(rshsdepot) Anderson County, SC

["jdent1_@_optonline.net" <jdent1@optonline.net>]

By Nicholas Charalambous
Anderson Independent-Mail
12/1/2002

Anderson County could triple the number of homes and historic districts it=

has on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the results
of a historic survey=2E

The report by Columbia consulting firm TRC discovered 32 historic
properties that could be eligible for listing on the National Register=2E=20=


Potential historic districts also were identified in the cities of Anderso=
n
and Belton and the towns of Honea Path, Pelzer and Townville, where
well-preserved historic structures were still clustered together=2E

If all the potential listings on National Register were pursued and
granted, it would nearly triple the number of historic structures from 19
to 51 and the county's historic districts from four to nine=2E

"It may surprise some people," said Paula Reel, director of the Anderson
County Museum=2E "People don't expect to find history in their hometown=2E=
"

Commissioned by the county, the Department of Archives and History and the=

South Carolina Heritage Corridor, the study involved a yearlong survey of
1,191 older properties within 718 square miles=2E

The $45,000 initiative was aimed at helping with historic preservation
efforts and confirming the potential for heritage tourism=2E

Although good news for history buffs and economic development officials,
the report warned repeatedly that communities countywide should follow the=

city of Anderson's lead and create historic preservation boards to pass
regulations to prevent further destruction of historic properties and to
protect historic districts from new development=2E

The report made a point of noting that it was already too late for the
towns of Williamston, Starr and Iva and all the county's mill villages,
except parts of Honea Path and Pelzer=2E

For now, the county plans to leave it up to individual property owners,
historic preservation organizations, communities and municipalities to
decide how to implement the findings of the study, said Catherine
Bergstrom, the conservator of the Anderson County Museum and the one who
spearheaded the project=2E

The report found that the individual National Register-eligible properties=

were spread throughout the county=2E=20

Nine were located around Anderson, six around Belton, four in the Hartwell=

area, four in the Saylors Crossing area, three in Honea Path, two in La
France, and one each in Iva, Pelzer and Piercetown=2E Of those, nine were
unidentified=2E=20

They represented a range of architecturally significant styles, such as lo=
g
homes, hall-and-parlor dwellings, Queen Anne, neoclassical, craftsman
bungalows and tenant housing=2E

In addition to historic homes, there were also plenty of churches, schools=
,
farm buildings and commercial stores that hold important parts of the
community's story of cotton and cattle farming, railroad and textile
history=2E

Although cataloging the county's history structure-by-structure was a good=

place to begin preservation efforts, it doesn't stop there, said Jennifer
Revels, the report's author=2E

"There is a tendency (for the reports) to sit on a shelf," she said=2E
"Somebody's got to get out there and let everyone know about it=2E"

Despite the potential benefits of historic preservation, the area's strong=

property-rights heritage has always posed a formidable obstacle in the
past, even in history-rich Pendleton, where efforts to install preservatio=
n
regulations have failed three times in a little more than a decade=2E

But some, like Honea Path native Jim Pinson, think that attitude is
changing=2E

The U=2ES=2E Army retiree worked for the last 10 years to save and restore=
 his
family's Obediah Shirley House, the earliest log house built by settlers
around modern day Honea Path around 1830, now listed on the National
Register=2E

He said Honea Path was "on a roll," having already preserved the Watkins
Elementary School and the Jennie Erwin Carnegie Library=2E

"There is community interest in saving our history," he said=2E =20

POTENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS

A historic preservation survey identifies several historic districts acros=
s
Anderson County that could be eligible for the National Register=2E Their
locations:


Townville: The town founded by Samuel Brown in 1893 and originally known a=
s
Brownville retains much of its late 19th century architecture, including
large and small commercial structures, high-style houses near the
community's center and residences with outbuildings and farmland on
periphery=2E About 31 buildings would make up the district, which would
eligible for listing because of its architecture and ties to agricultural
tradition=2E


Honea Path: The community that sprung up around the Columbia and Greenvill=
e
railroad line that was completed in 1852 spawned many homes through the
1920s and 1930s=2E Styles range from Queen Anne to craftsman and mostly
retain their historic integrity=2E The areas around North Main Street and
Shirley Avenue and Main Street would be eligible because of their
architecture=2E


Belton: Another town located on a spur of the Columbia and Greenville
Railroad, it too saw a lot of construction during its heyday as a railroad=

and textile town=2E The downtown's commercial row, featuring 32 period
structures of varying styles remains largely intact, including the Belton
Depot, and would be eligible because of its architecture=2E


Anderson: Already having two historic districts including downtown and one=

at Anderson College, the survey lists two more potential districts: One
between Fant Street and Boulevard from Anderson College west to Haley
Street and another in the Linley Park area=2E Both areas abound in eligibl=
e
properties dating from the 1920s to the 1940s that weren't listed before
because of their age=2E


Pelzer: Born around Pelzer Manufacturing Company, the town still retains
large portions of a mill village with 28 structures, including
superintendent's houses, a school, an auditorium, a depot, stores and a
gymnasium=2E The village would be eligible for its architecture and
association with industrial history=2E




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=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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