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savetheknot
| | Somewhat of a Ghost Town < on 9/4/2011 6:24 PM >
| | | I took this weekend to go on a voyage. Please forgive me if this post is hyped and doesn't live up to it. I meet up with my Dad and took a trip to his childhood home. This trip was very emotional for me. I didn't get a chance to thoroughly explore a lot because it was mostly stories of my Grandfather and my Dad and his siblings. I enjoyed it very much. I would like to go back there if anyone is interested in meeting and helping me out seeing as I am not that experienced. This is Joanna, SC. Our first stop was the old ball field. Many attempts have been made to revive the community here. This was once the site of the local Textile League that Shoeless Joe Jackson was rumored to play in after his ban from Pro Baseball. My Grandfather played here in left field. He used number 7 after his idol, Mickey Mantle. The Joanna Royals The Entrance
On the left in the foreground was the ticket booth. On the right just before the entrance was concessions. (Note the new signs and paint.) The Entrance from the Inside
The Bleachers
My Dad watched my Grandfather play from these stands. The Locker Room and Bathrooms
The bathrooms were the 2 doors on the right. The locker rooms were the other doors. The Dugout
This is the home dugout. We left from there and went to my Dad's home when he was a teen. On the day of February 24, 1969, my Dad's 16th birthday, my Grandfather woke my Dad for school. He told my Dad he wasn't feeling well and probably wouldn't go to work today. My Dad left for school and never saw his Dad again alive. The Teen House
My Grandfather won a beautification award for his work in this yard. He built the rock walls here. Word spread quickly and he began building them all over the town before his death.
This brick wall is a particular memory for a couple of reasons. It was commissioned by the church, it was the last one he built (summer of '68) and my dad and a friend of his buried a "time capsule" in this section. He says since it was during the space exploration era they wrote the date and "This is planet Earth" on it along with some other things he couldn't remember. I would love to find that. From there we went to his home as a child. The Child House
This house was not vacant when we went by it. My Dad says they had to move from this house when my Grandfather could no longer afford the rent of $32 a month. This was partially because of: The Company Store
The mill my Grandfather worked at ran the whole town. The Company Store carried everything you needed from clothes to groceries to furniture. You would purchase items as needed and the mill would then take money from your check to pay for the items. Most mills would only take a certain percentage based on purchases. However this mill's limit would take all but $2 a week from your pay. My Dad says he remembers my Grandfather working 80hrs a week and bringing home the $2 minimum pay. They left the childhood home and rented an apartment for $20 a month. The School
The school is now being turned into a shelter from homeless and/or abused. The general structure is still the same however. Here my Dad tells a story of getting a cap pistol for Christmas. This was a huge deal for him. He took it to school for show and tell after the holiday break. That day a fire broke out in the boiler room of the school and he never saw his cap pistol again. The Clubhouse
This place has been used recently but is now abandoned again. The Stage
The Pianos
The Hospital
My Uncle was born here Would love to see inside... The Mill
Another place I would love to see inside... The Baby House This is all thats left of the house my Dad live in as a baby. This house had only 4 rooms in it. After my Dad's youngest brother was born there were 10 people living here.
The chimney
The front steps.
The well. We walked around the property for a while and my Dad told me about everyday life here. He mentioned a barn that didn't exist anymore and having to use an outhouse. He also mentioned taking the garbage out the back door and throwing it down a ditch behind the house. While showing where this ditch was, we found...
My Grandmother's beer cans and
other various jars and bottles that somehow survived including...
and this old peroxide bottle.
I hope you enjoyed this visit into my past. There's so much more to see here in this and the surround towns. If you're interested please let me know because there are things I would love to see more of that are just out of my expertise.
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jeepdave
Location: Anderson, SC Gender: Male
It's also a gun.
| | Re: Somewhat of a Ghost Town <Reply # 1 on 9/4/2011 6:51 PM >
| | | Nice! Like the story that went along with it. My dad was born in Clinton SC and took em to where he grew up in a mill village in Saxon part of Spartanburg SC. I live in Spartanburg County up near NC boarder now. Cool little trip through your families history.
Ezekiel 25:17 |
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savetheknot
| | Re: Somewhat of a Ghost Town <Reply # 2 on 9/4/2011 7:38 PM >
| | | For real?! I was born in Clinton, too. Graduated from Clinton High in 1998. Small world. Did you live there long?
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jeepdave
Location: Anderson, SC Gender: Male
It's also a gun.
| | Re: Somewhat of a Ghost Town <Reply # 3 on 9/4/2011 7:48 PM >
| | | I never lived in Clinton, he was born there in 36. I was born in MD but moved here when I was 2. I grew up in Campobello SC. Love it here. But I have been to Clinton several times. Nice place.
Ezekiel 25:17 |
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savetheknot
| | Re: Somewhat of a Ghost Town <Reply # 4 on 9/4/2011 11:48 PM >
| | | It will always be home. Glad you enjoyed my trek.
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barefootpoetry
Location: PA Gender: Female
| | | Re: Somewhat of a Ghost Town <Reply # 5 on 9/5/2011 11:28 PM >
| | | This is pretty cool. Thanks for the story. The town where my parents grew up, and my grandparents still live, is on its way to a similar fate. There's no industry or commerce there anymore, and nearly everyone has moved away. Last time I visited, maybe 5 years ago, it looked a lot like this.
She who hesitates, sees bulldozers. |
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