1951+-+1955


 * __ An everyday history of Upstate South Carolina from 1951 - 1955 __**

City Council is making a survey to determine which residences in Easley are available to city sewer lines, but are not connected with the sewer system. Mayor M. L. Lesley stated today that there is an ordinance requiring persons who own homes within 300 feet of sewer mains to connect with the system. Council has ordered that the ordinance be enforced compelling owners of homes not connected with the sanitary sewer system to have the proper installations made as a health and sanitary measure. Around 2,500 Textile Employees Will Be On Vacations Next Week ** Next week will be vacation time for around 2,500 employees of Easley’s four large textile mills and the three smaller industrial plans. Many will have the full week and for the majority, it will be vacations with pay. Vacation bonus is based on consistent employment and length of service. Preliminary Plans For Easley Hospital Are Announced ** The proposed plans call for a 100-bed plant, but only one nursing wing will be erected at first, the other to be added later when the plan expands from 50 to 100 beds. All administrative facilities operating and general equipment, however, will be designed for the 100-bed plant. The building will be constructed of concrete on steel, with brick veneer exterior and tile partitions. Officials of the hospital board hope that the plant, including only one of the 50-bed wings and main buildings, can be constructed for around $350,000. They have on hand at the present time $250,000. Arial Wesleyan Methodist Complete $10,000 Church Improvement Program ** The Arial Wesleyan Methodist Church has recently completed a $10,000 renovation and addition program. The interior of the building has been completely renovated and two new Sunday School rooms added. Other additions include a vestibule and church tower. The exterior of the building has also been brick veneered. The seating capacity of the auditorium has been enlarged from 300 to 400 by the use of sliding doors between it and the Sunday School rooms. Contractor for the improvement construction program was Easley Lumber Company. The new $250,000 First Baptist Church which has just been completed on East First Avenue has a sanctuary that will seat 600 and an educational plant with 73 class and assembly rooms. In the educational plant are the offices of the pastor and secretary, the library, recreation room, kitchen and storage rooms. Cunningham and Walker were architects for the building and the contractor was C and N Construction Company. The public has a cordial invitation to attend open house at the new church Sunday afternoon. $2,965 Raised In Dimes March Here ** A total of $2,965.71 has been reported in the March of Dimes drive here up to date, according to Charles Ellenburg, chairman of the campaign. The drive officially ended last Thursday, but Mr. Ellengburg states that there may still be some contributions to come in. Contributions of the Easley drive this year were almost as much as given in the entire county last year, Mr. Ellengburg states. Only approximately $3,000 was contributed in the county campaign of 1951. Kayser To Build $1,000,000 Hosiery Plant At Liberty ** A hosiery plant, which will cost more than $1,000,000 and employ approximately 300 workers, will be erected by Julius Kayser and Company here. Grading for the plant, which will be constructed by Daniel Construction Company of Greenville, has already begun and the mill is expected to be in operation around July 1. The Liberty plant will be equipped with all new machinery. It will handle dyeing and finishing for other Kayser mills in this section. The new mill will be located on a 25-acre tract at the southern city limits. The city will provide water and sewer lines and the company will construct a plant to dispose of wastes before emptying into the sewer system. The one-story plant will occupy approximately 55,000 square feet and be modern in every detail, with complete air conditioning and fireproofing. It will be of 16-inch brick construction, with tar and gravel roof on concrete and steel supports. Tear Gas Fails To Halt Alice Plant Vault Robbery ** The office of the Alice plant of Alice Manufacturing Company was broken into Tuesday night and around $250 in cash and some Series “E” government bonds taken from the vault, Remsen Bauknight, vice president of the company said, said yesterday. Entrance into the building was made through a rear window in the office. The combination of the vault was knocked off with a heavy instrument, probably a sledge hammer, Chief R. B. Williams, one of the investigation officers stated, and a punch was used to open the vault. The bursting of a vial of gas when the combination of the vault was broken failed to halt the robbers. Three strong boxes were taken from the vault, two of which were found in a wooded area on the Liberty-Easley high way yesterday by a man on his way to work. B.H. Bowen, superintendent of the plant, discovered the break-in about six a.m. Wednesday. At that time the gas fumes were so strong that it was necessary to air the building before anyone could remain in it. One of the boxes which contained bond and stock certificates belonging to James Gentry, who is now in service, was found intact with the exception of some old bills amounting to about $28 which were taken. Another box belonged to foster McKissick, also in service, was found although the contents---two watches belonged to his father and grandfather---were missing. The other box belonged to Superintendent Bowen. It also contained stocks and bonds and this has not been recovered. The vault at the Arial plant of the company was broken into several months ago, but the tear gas fumes stopped the intruders at that time. __1953__ **
 * __1951__ **
 * Council Will Enforce City Sewer Ordinance **
 * __1952__ **
 * First Baptist Complete $250,000 Church **

Hope Reed Co. May Locate Branch Plant In Easley ** Easley is being considered for a location of a branch Hope Reed plant by Solovei Brothers, Inc., according to Homer Derrick, president of the Easley Chamber of Commerce. Kenneth Jackson, general manager of the company, met with Mr. Derrick and Miss Carolyn Hunnicutt, acting executive secretary of the chamber, Tuesday to discuss possibilities of locating the branch plant here. Mr. Jackson pointed out that several other locations in this section of the state are being considered, but indicated that he favored Easley if the proper labor can be secured. The company, which manufactures medium-priced nationally known dresses, has its main plant and executive offices in New York, but has two other plants in this area, one at Greenville and the other at Spartanburg. The new proposed branch plant will be a part of an expansion program, the company has in mind. It is understood that the plant would employ 25 women workers and five supervisors at first. Amendment Nullifies Grantham’s Drought Bill ** The substitution of a preposition for a conjunction has more or less nullified the intent of a bill now pending in the General Assembly. Sen. George Grantham of Pickens recently introduced a bill giving the governor of the state authorization to take special action when the state is hit by a drought emergency. Grantham’s measure, as introduced, empowered the governor to close hunting seasons and state parks when drought made hunting and other outdoor activities a fire hazard. The Senate Fish, Game, Forestry Committee made a one-word amendment to Grantham’s bill---the word “in” was substituted for the word “and”. Thus, by the committee amendment, the governor is empowered to close hunting seasons “in” state parks during a drought. The amendment not only does away with the authorization to close hunting seasons in an emergency (except in state parks) but deletes provision for closing the parks themselves in such an emergency. Native of Easley Killed In Plane Crash In Florida ** Lt. Robert Ratchford Holcombe, 28, was killed in an airplane crash 11 miles northeast of Sanderson, Fla., April 3. A resident of Panama City, Fla., and Augusta Ga., he was a native of Easley, S. C., but had made his home in Augusta Ga., for the past 11 years. He was the son of the late Robert R. Holcombe, Sr., and Minnie Morgan Holcombe, both of South Carolina. A graduate of Westminister, S. C. High School, he attended the University of Pittsburg, University of Hawaii and the University of Maryland. He entered the service in March of 1943, receiving his commission in 1944. He took part in the atomic bomb tests in 1950 at Eniwetok in the South Pacific. Child Killed In Scuffle Over Rifle; Hold Inquest Today ** Sam McClollough of the Roanoke community is being held in the Pickens County jail pending the outcome of the coroner’s inquest today into the death of his seven year old stepdaughter, Grace Black, early Monday night. The child died in Cannon Memorial Hospital about two hours after she was struck by a bullet from a .22 automatic rifle at her home four miles south of Pickens. Deputy Sheriff Wayne Garrett said the shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. Monday when McCollough’s wife tried to wrestle the gun from him. In the course of the scuffle for the gun, it went off, a bullet striking the child who was standing on the back porch. The bullet traveled through a piece of ceiling and weatherboard before striking the child. __1954__ ** Airman Second Class Billy S. Rackley, 20, son of Troy W. and Bonnie Reynolds Rackley of 401 West Third Ave., was drowned yesterday while attempting to swim the Alabama River. Rackley is reported to have been swimming across the river with some companions when he yelled that he was tired and sank in the waters. He was less than 20 feet from shore when he was drowned. His companions were unable to rescue him, according to reports. Airman Rackley had served in the Air Force three years and was on Okinawa two years with the 207th Aerial Refueling Squadron. He had recently reported at Maxwell Air Force Base after spending a 30-day leave with his parents here and with his grandmother in Liberty. Central Woman Bites Officer After Arrest ** A young woman really put the bite on Liberty Chief of Police Eugene Merck Sunday afternoon. In fact, that’s just what Mrs. Johnnie McJunkin, 25 year old Central resident, did to the chief…she bit him quite badly on the arm. Chief Merck told the Progress that he was taking shots for the tooth marks. The whole affair started, according to officers, when Mrs. McJunkin and her companion, Troy C. Garren, allegedly took a few nips and then started to paint the country side red. Next Liberty Chief Merck and State Highway Patrolman Craven saw the car driven by Mrs. McJunkin roar through Liberty and gave chase. Catching the car wasn’t a bit hard. They found it involved in a three way collision near Norris. Luckily no one was hurt but damage to the three cars was expensive. Then, on the way to the Pickens County jail the biting incident occurred. Mrs. McJunkin was charged with no driver’s license, and driving too fast for conditions. Garren was charged with simple drunk. Easley Man Hasn’t Missed Day From Work In 36 Years ** Fletcher C. Perry, 54, a loom fixer at Glenwood Cotton Mills, hasn’t missed a day from work in 36 years! Of course he has had vacations, but when the mill was operating and it was hit shift, he has been right on the job every single day. “Fletch,” as he is called by his close friends, boasts quite a record in church attendance, too. He hasn’t missed a church service at Glenwood Baptist Church, of which he is a member, since November of 1931, except when he was on vacation. Pickens Baby Killed When Backed Over By Pick-up Truck ** The 11 month old baby son of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Collins, of Route 2, Pickens, was killed Saturday around noon when his uncle, Carl Porter, started to move a pickup truck and backed over the baby. The baby was in the yard of the J. Walter Porter home and the child’s uncle who moved the truck did not know it until he had backed over him, according to Coroner Earle Owens. The baby was rushed to Cannon Memorial Hospital but was dead upon arrival. Coroner Owens said that he would not hold an inquest into the death as the accident was unavoidable. __1955__ ** Reports on the alarming increase in the incidence of rabies among dogs in the county and the marked increase in the number of people bitten by dogs and antirabic treatments given were given by Dr. C. E. Ballard, county health director, as a called meeting of the Pickens County Board of Health at the county health center Monday night. After the reading the Rabies Control Act, passed by the South Carolina Assembly in 1950, the board voted to establish the position of rabies control officer immediately and take whatever steps necessary to secure a qualified person to carry out the provision of this law. Airman Killed in Auto Smash ** An airman slated for overseas duty died Wednesday morning in the wreckage of his car following a head on smash into a cement bridge abutment. The crash occurred at the Saluda River bridge on the Easley-Greenville highway. The airman, S-Sgt. Joseph Maxcy Alexander, 24, was alone in the car at the time of the accident. S. C. Highway Patrolman Joe Fickling said there were no witnesses to the accident and that the car was a total loss. Impact of the smash drove the motor into the interior of the car and the entire front of the vehicle was crushed. Traffic Accidents Claim Eleven Lives During Week ** Traffic accidents claimed 11 lives last week and 119 persons were injured on the highways of the state, the South Carolina Highway Department announced today. There were 485 accidents reported during this period, January 30 through February 5. Thus, the accident fatality rate continues to grow. The toll now stands at 57 deaths for the year in comparison to 61 for the same period last year. At one time, in the early weeks of the year, the traffic death rate was cut in more than half over the previous year. Now the gap is slowly closing. Baptists Discuss Easley Hospital ** A meeting attended by a large number of Baptist ministers of this area and by Dr. Charles F. Simms of the Baptist General Board, and other members of the General Board and the Hospital Board of Trustees was held here Monday for the discussion of the proposed Baptist operation of the Easley General Hospital. The general discussions were adjourned to a second meeting to be held about two weeks hence. No release to the press of actions taken is at present authorized because of the continuance to the later meeting. There is a strong sentiment among Baptist leaders of this area for inauguration of Baptist operation of the local hospital. The local Board of Trustees in 1947 submitted a proposal to the Baptists, and provided to perform its obligations under the proposal. The current meetings, the Progress is informed, are being held in the hope of ironing out differences of interpretation of the proposal by the several branches of Baptist authority.
 * Easley Airman Drowns In Attempt To Swim River **
 * Large Number of Rabid Cases Prompts Board To Name Control Officer **

1. The Easley Progress. “Council Will Enforce City Sewer Ordinance”. Vol. 48. No. 51. June 21, 1951. 2. The Easley Progress. “Around 2,500 Textile Employees Will Be On Vacations Next Week”. Vol. 48. No. 52. June 28, 1951. 3. The Easley Progress. “Preliminary Plans For Easley Hospital Are Announced”. Vol. 49. No. 1. July 5, 1951. 4. The Easley Progress. “Arial Wesleyan Methodist Complete $10,000 Church Improvement Program”. Vol. 49. No. 4. July 26, 1951. 5. Easley Progress. “First Baptist Complete $225,000 Church” Vol. 49. No. 31. January 30, 1952. 6. The Easley Progress. “$2,965 Raised in Dimes March Here” Vol. 49. No. 32. February 7, 1952. 7. The Easley Progress. “Kayser To Build $1,000,000 Hosiery Plant At Liberty”. Vol. 49. No. 37. 8. The Easley Progress. “Tear Gas Fails To Halt Alice Plant Vault Robbery”. Vol. 49. No. 41. April 10, 1952. 9. The Easley Progress. “Hope Reed Co. May Locate Branch Plant in Easley”. Vol. 50. No. 37. March 12, 1953. 10. The Easley Progress. “Amendment Nullifies Grantham’s Drought Bill”. Vol. 50. No. 39. March 26, 1953. 11. The Easley Progress. “Native of Easley Killed In Plant Crash In Florida”. Vol. 50. No. 41. April 9, 1953. 12. The Easley Progress. “Child Killed In Scuffle Over Rife; Hold Inquest Today”. Vol. 50. No. 49. June 4, 1953. 13. The Easley Progress. “Easley Airman Drowns In Attempt To Swim River”. Vol. 52. No. 1. July 1, 1954. 14. The Easley Progress. “Central Woman Bites Officer After Arrest”. Vol. 52. No. 3. July 15, 1954. 15. The Easley Progress. “Easley Man Hasn’t Missed Day From Work In 36 Years”. Vol. 52. No. 4. July 22, 1954. 16. The Easley Progress. “Pickens Baby Killed When Backed Over By Pick-Up Truck”. Vol. 52. No. 6. August 5, 1954. 17. The Easley Progress. “Large Number Of Rabid Cases Prompts Board To Name Control Officer”. Vol. 52. No. 29. January 13, 1955. 18. The Easley Progress. “Airman Killed In Auto Smash”. Vol. 52. No. 32. February 3, 1955. 19. The Easley Progress. “Traffic Accidents Claim Eleven Lives During Week”. Vol. 52. No. 34. February 16, 1955. 20. The Easley Progress. “Baptists Discuss Easley Hospital”. Vol. 52. No. 36. March 3, 1955.
 * __Sources__ **