The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, February 07, 1936, Image 1
The Camden Chronicle
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VOLUME 47 <auiH>EN. SOUTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 7, 1?36 % ' NUMBER ? -
Restoration Program
Planned for' Bethesda
(By William Garrard)
Unique as one of the few churches
in America with the steeple on the
back instead of the front, and origlnally
with five outside porches reprfeHunting
the Ave porches around the
Biblical pool of Bethesda, the beautiful
and historic Bethesda Presbyterian
church, completed in 1822 and
since regarded as one of the finest
examples of the work of Robert Mills
great early American architect of
Charleston, is to be restored.
On the extensive lawn in front of
this church, on March 9, 1825, Marquis
de Lafayette, amid pomp and
ceremony, laid the cornerstone of the
monument erected above the remains
oi Baron ^DeKalb, who was killed at
the Battle of Camden August 15, 1780 '
The classic Grecian facade of the I
church and the spreading lawn flank-1
(I by curving driveways, constitute,
such an unusual setting for the grave I
and monument of this German
who died for America that it attracts
attention of all visitors to Camden.
Voluntary contributions are asked
for the restoration fund. These should
be made to Miss Lai Blakeney, at the
office of Henry Savage, Jr., on DeKalb
street, Camden. Miss Blakeney has
already ^received several substantial
checks.
The ladles of the church have undertaken
to raise the necessary money,
and they are not relying upon voluntjary
contributions alone. Thursday
evening they gave a cabin supper
at the J. B. Zenip place, near Shamokin,
at which silhouettes were out by
Mrs. W. D. Trantham at a moderate
Marge, and the proceeds from this
help-fed the fund.
1- rom the outside, and especially
from the side of the church facing
DeKalb street, one would not think
there was any need of restoration.
Built of dull red brick, with white
plastered facade and Grecian columns
and white trim, in spite of the steeple
rising from the rear far back from
the street, the genius of Robert Mills
was such thaj; the building is a thipg
of beauty?an architectural triumph
over requirements and restrictions
such aa few architects have faced. In
"the gay nineties'?in 1890, to be exact,
many changeswere
made in the interior of the
church, and the notable hare porches
of Bethesda on- the exterior in the
rear, were removed. The object of
the restorations is to put everything
back in its original form, which, it is
thought, can he done frown plans supposedly
on record in the Kershaw
county court house and from descriptions
given by older memhecs of the'
congregation who remember how
church was before 1890.
Tradition has it thai the steeple on
the rear, the five porches of Bethesda
and other unusual features of the
building were largely due to the emphatic
ideas of James K. Douglas.
According to Kirkland and Kennedy
a 'Historic Camden", the committee
appointed in 1820 to build the
church was composed of William Ancrum,
Alexander Young and James K.
Douglas. Messrs. Ancrum and Douglas
were both great-grandfathers of
Thomas Ancrum. Douglas' views prevailed
over those of William Ancrum
--although, according to Kirkland and
Kennedy, the Reverend John Joyce,
then pastor, ___ insisted upon thfe
somewhat remarkable" arrangement
<>f the church to meet his (the pastors)
own "peculiar views." * Doubtless
James K. Douglas, plus Rev.
John Joyce, were too much for the
architect, the other members of the
committee, and the congregation.
ftev. A. D. McArn, present pastor,
said Biblical reference to the porches
around ,jjbe pool of Bethesda Is forind
in the Gospel according to St. Join,
r>th chapter and second verse. This
verse reads "Now there is at Jerusal
em by the sheen market a pool,
which is called in the Hebrew tongue
Bethesda, having five porches." Bethesda
was a healing pool, and a
groat number of Impotent folk, of
blind, halt, withered" Waited on these
"porchea" for the moving of the "troubled"
waters before stepping into the
pool to be healed.
According to Robert M. Kennedy,
former distinguished resident of Camden,
now librarian of the University
of South Carolina at Columbia, coauthor
of Kirkland and Kennedy's
Historic Camden," and uncle of Mils
Lai Blakeney to whoa* funds for the
restoration are to be sent, Robert
fr rj i ti Jtoerfeaa*' *** 0f ***
"There ere many specimens of his
work in this state," said Mr. K?nnedy,
"of which Camden can boast of
certainly two, possibly three?the old
Court House, the Bethesda Presbyterian
church, and probably the Mulberry
plantation house. Columbia has
the original building of the State
Hospital' now used for women exclusively,
and the beautiful library of
the University of South Carolina is
credited to Mills, though this cannotpositively
be proved?yet it has all
the earmarks of being his work.
"In Washington, the noble Treasury
building is the work of Mills, and
the Washington monument?which
Mills did not live to see completed.
And probably othor public buildings
! in Washington are the work of this
master. Baltimore points to the
splendid Washington monument there
us a memorial to Mills' art, and Philadelphia
and other Northern cities
have splendid specimens of his genius."
. v
Mr. Kennedy gives a description of
the live porches of Bethesda which
were on the exterior of tlie church 011
the rear?that portion pf the building
over which riBes the towering steeple.
"The first floor was reached front
the ground by two stairs leading respectively
to two porches. From
these porcheB two other stairs led to
a central porch, and from this two adj,
dltional flights of stairs led to the
two upper porches, from which there
was entrance to the gallery?one side
for whites, the other for negroes.
"Between the galleries high up in
the rear of the church was the old
choir loft, which boasted what was
considered a very fine organ of its
day, presented by Colonel .James
Chesnut of Mulberry," said Mr. Kennedy.
High above the floor at the front
of the building was an unique pulpit,
entered by winding stairs.
The pews were high-backed, with
doors that closed each family within
Its own compartment, and were rented
at $30 a year for the big pews in
the middle, and $16 a year for the
small' pews on the side. The large
families rented the middle pews?
small families the aide ones. If a
stde-peyv family increased so that
more roam was needed and If no middle-pew
was available, two side-pews
were rented.
"When the interior of the church
was "remodelled" in 1800," said Mr.
Kennedy, "so indignant were some of
the older members at the iconoclasm
in removing the quaint, old pews that
one prominent lady Of the congregation
claimed her pew and had it carried
to the basement of her house,
now the Court Inn, where It possibly
still is."
(This must have been Mrs. Eliza
DeSaussure, wife of Major John Mcpherson
DfiSaussure. whose residence
in 1890, was the building around
which the Court Inn has since been
constructed?a residence known as
"Lausanne" and notable as a luxurious
home surrounded by gardens
among tho most beautiful in South
Carolina.)
Other entertainments to raise funds
will be given by the ladles of Bethesda
Presbyterian church in addition
to the cabin supper Thursday night.
These, with voluntary contributions to
be sent to Miss Lai Blakeney, It Is
hoped wiU produce enough money to
restore the "five porches of Retliefeda"
and to restore the present ihterunvbf
the church to the original design of
Robert Mills, Death
at Weetvllle
Westvllle, S. C., Feb. 6.?Mrs. Jennie
Roberts Brown, 43, died of pneumonia
at her home here Tuesday.
Mrs. Brown Is survived by her husband,
J. J. Brown, and one son, John
Furm&n - Brown, six sisters and tFP
hrnihera: Mrs. Benton Sheorn and
Miss Evelyn Roberta, of C&mden; Mrs
F. M. Clements, Mrs. Everette Pierce
and W. C. Roberts, of Columbia; Mrs.
H. R. Corley, of Lexingtotf; Mrs. H.
C. Langley, of Shelby, N. C., and W.
A. Roberta, of Spartanbifrg.
~ Funeral services were held at Mai- vern
Hill 3aptist church Wednesday
afternoon at 8 o'clock, conducted by
the Rev. J. B. Chston. ?
4 1'- .
Bethesda Presbyterian Churoh
Sunday, February 9, A. Douglas Me*
Ant, pastor. Church school at 10 a.
m. Morning worship 11:15. Fifth
Sunday In Belmont Plan. The public
Is cordially invited to all services in
Ihto church.
i in p... .in^ t ?. ?, wi,, sr
Many Fine Horses
z Arriving For Stay
(By William Garrard)
Harry D, Klrkover, chairman of the
committee in charge of the Spring*
dale Course over which are run the
Washington Birthday and Carolina
Cup races, Thursday wan host to W.
Burling Cocka, amateur Jockey, of
Westbury, L. I., who arrived with ten
horses to be under the charge of
James E. Kyan, of Unionville, Pa?
amateur Jockey and trainer, who is expected
in Camden Saturday..
These horses are moBtly steeplechaseA.
They belong to Kichard K.
Mellon and Paul Mellon, of Pittsburg;
Mrs. James Park, of Pittsburg; Campbell
Weir, of Wilmington, Del.; James
Cox Brady, of New York and Far
Hills.
Saturday Anderson Fowler, of Far
Hills, is e*Pected with four of his
horses?polo ponies and hunters. All
of these horses will be at the Springdale
stables. There are now about
250 horses in Camden?steeplechasers,
hunters and show horses.
Mr. and Mrs. Carroll K. Bassett and
Noel Laing left Thursday by motor
for a brief trip to FloHtJa. Mr. Bas8ell
am! Mr. Laing pre both noted
amateur Jockeys.
With pleusant weather ugaln prevailing,
quail shooting has. started
again. Among the many quail hunters
are the following guests of Col.
Clark Williams at his plantation, The
Cedars and Pines: William C. Scarborough,
Englewood, N. J.; Elliott C.
Brown, Rye, N. Y.; Charles T. ElMs,
New York; Samuel L,. Miller, Greenwich,
Conn.; George Godley, Greenwich,
Conn.
Arrivals at The Kirkwood Hotel include:
Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Dula, New
York; Gen. and Mrs. G. B. Pillsbury,
Washington, D. C.; Mr. and Mrs. William"
G. Hires, Drexel Hill, Pa.; Mr.
and Mrs. Charles S. Veerhies and
their daughter, Miss Arlene B. Veerhies,
of Brooklyn. N. Y.
Big Realty Deal
Here This Week
The store building located on the*
corner of Broad and DeKalb streets,
and occupied by the Fashion Shop,
this week passed into the hands of
Dr. R. E; Stevenson. It was purchased
from the Essex Investment Company,
of Richmond, Va., and Dr.
Stevenson bought It as an investment.
i?J* decidedly the largest realty deal
in this section in years.
The build lag is one of the best business
locations in Camden, being on
the main business corner with prom-'
inent thoroughfares on north and west
sides. The ?paln store bulldiag on the
lower floor 1^33x94 feet, and the upper
floor contains seven business offices,
all now occupied.
It was erected by the late E. E.'
Watkins, and passed into the Bomar
family of Spartanburg. About twenty
years ago it was sold to a holding
company In Camden at a price around
124,000. Since that time it hsul passed
Into other hands.
The Fashion Shop, operated by A.
Sam Karesh and Miss M. ET. Gerald's
Millinery Shop will continue to occupy
the lower floor at present as will the
other tenants on the second floor.
CarolinaJGup Opens
! Racing Season
New York, Jan. 31.?The hunts committee
of the National Steeplechase
and Hunt association today approved
dates for 29 meetings, starting with
the Carolina cup at Camden,. S. C?
March 28, and ending with the Middleburg,
Va., racing association meet,
November 11 and 14. ?
Applications for the spring meeting^
of the Mlddleburg Racing association,
the Piedmont fox hounds at Upperville,
Va., and the United Hunts at
Roslyn, N. Y., were held up for future
action, pending adjustment of dates
so as to avoid conflicts.
January went out with a flurry' or
higher-prices for mt! so^ts of stock*
on the New York Stock Exphauge,
some of thom going higher- by- as
much as $3 per share.
ATTENTION EX-8ERVICE MEN
??????
Bonua applications can be filled
out at Legion Hill, pemden 8r C.,
any day between the hours of nine
In the morning and 4:30 In the
afternoon for two weefca. Ex-servloe
men are urged not to delay
having applications fti(#d out as
thoy will bo handiod in rotation'as
they are raeelybd Bureau.
?r 17-* -*1 '
L
Many Play On
Golf Courses Here
(By William Garrard)
John H. Todd, of New York, and
Burnmlt, N. J., who occupied his Camden
winter home in December before
going to hlH plantation at Yemassee,
B. C., 1 ueaday returned here accompanied
by hla guests, Mr. and Mtb.
J. Spencer Weed, of New York. They
had luncheon at The Kirk wood. Mr.
Weed is president of the National
Horseshow Association which spouses
the New York Horse Show. The
Todds' home here will soon be reopened
upon the arrival of their
daughter, Mrs. Byron G. Wick, of
Greenwich, Conn.
J. <D. Winsor, Jr., and L. L. Munson,
of Philadelphia, who are guests of
H. G. Lloyd, of Philadelphia, at tho
letter's winter estate, and Fred Pearce
and W. B. Parsons, of New York, who
[8re at the liobkirk Inn, are perhaps
I playing more golf than anyone else
in Camden. AH day every day they
are on the Kirkwood course.
Many other golfers are now playing
the Kirkwood course preparing
for the Lincoln's Birthday Match Feb
12,. which qualifies the entrants
"of the Midsouth Mutch' oiT the Kiik-'
wood course early in March.
Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Camp, of Middletown,
-Conn., are at The Kirkwood
for a few days before leaving for
Florida. They will return to Camden
March r>. Other arrivals at Th?n<lrkwood
are Major and Mrs. Charles W.
Knrjue, of Brooklyn; I)r. and Mrs.
George F. Gracey, of Harrlsburg, Pa.;
Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Koetter, of Charlottesville,
V?.
Tuesday morning the Camden Hunt
followed the hounds from the meet
at Falrvlew Plantation, property of
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Weeks, of East
Hampton, L, I.
Mrs. James R. Porter, of East Orange,
N. J., who Is passing the season
at the winter home of her mother,
Mrs. Edumund Stout, Sunday afternoon
gaye a cocktail party after which
r twenty-two of the guests attended the
opening of the Old Mill Tea House on
Boykin Tond.
i The largest crowd of the year was
present at the Sunset Club skeet shoot
Sunday afternoon,,, A match of twenty-flve
birds between David R. Williams,
of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Mulberry
Planation, and Norman de Mauriac,
of Bedford Hills, N. Y., was won
bf Mr. Williams by one "bird after
f spotting Mr. deMauriac two. Whit
Beykln, a student at the University
of South Carolina, son of Bollivar
D- Boykin, was high gun with twentyfour
out of twenty-five. Skeet has
| become so popular shoots are held almost
dally tn addition to the special
shoot on Sunday.
Mr. and Mts. Norman de Mauriac,
of Bedford Hills, N. Y., are 'visiting
Mrs. ft. W. Boraeroy, Sr., at her winter
home, "Cedar KooH."
Noel Ijaing, leading amateur jockey
of Southern Pines, is a guest of Mr.
and Mrs. Carroll K. Baasett.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Moller, of
Oedarhurst, L. I., have returned to
rthelr winter home after a visit to
Palm Beach.
H. Watson Pomeroy, of Millbrook,
N. Y., one of the leaders In Camden
polo, left Monday for a brief visit to
New York.
A. J. Cordier. of New York, was a
week end guest at the Court Inn of
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Blodgett,
of New York.
Mrs. -T. J. Fisher and her daughter,
Miss Joyce Fisher, of Kesswlck, Va..
have arrived for the season and^are
at the home of Mrs. T. J. Kirkland.
Ban On Hunting Lifted
Chief State Game Warden A. A.
Richardson, Wednesday" declared an
open hunting season in eleven counties
in whigh the season had been
closed due to severe weather conditions.
_ "As wejather conditions have improved,
I hereby declare an open seaBon
on hunting of all game birds and
animals, as provided by law in the
following counties: Greenville, Cheroltee,"
KicMatuf, DaThoun.^XexTngfon,
8umter, Dillon, Marlboro, York, Chesterfield
and Kershaw/' the state official
said in a public notice.
State Appropriation Bill
Columbia, Feb. 5,?^The house of
representatives passed the annual ap?
proprlation bill on second reading to*
day, marking'the flrat milestone to*
ward adjournment sine die. '
The money measure to finance state
operations during 1936-1937 carried A
total of approximately $3430,000. It
left an estimated margin of revenue
t T^lil46'000' althou?h tacreaaed
tog $133,000 over the original ways
tod means MIL ^
Nursery School Is
Doing Good Work
The Camden Emergency Nursery,
School, which has been in operation
for the past year, under the supervision
of the W. P. A. has proved to
be a great success and much progress
has been made toward helping the underprivileged
and relief children of
this vicinity.
The children follow a daily routine
of indoor and outdoor recreation supervised
by Misses Frances Hough
and l.?ura Moseley, This Nursery
School Is a branch af> the W. P. A.
, Educational program in Kershaw
county under supervision of Mrs. W.
C. Balmond.
These little tots who average from
two to live years of age are given
the opportunity of becoming healthful
and fun-loving individuals. When
they roach Bchool they play in the
sunshine or, if weather docs not permit
ure read nursery rhymes until
lunch tiifie. Thojm meals are made
possible by a monthly donation from
tlie Camden .Junior Welfare, League'
and W. P. A. commodities. After;
lunch the children huv? a rest period!
of two and one-half hours and sleep j
soundly until the rcnchorR rouse thorn';
and take them home.
Contributions" of clothing made by j
Mrs. Proctor and Mrs. Corbett IJoykiti
have been used to a great advantage, j
Visitors are cordially invited to
come to the school and see how much I
these small children need help. Funds
are running low and any donations,
either money or clothing, will be great/
ly appreciated. This school Is located
on Lafayette avenue next door to the
court house.
Springs To Place i
Fort Mill Marker'
Capt. E. W. Springs stated a few
days ago that for the Information of
the public he intended to erect a
, bronze tablet at the front entrance
I to the grounds of his home, the old
I White mansion, in the upper section
of Fort Mill, stating that the last full
meeting of the cabinet of President
Jefferson Davis of the Southern Confederacy
was held on the lawn of the
home in the spring of 1865. It 1b
generally conceded that some days
after the the Fort Ajill meeting of the
cabinet another meeting was held at
Abbeville, but at the Abbeville meeting
several of the members wtrsdrot
present.
Captain Springs' home has an interesting
history. It was erected in
1832 by his maternal great-grandfather,
the late Col. William E.
White, where Colonel White reared
his family of several sons. Two of
the sons were Captain Springs' grandfather,
Capt. Samitfel E. White, and
his great-uncle, Col. Joint M. White,
both of whom have been dead many
years. In recent years, as In antebellum
days, the doors of the old
home have swung wide for the entertainment
of many notable persons.
Several years ago, when Captain
Springs decided to come to Fort Mill
to live, the home was thoroughly renovated
and repaired and several
rooms added. But the exterior of the
main part of the building underwent
no changes and today looks as it did
when, it was completed by his greatgrandfather.
104 years ago. The building
is of. brick construction, two stories,
ami tlie architecture is that of
English homes of a century ago.?
Lancaster News.
Veteran Attorney Dead
Laurens, Jan. 30.?W? R. Richey, 81,
attorney here for 55 years and president
of the Laurens bar, died last
night. e
ATTENTION LEGIONNAIRE8
A meeting of the James Leroy
Belk Post Numbsr 17, of the American
Legion will be held at the Masonic
Hall Monday night, February
10, at 8 p. m. Department Commander
Jtmmla DanieTs; of Grsenville;
Department Adjutant Felix
Goudelock, of Columbia; National
Executive. Committeeman Goorge
tlevy, of 8umter, and Quay Hood,' i
District Commander of Lancaster,
will be preaent. This will be the
biggest meeting of the year. A
supper will be served free to all
holding 1938 membership carda. If
you ara not a member of the Post
com* out and pay your dues Monday
night. The Pott needa you aa*
a member and you need to be a
member of the American Legion..
ARTHUR CLARKE,
fiTiir ruiiiiiii AdJut*nt*
i h ..I i it i it
Mollohon Mill
At Newberry Closes
Newberry, Feb. L^Tlie Mollohon
mill, a branch of (he Kendall coin*
puny, closed down late today.
H. K. llallett, gtmerul manager of
the Southern lullle, la said to have
closed down the weave room at 5:46
and the emplpyes of the spinning
room, carding room, cloth room and
the shop soon vacated their positions.
Officials of the Kendall company
during the early purt of last week
asked the employes to either submit
to a reduction in wages, ranging from ~T
six. and one-half to ten per cent, or
agree to extra work, known as a
stretchout. The answer wne to be
submitted to officials by Monday. Employes
met Saturday and rejected the
offers, hence the weave room was
closed today.
Around 400 voted Saturday to reject
the proposal submitted.
It Is stated here thut no such proposition
was niude employes at tho
other Kendall plants. Representatives
from the other mills met at Mollohon
hutunluy. What effect, if any, it will
have on Oakland, Newberry and tho
other mills at Camden, Edgefield and
Caw Crock; lg not known.
It was generally believed Saturday
that the mill would close aftc^r all
propositions were rejected, since It
:sald that was the intention of officials
In case one of the proposals was not
I accepted.
iN. P. Gettys Member
Of Guernsey Club
Peterborough, N. H.?The American
Guernsey Cattle Club announces the
election of N. P. Gettys of Rock
Springs Creamery. Lugoff, to membership.
Mr. Gettys has a herd of
registered Guernseys on his farm at
Lugoff.
The American Guernsey Cattle Club
lis a national organization of 26,000 <
I breeders of pure bred Guernseys, it
j records the registration of pure bred
i Guernseys which tace to the Island
1 of Guernsey, the original home of the ,
breed, iii the English Channel. It albo
supervises tests of production and
through Golden Guernsey, Inc.,' supervises
the marketing of Golden Guernsey
milk.
Mrs. J. M. Hilton
Dies At Kershaw
Mrs- fluaie Milton, tt, widow~o* 1 M.
Hilton, died Monday" morning after a
short Illness of pneumonia. Mrs. Hilton
was born in the White Bluff section
of Lancaster county and moved
to Kershaw a number of years ago.
She was twice married?her first husband
being the late W. M. Blackmon.
Her second husband preceded her to
the grave only a few years ago.
She Is survived by the following
children: Mrs. J. T. Catoe, Mrs. P. p,
Gardner, Mrs. J. B. Massey, J.. M. Hll?
ton, J. V. Hilton, all of Kershaw;
W. F. Hilton, of Lancaster; Mrs, Paul
Brown, of Mars Hill, N. C., and E. 'v
Pressley Hilton, of the United States "?
Army, Canal Zone.
The funeral was held from the residence
Tuesday afternoon at 3 o'clock,
conducted by Rev. W. J. Bradley, of '
Kershaw, and Rev. J. B. Caston, of
Camden. The burial was In the Kershaw
cemetery.
Death Of Mr. Coatee
J. E. Coates, 66, well known citizen
of the Three C's community of Flat
Rock, died at his home on Saturday
night, January 26, after ill health extending
over a period of nearly seven
years, although he had been confined
to his bed only two weeks.
Mr. Coates is survived by hid widow
and two sons and two daughters, Mrs.
G. C. Sowell, of Flat Rock; Mrs. Denny
Williams, G. H. Coates and J. B.
Coates, Jr.,- fourteen grand children
and one great grand child. v
His funeral was conducted from
Bethany Baptist church Sunday afternoon
by Rev. j, D. Gulledge and Rot.
J. M. Neal of-TFhorn Hill Baptist
chureh^?The burial was in the ehurch
yard cemetery and was according to
the Masonic ritual. ~ t- J
.
Good Colored Cltlxsn Dlsg
Henry Brevard, a well knoWfcTcolored
man died at his residence on Ches-.
nut strcet^tyonday night after a t*w
days illness from pneumonia. * flor a
number of yt&rs he had been employed
by the late A. A. Shanks, as a '
plumbers helper and was known as a &
most reliable and thorough workmha.
Always polite and courteous, be had
many friend* among both races, tie
liaves a widow and throe child#*?
one of the children being s ^abe