1956+-+1960

__**An everyday history of Upstate South Carolina from 1956 - 1960**__ County Forest Ranger Charlie Gravely said this (Wednesday) morning that the forest fire which has been raging upper Pickens County since Sunday night broke out again Tuesday night about 7 o’clock in the Tailey Bend section and that additional men and a pumper truck from Donaldson Air Force Base had been assigned to this area. “The Tailey Bridge road is the fire line now,” he said, “and we are holding, but the danger is still not over.” Ranger Gravely called the fire one of the worst in history and could not readily mane an estimate of the acres burned, although he did say it would run into several hundred. The fire in Pickens County is separate from the one still burning in Greenville County and was first discovered Sunday night after high winds whipped the coals from a burning brush pile which had smoldered for several days. Only one building has been burned in this county and that was a deserted house belonging to Vardy Hardin near Mountain Lake Colony. However, several other homes are threatened by the new break-out Tuesday night. The Greenville County fire jumped river and roads which divide the two counties, but this blaze was held by volunteers and not too much damage in this area. Ranger Gravely said that the county was now experiencing the worst possible fire condition and that it was so dangerous that it could not get any worse regardless how long it would be until rains came. He said that the system for classifying conditions begins at zero and as the fire conditions worsen, the figure rises. “We had reached condition 5, which is considered the worst possible, just two days before the fire broke out,” Mr. Gravely said. The extreme high winds Sunday night fanned the flames beyond control at times. Winds in the valley around Table Rock Park unroofed several homes and barns as toppling 15 and 16 inch pine trees. Manu of the trees were twisted off instead of being uprooted which indicated the tremendous force of the winds. “My thanks go to the people who turned out in large numbers in response to the radio appeal and to the station for their assistance. The Red Cross certainly did a wonderful job in providing food for the workers and the Donaldson Air Force Base furnished a pumper truck which was of great benefit. The Greenville Highway Department let us have a bulldozer which saved many acres from being burned, and I sincerely appreciate the fine aid from everyone,” Ranger Gravely concluded. The smoke clouds are easily visible from Pickens and the roads in the area have been heavy with sightseers. Ranger Gravely said that at least 500 cars came by Talley Bend Monday night. The bi-annual Democratic party precinct club meetings will be held in Pickens County on Saturday, Feb. 25, according to notices mailed to Executive Committeemen by John D. Vickery, secretary-treasurer of the committee. The meetings, called for 3:00 p.m., at the usual places for such sessions, will be for the purpose of re-organization. Present officers’ terms will expire at the time of the forthcoming meetings. County Chairman T.R. O’Dell had called for the bi-annual reorganizational meeting of the Pickens County Democratic Party to be held in the county court house next Monday morning, March 5, beginning at 10 o’clock. Election of officers and naming the of the delegates to the state convention, as well as any other necessary business, will be attended to at this meeting. Secretary John Vickery, Jr., has mailed notices to all executive committeemen of the 35 county clubs asking that the list of certified delegates from each box be submitted prior to the meeting. The body of Lawrence Thomas White, 18, of Pickens, was recovered from Keowee River at the Pickens-Oconee line Sunday afternoon, three hours after he drowned while on an outing with his father and two others. Scene of drowning is 12 miles from Pickens about a mile and half above the bridge on Highway 183. The group had been in the water only a short time when swift currents engulfed Lawrence. Alvin Burgess, who is a boarder at the White home, said he grabbed the youth, but became strangled and had to turn him loose to keep from drowning. Burgess said he managed to reach a sand bar on the Pickens side, and saw Lawrence disappear. The victim’s father was nearby but helpless to reach his son. Felton Morgan also saw the tragic death. Pickens and Oconee officers were summoned about 1 p.mp. and joined the search for the body. Easley, Jan. 7- Collision of an unscheduled troop train and a fuel oil truck at 10 a.m. Friday resulted in death of an Easley man. The tragedy happened at Glenwood Mills crossing east of the Easley city limits- the scene over the years of a number of similar accidents between trains and motor vehicles. Troy Eugene Queen, 25, 110 Welborn Circle, Easley died during thr ambulance ride to Greenville General Hospital. He was accompanied there by Ansel Oranger, Easley, his employer. Queen was alone, driving the Oranders Fuel Oil Distributors’ truck, when the accident occurred. He was delivering fuel oil. The formal opening of the new Ambler-Griffin-Oolenoy Elementary School will take place next Monday morning, Feb. 25, when the first classes are scheduled for the new school. The new one-story building is of fireproof masonry construction and was built at a $200,000 cost with another $20,000 spent on equipment. The building is located on a 10-acre tract about eight miles north of Pickens on the Pumpkintown Highway and serves student who formerly attended Ambler, Glassy Mountain, Oolenoy, Pleasant Grove and Town Creek Elementary schools. The school consists of ten classrooms, first aid room, cafetorium, library, principal’s office, conference room and lounges for faculty and students. It was first begun in June of last year. “**Two In Run-Off For Easley Mayor”** Easley, March 26- the decision as to who was elected Mayor of Easley was still in doubt after Monday’s election which necessitates a run-off for this job next Monday. Easley, April 1- Former Mayor Sidney F. McDaniel, Jr., and Ron Campbell Monday won Democratic nominations as mayor and Ward Four alderman in a Democratic primary run-off. Mr. McDaniel defeated incumbent Mayor Minor L. Lesley for the mayor’s post by a vote of 799 to 443. Pickens County Senator, Earle Morris, Jr., says that a county wide water system with water furnished by the new Greenville watershed is a probability and that legislation toward this end will be introduced at an early date as the legislature begins deliberation in Columbia next Tuesday. Sen. Morris says he hopes to introduce this bill the first thing as the public apparently wants the county connected on a one system basis. He said that revenue will be provided from a bond issue and that the people residing in the proposed water district must also approve a bind issue. Columbia, Feb. 4- All three members of the Pickens County Legislative Delegation have signified their intention of offering for re-election this summer. Senator Earle Morris, Jr., completing his first four years as Pickens County senators, and Representatives Harold Breazeale and John Gentry, both veteran legislators, say they will be in the race again this year. Sen. Morrise is one of 23 members of the State Senate whose terms expire this year. He is one of at least 15 who say defiantly at this time that they are seeking re-election, although most of them and the others who are non-committal have not yet made formal announcements. One of the 23 has said he definitely will not be a candidate. Richland County’s Sen. A. Fletcher Spigenr, Jr., will step down this year at the end of his initial four-year term, and already one House member, Rep. Walter J. Bristow, Jr. has said he will seek the post. There’s the chance that at least one other Richland representative, Mrs. Martha Thomas Fitzgerald, will seek the senate seat. There will be a number of other representatives who will seek to “cross the hall” but few are ready now to make the official announcement of intention. In a recent poll by The Sentinel’s special legislative correspondent, seven incumbent senators said they are not ready to state their intentions as yet. But, if past history is at all indicative, most of them will be in the race when politicking gets underway. Despite the extreme weather, Summey Brothers Construction Co., has been moving along on schedule in the remodeling and building program at Cross Roads Baptist Church and the congregation plans their first worship service in the new sanctuary on Sunday, Fe. 23, according to Rev. W. L. Freeman, Jr., pastor of the church for the past five years. The building program includes new Sunday School addition of 13 rooms with two rest rooms, this makes 27 rooms available for Sunday School classes. In addition, the entire church was bricked and a new front added. The cost will be approximately $28,000 in addition to the heating system addition. The main auditorium was increased by about 100 and will now seat approximately 2450 persons. The steeple was placed in position Saturday morning…and only a few finishing up touches remain before the job is completed. Columbia, April 9- The Pickens County legislative delegation announced here on Tuesday that the county will receive $3,750,000 for farm-to-market and federal aid secondary road construction. The allocation will be made in the next few weeks. According to delegation members, these funds represent Pickens County’s minimum share of the extensive federal- state highway construction program. Highway Commissioner Fred F. Williams, along with members of the delegation, pointed out that this figure does not represent the county’s share of primary highway funds. The delegation said preliminary surveys and plans are being made at present by the highway Commission for additional dual-lane construction and for vast improvements on the secondary road program for Pickens County. Steadily and almost quietly, Pickens County’s newest industry is moving toward completion and will probably be on production late this year according to Ellison S. McKissick, Jr., President of Alice Manufacturing Co. The new plant, the fourth in the Alice organization, is being built at Alco station between Pickens and Easley on the Pickens Railroad siding and within a stone’s throw of the Elljean Plant, Mr. McKissick said the roof is about two0thirds completed and that machinery is due in this summer. The plant will manufacture combed broadcloth which is used to make shirts and dresses, as compares to print cloth which is made in the company’s other three plants- Alice, Arial and Elljean. Wage increases were announced this week for some 435 persons engaged in the textile industry in Pickens. Pickens Mill announced an increase effective this past Monday which is “comparable to the pattern set by the textile industry throughout the area” and will affect approximately 260 workers employed at the mill. Runnymede Mills also announced a wage increase effective last Monday for 175 persons employed at this plant, although no figures were listed. Sangamo Electric Co. granted a flat 10c hourly hike to employees working on an hourly basis last December 15 which affected about 600 persons. ** “To Resurface 19 miles County Road” ** A contract for the resurfacing of 19.35 miles of primary highways in Pickens County had been awarded by the State Highway Department to Sloan Construction Company, Inc., of Greenville. Announcement of the contract was made March 23 in a letter of award from Chief Highway Commissioner Claude R. MeMillan. The award was based on a low bid of $99,887 submitted when bids for the work were publicly opened in Columbia March 17. The project consists of the resurfacing with hot lain asphaltic concrete surface course of 12.35 miles on S.C. Route 183 between Pickens County and the Greenville County line; of 0.5 miles on S.C. Route 183, being Main Street in Pickens; 6.30 miles on S.C. Route 135 between Easley and S.C. Route 186, and 0.2 mile on a connection between U.S. Route 123 Business and S.C. Route 8 in Easley. On Sunday, September 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. a polio vaccine clinic will be held at the Pickens Health Center sponsored by the Pickens Jaycees. First, second, third and booster shots will be available for persons from school age up. A nominal charge of $1.00 per shot will be made. However, person may request shots free-of-charge if they so desire. The vaccine will be administered by nurses under the supervision of local doctors. The number of persons receiving shots on Sunday, September 20, was quite encouraging. The Jaycees greatly appreciated the help of Doctor J. M. Harden and Doctor N. C. Brackett, Mrs. Lounelle Graham, Mrs. Austin Dillard, Mrs. Betty Finley and Mrs. Ruth Bolding. The Post Office Department id advertising for competitive bids for a new postal facility at Pickens, it has been announced by Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield. A federal undercover man operating in stills on the mountains of South and North Carolina since last November garnered information which touched off mass arrests in this area last week which saw a total of eleven persons post bond of charges of violating the liquor law. ** “Sign Contract For New Post Office; To Be Ready August 1” ** Postmaster General Arthur E. Summerfield announced that a contract has been signed for the construction and lease to the Post Office Department of a new Post Office building in Pickens. ** “Road Named To Honor Area Men” ** Two prominent Pickens County citizens are scheduled to be memorialized with the naming of important highway links to their honor. Highway No. 11, leading from foot of Beasley Mountain to Jocassee, is to be named in the honor of the late Rev. William (Uncle Billy) Holcombe of the Eastatoe section, while the new bridge over Keowee River just north of Chapman’s Bridge on the same highway is scheduled to be named in the honor of Fred F. Williams, of Easley, a former senator and highway commissioner. This information was contained in a letter from Highway Commissioner C. R. McMillan to senator Earle E. Morris. Sources: 1. The Pickens Sentinel. “Three Day Woods Fire In Uppper County Still Burns”. Vol. 84. No. 32. January 12, 1956 2. The Pickens Sentinel. “County Democratic Precincts Will Organize Saturday at 3”. Vol. 84. No. 38. February 23, 1956. 3. The Pickens Sentinel. “Democratic Convention at Court House Monday at 10 a.m.”. Vol. 84. No. 38. March 1, 18. 1956. 4. The Pickens Sentinel. “Youth Drowns In Keowee Sunday”. Vol. 84. No. 50. May 17, 1956. 5. The Pickens Sentinel. “Train-Truck Crash Results in First Fatality of Year”. Vol. 85. No. 32. January 10, 1957. 6. The Pickens Sentinel. “New Ambler-Griffin-Oolenoy School Will Open Monday”. Vol. 85. No. 38. February 21, 1957. 7. The Pickens Sentinel. “Two in Run-off for Easley Mayor”. Vol. 85. No. 43. March 28, 1957. 8. The Pickens Sentinel. “McDaniel Elected New Easley Mayor”. Vol. 85. No. 44. April 4, 1957. 9. The Pickens Sentinel. “To Introduce Legislation for County-Wide Water”. Vol. 86. No. 32. January 9, 1958. 10. The Pickens Sentinel. “All Three Members County Delegation Seek Re-election”. Vol. 86. No. 36. February 6, 1958. 11. The Pickens Sentinel. “Cross Roads Church Almost Completed”. Vol. 86. No. 37. February 13, 1958 12. The Pickens Sentinel. “County Gets Big Sums for Roads”. Vol. 89. No. 45. April 10, 1958. 13. The Pickens Sentinel. “Pickens County’s Newest Million Dollar Industry Moves toward Completion”. Vol. 88. No. 35. January 29, 1959. 14. The Pickens Sentinel. “435 Workers Receive Pay Boost At Pickens Mill and Runnymede”. Vol. 88. No. 38. February 19, 1959. 15. The Pickens Sentinel. “To Resurface 19 Miles County Road”. Vol. 88. No. 44. April 2, 1959. 16. The Pickens Sentinel. “Polio Vaccine Clinic Sunday”. Vol. 89. No. 17. September 24,1959. 17. The Pickens Sentinel. “New Pickens Post Office Be Built Near County Jail”. Vol. 89. No. 33. January 14, 1960. 18. The Pickens Sentinel. “Undercover Agent Breaks Big Whiskey Operation”. Vol. 89. No.37. February 11, 1960. 19. The Pickens Sentinel. “Sign Contract For New Post Office; To Be Ready August 1”. Vol. 89. No. 47. April 21, 1960. 20. The Pickens Sentinel. “Road Named To Honor Area Men”. Vol. 89. No. 51. May 19, 1960.
 * __ 1956  __**
 * “Three Day Woods Fire in Upper County Still Burns” **
 * “County Democratic Precincts Will Organize Saturday at 3” **
 * “Democratic Convention at Court House Monday 10 a.m.” **
 * “Youth Drowns In Keowee Sunday” **
 * __ 1957  __**
 * “Train-Truck Crash Results In First Fatality Of Year” **
 * “New Ambler-Griffin-Oolenoy School Will Open Monday” **
 * “McDaniel Elected New Easley Mayor” **
 * __ 1958  __**
 * “To Introduce Legislation For County-Wide Water” **
 * “All 3 Members County Delegation Seek Re-election” **
 * “Cross Roads Church Almost Completed” **
 * “County Gets Big Sum For Roads” **
 * __ 1959  __**
 * “Pickens County’s Newest Million Dollar Industry Moves Toward Completion” **
 * “435 Workers Receive Pay Boost At Pickens Mill and Runnymede” **
 * “Polio Vaccine Clinic Sunday” **
 * __ 1960  __**
 * “New Pickens Post Office Be Built Near County Jail” **
 * “Undercover Agent Breaks Big Whiskey Operation” **