Before Bennettsville: Pee Dee Indians And Welsh Neck
TEXTILES
LATER
In Marlboro County of South Carolina’s Upper
Coastal Plain, living is a fair blend of rich past and
hustling present—of agriculture and diversified in
dustry.
Marlboro is known and readily identified as a "land of farms."
Old records indicate that for a time, long ago, land in Marlboro
sold by the pound instead of by the acre.
The County, established by law March 12, 1785, is named
for an able English statesman, John Churchill, Duke of Marl
borough. The Duke, who died in the early 1700s, was a prom
inent politician and one of the very few English generals
who never met defeat throughout a lifetime of warfare.
In the days before Marlboro County’s settlers arrived
from Europe the area was inhabited by aboriginal red men
known as the Peedee or Pee Dee. They composed a small
tribe of Siouan people whose territory centered around what
is now Cheraw, S. C.
J. A. W. Thomas in his “History of Marlboro County”
notes that by 1775 most of the Pee Dee lived with the white
settlers and with the Catawbas, a larger tribe. The two
Pee Dee Rivers took their designation from the people of
that name.
THE AREA which is Marlboro County was settled by Euro
pean peoples during Colonial times. First-comers were Welsh who
had arrived in Pennsylvania around 1701.
Finding inconveniences there, they moved on, establishing in
1737 their South Carolina settlement which they called Welsh Neck.
Among the early family names of the area, several prevail today—
Brown, Crosland, John, Griffith, Rogers, and Thomas.
Scottish families arrived in the mid-1700s. Influence of this
element has been strong to the present. Original family names of
this early contingent—McColl, McLaurin, McLean and McRae—are
today of prominence in the county and area.
English and Scots-Irish settlers came also. Together, all of
the settlers lived in harmony and pioneered the region. They sub
dued unbroken forests, cultivated the land, opened roads, built
bridges, and erected churches and schools.
BENNETTSVILLE, county seat of Marlboro, was founded in
late 1819, through an act passed by the South Carolina legislature.
The town was named in honor of Thomas Bennett, who was Gov
ernor of the State at that time.
Bennettsville’s original settlement was situated a mile or so
from the Pee Dee River. A year later, the settlement moved to its
☆ ☆ ☆
• Bennettsville will
celebrate Its Sesquicen-
tennial, April 12-17,
1970. The historial mile
stone will be marked
with many planned
events, including tours
of old homes and his
toric sites, pageants and
church homecomings.
☆ ☆ ☆
More on page 3
Cracklin’ Bread
n’ Cider Pie
• Marie Rowland—adept with
the splicing kotter and an artist
in the kitchen. Story and some
of her traditional recipes are on
Page 3.
Roll That Cotton
Cotton, leading natural fiber
in textiles today, is still a major
U.S. crop. The 1969 production
of cotton in the country is es
timated at 11,779,000 bales of
500 pounds gross weight. A crop
of this size would be 831,000
bales or 7.6 per cent above the
1968 crop.
In North Carolina, cotton pro
duction is forecast at 125,000
bales of 500 pounds gross
weight. The NC Crop Reporting
Service estimate is based on re
ports from growers and others
throughout the cotton-growing
area of the state.
WORDPIX
• First-grader on homeward
way from Abernethy School,
proudly showing her classwork
papers to workmen relocating
electric lines along new con-
struciion of crosstown Garrison
Boulevard.
• Teenage girl and boy in
parking lot, combing each
other's long-flowing locks.
• Front-bumper placard on
small foreign car in plant park
ing lot: GENUINE JUNK
PARTS.
Guffey and Retired
McCarter
“You just can’t lay around, once you’re done with a
I'egular job—too many interesting things to do to keep you
from a hum-drum life in retirement.” W. S. Guffey spoke
for himself and Alva McCarter last month, as they both
'‘wrapped up” long careers at the Gastonia Firestone plant.
Their service years with the foreman in the late 1930s and
•Company: Guffey, 34; McCarter,
28.
Guffey came to Gastonia from
f^ear Bryson City when he was
2l, found his life “calling” in
^sxtiles after he’d had some ex
perience in highway and rail-
*^oad maintenance.
He worked at a High Shoals
textile mill, moved to Spartan
burg for employment in a tex
tile finishing plant. Back in
Gastonia, he settled down at the
plant which soon afterwards
'^'^as purchased by the Firestone
company (1935).
HIS YEARS here have been
spinning, except for a brief
®^ay in twisting.
Guffey began here as a spin-
"^l^g frame changer but switch-
to a frame fixer for a few
^ears. He was advanced to shift
since 1942 was department man
ager in carding-spinning.
His brother, Carl, is employed
in quality control; his sister,
Mrs. Maude Peeler, in spinning.
Also, Mrs. Guffey worked here
for several years.
A highlight of his career was
receiving the Supremacy Cup
for his department’s outstanding
sports performance in the plant
recreation program several
years ago.
For a long time, he has played
in the plant golf league, and
once coached a boys baseball
team.
Some of his continuing in
terests in retirement: Keeping
up with baseball and other
sports; playing golf; hunting;
landscaping and tending flowers
More on page 2
Tire$ton«
OCTOBER • 1969
GASTONIA
NORTH CAROLINA
*  * , *
Firestone News Photos • FROM CAMP
FIRESTONE
A Harvest In The Hills
• October's here in its blaze
of splendor. And for the season's
late-goers to Camp Firestone,
this month offers "a remnant
sale of Autumn Glory" in side
trips and special events across
the Southern Highlands.
Camp Firestone, employee re
treat on Lake James, closes its
34th season this month, while
"The Color" is at its richest and
best.
Many employees and mem
bers of their families make
Camp Firestone departure point
for exciting sightseeing trips
along the "Rooftop of Eastern
America."
FAVORITE among stopping
places are native shops and
other collections of traditional
highland crafts. Whether the
gifted hands of S. B. Chiltoskey,
Cherokee artist; the creative
touch of Tony McDonald — or
any other mountain man,
woman, boy or girl, they ac
count for the fireside industry
which produces a kaleidoscope
of craft treasures.
These the visitor may see dis
played in such places as mu
seums, at college exhibits, in
libraries and art galleries; and
for sale at craft outlets in Ashe
ville, Burnsville, Hendersonville
and many other highland com
munities.
Two outstanding showings
each year make up a wonder-
world of excitement and educa
tion on hand-produced wares.
They are the Craftsman's Fair
of the Southern Highlands at
Asheville in early summer; and
the Craftsman's Fair at Gatlin-
burg, Tenn.—this year, Oct. 21-
25.