands today as photographed here.