Ye' Old Towne

This week started with another snow event. AND it was really cold!

Spring wants to happen!!

I made my way on the warmest day to the area I call Bramblewood, 

the first bridge was washed away by floods...in 1831 and in 1835 the first Steamboat made it's way up the river from Charleston here in the Wateree River.  When the bridge washed they started a ferry service right out there...

And on this day a Belted Kingfisher was resting...

There was three  eastern Bluebirds, seems they are getting ready for nesting.  

And from the back...

I was happy to see a Palm Warbler there,,

And a sneaky Great Egret

And another visitor that I haven't seen as much of this winter is the Yellow Rumped Warbler This one really showed off his yellow patch. 

Birds as a whole have been steeply declined in my area all winter.  I am alarmed that next winter I may see NO BIRDS...how did we come to this?? The only way to understand where we are is to look back and so....

More on the History of Camden: Colonel Joseph Kershaw

The town name changed from  the backcountry settlement of Fredericksburg, to Pine Tree Hill,  and finally to Camden in 1768  in honor of Lord Camden a champion of Colonial Rights.  Joseph Kershaw our founding father,  was born in Yorkshire England,  immigrated to  Charles Towne  in the 1750's with this brothers Ely and William.  Two brothers moved north to this area and  fought for Independence from Britain,  but William  lived out  his years in Charleston as a Loyalist. 

This Bronze stands in one of the Public Squares...

This is Joseph Kershaw (r) with our Patron Saint 
King Haigler, (1700-1763) King of the Catawba tribe.  Kershaw helped broker peace with the tribe to ensure safe passage of whites using the Tribal path moving  the goods to and from the Interior to the Port at Charleston.  Early crops traded were Rice and Indigo!
Indigo for the Royal Blue

The old Opera House and clock tower had a weathervane installed on top in 1826 representing 

King Haigler this is not the original, it's in the City Archives building. This likeness is sort of our town Mascot. 

 Both Joseph and Ely were captured at the battle of Camden and shipped to a Prison of War camp in British Honduras.  Unfortunately Ely died enroute to Bermuda  in 1780 of dysentery at age 38 and was buried there.  While imprisoned Kershaw mortgaged his properties back in South Carolina to raise money for a ship of supplies to be sent to help the Patriots regain lost ground but it was sunk by the British before it arrived.  His son John Kershaw  spent many years selling off his estate to pay off these debts.  Col Joseph  tried to recoup some of his losses, but he was told by the Governor who he wrote to, "sorry you gave of your own free will."   

The Original Courthouse (1826) is now a Welcome Center for Tourists

 Kershaw passed away December 28th, 1791 and is buried about one block from this Courthouse,   in this enclosure with other members of his family.  This land was donated by Kershaw  to the Episcopal Church. 
  Kershaw County was named in his honor that same year,  he had given practically all he had to the cause.

The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution plaque 

Joseph Kershaw's Burial place 

 An early  Platt showing the names of the Streets and purposed locations of key Town Centers at the time of Kershaw's death in 1791 the cemetery enclosure is located at or near the Letter C.  Now a days the Episcopal church is on the corner of Lyttleton and Laurens streets.   Generations of Kershaws are buried in the old Quaker Cemetery. 

  

I go to the Battle Field area to walk, have biked there and to check out birds...It will undergo a facelift and become a real Historic Landmark.  

Baron DeKalb mentioned in my last post a, German who came here to fight for the cause of the Colony and was wounded at the Battle of Camden died of his wounds and was buried by the Old Oak back on Joseph Kershaws land in town, and was later moved to more prominent resting place in front of the Bethesda Presbyterian Church 

That's the Baron's tomb in front....this building has a dirty secret I will discuss maybe next week?  There is at the very least two sides to every story. 

Most of our  street names are still the same as the original platt of 1791...this is one of our major arteries named for DeKalb at least in the city limits.  I will highlight other streets named for characters from the past history...I hope you find taking a close look at my town and how it came to be interesting. I have some ideas for my next post to recognize Black History Month. 

Fresh n hot.....YUM!!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.