Monthly Archives: January 2016
A mountain girl escapes with her life at Cashiers Lake
The year was 1939.
The place was Cashiers Valley, N.C. Several members of the Cloer family living in Cashiers were working at the sawmill that my Grandpa, W.T. Cloer, was operating at Wolf Mountain, near the head of the Jocassee Gorges.
It was summer, and it was hot!
This was unusual for Cashiers, since the average July high temperature there is 78 degrees, and at an elevation of 3,485 feet, “hot” was not really normal.
I love Cashiers, because the first memories of my life are there as my older brother, Nat, and I dug newt lizards out of the bank near our house on the Eastern Continental Divide, and ate chinquapins (dwarf chestnuts) from a productive tree at the front of our mountain home. In Cashiers, Highway 107, coming from South Carolina, junctions with Highway 64, which crosses the North Carolina mountains. Cashiers is really quaint; there are no honky tonks or fast-food chains.
Cashiers Lake is probably one of the most pristine lakes in the world. It collects tributaries forming at the highest elevations in Jackson County on the Atlantic side of the continental divide. The water is the origin of the mighty and majestic Chattooga River. No place is more refreshing on the hottest days of the year than the cold waters of Cashiers Lake.
There are five places in Cashiers on the National Register of Historic Places, and my parents worked at two of them. Mom and my Grandmother, Bonnie Moody, worked at historic Fairfield Inn, and my dad, Carl Cloer, worked at High Hampton Inn as a golf caddy in the 1920s. The guys in Pickens were always amazed at the accurate golf touch of Dad, somewhat out of character for a renowned mountain man. Dad actually started playing golf with other caddies of Cashiers at a very young age, and was a proficient golfer well into his 70s.
Courtesy Photo
Effie Cloer McDevitt with Betty Lou, Barbara and Thomas Edward McDevitt.
My mom, Grace Moody Cloer, was 15 years old at the time of this story, and swam regularly in Cashiers Lake with the Cloers. Her future husband, my dad, was a central figure in the scene unfolding on this hot summer day. He was 22 years old, and he and Mom were friends at this point in their lives. Mom was swimming this day with her sisters, Lucy and Maxine Moody, ages 14 and 13, respectively. They were allowed to swim if Effie Cloer McDevitt, Dad’s oldest sister, was along.Aunt Effie was the oldest of the eleven children of W.T. and Pearl Cloer, my grandparents, and Effie was totally dependable. She was married, had three children, widowed and had just turned 30 years of age. Mom’s mother was very fond of Effie, and Grandma Bonnie said her children could swim if Aunt Effie took them to Cashiers Lake in her truck.
Mom remembers the day in high school in 1938 when someone came to take two Cloer girls, Tate and Lib, from Glenville High School near Cashiers, because Effie’s young husband, Thomas McDevitt, 31, had died during the night. On the sultry summer day of this story, Aunt Effie had her three young children, fatherless at such an early age, enjoying the water of Cashiers Lake.
On this day, Mom remembers that A.J. Cloer, 13, Gin Cloer, 14, Tate Cloer, 16, Zona Cloer, 24, and Effie Cloer McDevitt, 30, were all enjoying the refreshing ice water of Cashiers Lake high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Effie also lived directly atop the Eastern Continental Divide in Cashiers.
All of Dad’s brothers and sisters were athletic. Dad was a phenomenal swimmer and diver, and was very fast on his feet. Dad’s other brothers, Andy, Bob and A.J., were also athletes. I can remember the first time as a young lad seeing Dad dive and swim with his sister, Lib, as Lib’s husband, Vernon Pruett, backed his huge lumber-hauling truck to the steep banks of Holly Creek in the high mountains of North Georgia. We all were amazed at the athleticism of Dad and his sister as they performed dives from a diving board hastily constructed on the back of the huge truck.
Serendipity: Dad Tags Along
W.T. Cloer, my grandpa, had actually told the younger Cloers that he didn’t want them to go swimming this day. Mom said that she knew that A.J., Gin, and Tate had been asked not to go. W.T. remembered that Cashiers Lake was where a killing had taken place when Kay Baumgarner had killed Frank Bryson there on the dam. Furthermore, beautiful teenage girls in pretty bathing suits could — and did — bring out the gargoyles.
Courtesy Photo
From left, Carl Cloer, Tom McDevitt, Zona and Andy Cloer are pictured on the truck mentioned in the story.
Aunt Effie took her truck to Cashiers Lake this day and took her three small children with her. Life was hard as a widow at age 30. Any change of pace was welcomed. The other Cloer children clamored to find a seat and get set before Aunt Effie started double-clutching the old truck. Double-clutching expedited the changing of gears in old straight-shift truck transmissions without grinding of the gears. It involved depressing and releasing the clutch to shift the gear to neutral, then depressing and releasing the clutch in the next gear.
Dad was trying to recuperate after a hard week in the sawmill at Wolf Mountain, and said he was going to rest this one out.
“Oh! Come on, Carl! Go with us!”Aunt Tate called.
“It’s more fun when you go, Carl,” Aunt Gin urged.
“You all can shiver in that ice water without me,” Dad answered.
“Get on, Carl, I’ll need help with this mob,” called Aunt Effie.
Courtesy Photo
Effie and W.T. Cloer.
When Dad started to back away from the old truck, Aunt Effie gassed it and started rolling. Dad told me how he ran and jumped on at the very last second without Aunt Effie slowing the old truck. Serendipity explains it to some; others would call it fate.
Cashiers Lake is not a pond; it covers several acres, and is deceiving as to distances across it. Zona, my dad’s sister, two years older than he, called to the others, “I’m going to swim across the lake and back! Who wants to go?”
“Not a good idea, Zona,” Effie called. “That may be too far!”
But, Zona was already swimming with an overhanded crawl stroke toward the far shore.
Dad didn’t have his swimming trunks. Who knows? He may have been going to scope out Mom in her bright red bathing suit. Mom and her siblings had moved to Sapphire, near Cashiers, when their young father, Weaver Moody, had died on Christmas Day, also just in his thirties. My Grandmother Moody had moved to Lupton’s Lake at Sapphire, N.C., as caretakers of the property. There, Mom and her siblings became excellent swimmers and lovers of ice water. I can remember being amazed as a small child at how well Mom could swim. She, her siblings, and the Cloers were all like a flock of goldfinches in a birdbath on this hottest day of the year. They slapped the water and splashed each other as they squealed in delight.
Daring Death
“Wait! Wait! Stop splashing! Something’s wrong! Oh God! Oh God! Somebody help Zona! Something’s wrong!”
Dad heard the screaming and quickly ran to the water’s edge to see what the commotion was.
“Somebody help Zona; she’s drowning in the middle!” someone screamed.
Dad jerked off his shoes and shirt and hit the water thrashing toward his sister. Dad told me several times about each thing that happened. I remember vividly that he said Aunt Zona had gone down several times, and was in serious trouble when he reached her.
“Now, Zona, honey, don’t wrap your arms around me, or we’ll both drown!” Dad called as he approached her.
“Just let me get hold of you!” Dad urged.
“Hurry, Carl! I can’t stay up!” Zona choked and screamed.
By the time Dad reached Aunt Zona, she had panicked and had taken on a large amount of water. Dad said when he was in reach, she immediately wrapped her arms and legs around Dad in an attempt to stay afloat. But, instead, she and Dad sank as Dad fought feverishly to break his sister’s grip. He surfaced long enough to get a large gasp of air before sinking in Aunt Zona’s grip for the second time. Dad said that Aunt Zona finally loosened her grip on him, and on her life as well. Dad thought she was gone as he grabbed her hair and pulled her toward the shore, and cried out for the others to come and help. Aunt Zona was completely lifeless, had sunk underneath, and Dad was now pulling her by her beautiful hair.
The others ran and swam toward Dad and Aunt Zona. They lifted and dragged at her motionless body. People were crying and screaming.
“Is she dead? Oh my God! Don’t let her die! Come and help! Please! Come and help!”
Death Denied
In her 90s now, Mom remembers well what happened next. Several in the throng of sawmill folks grabbed Zona’s lifeless and beautiful young body and turned her on her stomach. They began to push down hard on her back and sides. Mom said that when Aunt Zona was turned over, water flowed out of her lifeless mouth. When they began pushing hard, water gushed out. They continued until Zona started coughing wildly, and then, denying death, started breathing. The mountain girl cheated death that day. She and my dad also formed a tight bond between brother and sister that lasted for the rest of their lives.
I can remember visiting Aunt Zona when she became a successful entrepreneur and operated an appliance store. She had problems breathing every time I saw her, and was always using this weird apparatus to get oxygen into her lungs. She would wheeze when she talked, and would suffer lung problems for the rest of her life. Dad attributed this to the drowning. Who knows? Mom claimed Zona had always suffered with asthma. Dad argued, somewhat sarcastically, that the near-drowning probably didn’t help Zona.
What I remember about Aunt Zona was how kind and gentle she was every time I saw her, and how very much she loved my dad. She always called me “Sweet Tommy,” and she and Dad called each other “Honey.”
“Honey, I remember that you pulled me from the grave. Sweet Tommy, your dad saved me from drowning; I am alive because of him.”
Conclusion
I think I know now what happened that day. I never heard anyone say it, but I believe I know what happened. A later experience of mine will help explain.
My wife and I were living in graduate housing at the University of South Carolina in Columbia in 1972. I was completing requirements for a Ph.D. degree. My son, Carl Thomas Cloer III, Tom-Tom, was in kindergarten, and was the life of each party at every gathering of kids from graduate housing. One of the mothers was responsible for choosing a child to carry a scepter for the 1972 Football Homecoming Queen for USC. The lady asked us if Tom could possibly carry the Homecoming Queen’s scepter on a pillow to midfield at halftime.
Tom was thrilled and immediately said, “Yes! Yes! Can I, Mom? Can I?”
Of course, Elaine and I were thrilled to have him chosen.
“Oh! That would be great, Tom! Of course you can!”
Tom was a bundle of energy, and was ever in motion. Then, on the morning of the queen’s coronation, life happened. Tom was noticeably discontent and listless. By lunch, we knew something was wrong. Tom was gasping for air, and his medicine for diagnosed bronchitis wasn’t helping. By afternoon, Tom was really struggling to breathe.
“Tom, I’m going to call the lady in charge of the queen’s court, and tell her you are very sick.”
“No! Dad, No! They are depending on me!” he begged. “Please, Dad! Please don’t! I can do it! I promise! I can do it!”
I looked at his mother. “Your call,” she said, almost in tears.
I carried Tom in my arms to the stadium fence. I will never forget how his little shoulders raised as he tried to fill his lungs with enough oxygen to walk. But walk he did, with shoulders raised to his ears. He performed admirably, and upon reaching the sideline in return, he collapsed into my arms and we hurried home.
That was the first attack of his chronic asthma; it continues to this day. I learned a great deal, and know more about asthma now, and the effect it can have on an athletic body. I had a big fullback in the backfield with me in football. When his asthma flared, all bets were off.
Aunt Zona, who later suffered with asthma all her life, unfortunately had a serious attack in the middle of Cashiers Lake that day in 1939, and if not for Dad, she would have dared death that hot, sultry summer day and lost.
Tom Cloer is a professor emeritus at Furman University. He has published widely, including several books, computer software, journal articles and numerous stories of Southern Appalachia. He was the first South Carolina Governor’s Professor of the Year.
Deep Winter Blues will take the chill out at Hagood Mill
PICKENS — It has been cold and bleak outside, so to heat up things, come out for a day of fun on Saturday, Feb. 20, as the Hagood Mill will present “Deep Winter Blues.” The site is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with music from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Upcountry South Carolina is a historical Mecca for the Blues. Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s the streets of Laurens County, Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson reverberated with the music of bluesmen/street preachers as they were strolling with their tin cups extended. Many of these musicians became famous on the streets of New York City in the folk revival of the ‘50s and ‘60s. It is this tradition that we celebrate each February at Hagood Mill.
This year’s lineup features Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award winner and bluesman Steve McGaha with finger style picker and country bluesman David Donar playing some red hot tunes. In addition to music, David is a cartoonist and illustrator whose favorite subject matter are all the various musicians who perform and jam at the Hagood Mill throughout the year.
Hear the old music that made upstate South Carolina a famous “roots environment” for the Piedmont Blues … some tunes primitive in nature and others coming from the sweet soul of the South Carolina bluesmen of long ago.
There will be lots of other things to see on February 20 as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folk life and traditional arts demonstrations. There will be blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flint knapping, chair-caning, moonshining, broom-making, basket-making, pottery, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, metal-smithing, bee keeping, leather-working and more. As always we encourage visitors to bring their favorite old time instruments and join in on the “open jam” which takes place throughout the day under the ancient cedar beside our beloved 1791 log cabin.
The centerpiece of the Hagood Mill historic site is the water-powered 1845 gristmill.
There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! There is a $5 parking fee for the day but admission is free to the Hagood Mill Site as well as the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. All proceeds from parking go to help the Hagood Mill.
The Hagood Mill historic site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. all year long.
The Hagood Mill is just three miles north of Pickens off US 178 or 5.5 miles south of Cherokee Foothills Scenic S.C. Highway 11 just off U.S. 178 at 138 Hagood Mill Road.
CAST and Arts Council set to hold 8th annual Celebration Of Story
CLEMSON — Imagine unplugging from everyday distractions and cares to be whisked away by the art of storytelling, through spoken word and music. It was through oral communication that our ancestors taught life lessons, kept their history alive, and spread the news. Today, these traditions are alive and well.
[cointent_lockedcontent]In honor of the age old customs, the Clemson Area StoryTellers (CAST) in cooperation with the Arts Center present The Eighth Annual Celebration of Story: Celebrate Story through Spoken Word and Music on Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center, 212 Butler St., Clemson. Young and old alike are invited to an evening of stories through music and spoken word.
Spoken word artists for the evening are Lisa Eister, Jim Foote, Lane Hudson and Judy Seeley. All are members of CAST, a local guild dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling. The tellers gather on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Arts Center, where they share stories. Listeners and storytellers are always welcome.
Music will be performed by the folk duo Padenrich Station (http://padenrichstation.com). Acoustic arrangements, duo harmony, vivid lyrics and an admiration for the tradition of folk storytelling gives this band its fun sound.
Music begins at 7 p.m. and tales to tickle your funny bone and warm your heart begin at 7:30 p.m. For directions go to http://explorearts.org/, and for more information email clemsonareastorytellers@yahoo.com or judy_seeley@hotmail.com.
Admission is free and donations are accepted. The Eighth Annual Celebration of Story is both a free community event and a benefit for Clemson Community Care (CCC). Clemson Community Care is a non-profit organization providing food, shelter, utilities, and other support services to people in difficult circumstances in the Clemson, Central, and Pendleton areas of South Carolina. Attendees of the Eighth Annual Celebration of Story are asked to bring canned goods, especially canned meat and fish, canned vegetables, and pasta sauce. Donations of boxed powdered milk, cereal, toiletries, pasta, rice, and instant potatoes are also welcome. During March and April, all donations to CCC will be proportionally matched by the Feinstein Foundation.
Seating and parking at the Arts Center are limited. Groups of 10 or more may call (864) 855-6396 or (864) 276-2166 to request reserved seats.
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Courier Community Calendar 1-27-16
• Cannon to offer Wellness Wednesdays
Cannon Memorial Hospital will be offering a February Wednesday Wellness Special at the Cannon Annex each week in February from 7 a.m.-10 a.m. No appointment or doctor’s order needed. Participants can receive a discounted Lipid panel for $15 (regularly $24) with results back within a week. Free blood pressure screenings. For more information, contact Wellness at (864) 898-1331.
• Auxiliary to host white elephant sale
Cannon Memorial Auxiliary will hold a white elephant sale from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28, and Friday, Jan. 29. Jewelry, household items, furniture and more will be available in the classroom at Cannon (located near the Outpatient Entrance).
• Classes offered at Hagood Center
New Fiber Room Center activities at the Hagood Center in Pickens have been scheduled for January and February.
The sixth annual Fiber Arts Expo sponsored by Heritage Weavers & Fiber Artists takes place next Saturday – January 30 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Historic Johnson Farm.
There will be additional new activities scheduled throughout the next few months. Pre-registration and lists of the supplies are not available. In January, the center will offer self-binding receiving blankets with Sara. Cost is a $5 donation for the center.
On Feb. 1 and 8, enjoy an introductory painting on silk three-day class with Cheryl. All supplies will be provided at the cost of a $10 donation to the center.
A new weaving class will be held each Tuesday from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. This class will continue each Tuesday for approximately three months. During the class the participants will complete three weaving projects: a teacher orientation practice project, a teacher directed color-scamp project, and a student designed project. At the completion of the class, the participants should be able to weave “on your own.” The participants will be expected to purchase a book and minimal supplies for a total cost of approximately $20.
Below is a list of the center’s regular activities:
Monday: 10-11:30 a.m. — cathedral window quilts with Jacquie
Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat; 9-11:30 a.m. — doll clothes with Jacquie; 10-11:30 a.m. — yo-yos with Irene and prayer shawls and cancer caps with Sharon (in the library). Wednesday: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. — weaving with Pat (in the heritage room); 10-11:30 a.m. — knitting with Tally.
Thursday: 10-11:30 a.m. quilting with Sara; 1:30-3:30 p.m. — rug hooking with Cheryl.
• Grace UMC plans 5th Sunday Singing
The community is invited to Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens as it will host a 5th Sunday Singing in its fellowship hall at 6 p.m. on Jan. 31.
Each “5th Sunday Singing” at Grace will include special music and your favorite songs to sing along to.
• Camp Creek moves Sunday services
Camp Creek Baptist Church will move its Sunday service to the Rosewood Center in Liberty for the next few weeks. The move is temporary due to the remodeling of the church’s sanctuary. AWANA clubs will still be held at the church in Central as usual, in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights.
Courier Legals 1-27-16
NOTICE OF SALE
2015-CP-39-589
BY VIRTUE OF A DECREE of the Court of Common Pleas for Pickens County, heretofore granted in the case of United States of America, acting through the Farmers Home Administration, United States Department of Agriculture vs. Christa L. Moss, I, the undersigned Master In Equity appointed under Order of said Court, will sell on February 1, 2016 at 11:00 o’clock, a.m., at the Pickens County Courthouse, Pickens, South Carolina, to the highest bidder, the following described property, to wit:
ALL that certain piece, parcel or lot of land, situate, lying and being in the State of South Carolina, County of Pickens, located 2.5 miles North, Northeast of Pickens, being shown and designated a a portion of Lot No. 7 of Blue Ridge Estates on plat prepared by C. E. Shehan Surveying, dated November 9, 1983 and according to said plat, having the following courses and distances, to wit: BEGINNING at iron pin at axle on edge of Blue Ridge Circle; and running along common line of portion of Lot No. 7 herein conveyed and Lot 8 N 75-15 West 179.01 feet to old iron pin; running thence along line of McJunkin North 03-48 East 149.05 feet to old iron pin; running thence along line of McJunkin North 03-48 East 149.05 feet to old iron pin; continuing along line of land of McJunkin North 83-26 East 38.00 feet to new iron pin; running thence along line of portion of Lot No. 6 and a portion of Lot No. 7 (as shown on plat) South 44-17 East 219.40 feet to new iron pin on Blue Ridge Circle; running thence along edge of Blue Ridge Circle South 33-41 West 49.85 feet to the beginning corner.
This being the identical property conveyed unto Beverly E. Widener by deed of the United States of America recorded December 10, 1987 in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Pickens County in Record Book 26 at Page 55.
This being the identical property conveyed unto Christa L. Moss by deed of Beverly E. Widener recorded November 22, 1993 in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Pickens County in Record Book 222 at Page 122.
TMS #4192-09-26-1622
Property Address: 134 North Blue Ridge Circle, Pickens, SC 29671
TERMS OF SALE: For Cash, the Master In Equity will require a deposit of 5% of the amount of the bid (in cash or equivalent) by 4:00 p.m., on the sales date, the same to be applied on the purchase price in case of compliance, but in case of noncompliance within Twenty (20) days, the same to be forfeited and applied to the costs and Plaintiff’s debt and the property shall be resold at the risk and expense of the former purchaser. Purchaser shall pay for the deed and necessary revenue stamps for the deed. Purchaser to be responsible for payment of taxes and assessments not past due at the time of sale.
No personal or deficiency judgment being demanded, the bidding will not remain open after the sale but compliance with the bid may be made immediately.
The sale shall be subject to taxes and assessments, existing easements, and restrictions and easements and restrictions of record, and any other senior encumbrances.
Interest on the balance of the bid shall be paid to the day of compliance at the rate of 6.5% per day.
The sale will not be held unless the Plaintiff or its attorney is present at the sale or has advised the Master’s office of its bidding instructions. This sale is subject to all matters of record and any interested party should perform an independent title examination of the subject property as no warranty is given.
___________________________
R. Murray Hughes
Special Referee
Gary P. Rish, PC
Attorney for Plaintiff
P. O. Box 508
Irmo, SC 29063
(803) 749-1764
Jan. 13, 20, 27
————————————————————————–
ORDER OF PUBLICATION
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF PICKENS
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
CASE No. 2015-CP-39-0872
Billie Jane Pressley, Plaintiff, vs- Teresa D. Fowler, Leslie C. Pressley, Curtis Blake Pressley AND John Doe and Richard Roe representing possible unknownparties, Defendants.
Upon reading the attached Affidavit, it appears to my satisfaction that this is a proper case in which service may be had upon Defendants by publication as authorized by 15-9-730 and 15-9-720 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina (1976).
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, that the Lis Pendens, Summons and Notice and Service by Publication shall be published in Pickens County Courier, a newspaper having general circulation in the County of Pickens, South Carolina, once a week, on the same day of each week, for a period of three consecutive weeks, said publication being hereby designated as the one most likely to give notice to said Defendants. Any Defendants having a last known address shall be mailed a copy of the Summons and Complaint certified mail\restricted delivery.
AND IT IS SO ORDERED.
/s/ Perry H. Gravely
JUDGE, THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OR
CLERK OF COURT FOR PICKENS COUNTY
PICKENS, SOUTH CAROLINA
Date: January 4, 2016
Jan. 13, 20, 27
————————————————————————–
LIS PENDENS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF PICKENS
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
CASE # 2015-CP-39-872
Billie Jane Pressley, Plaintiff, vs- Teresa D. Fowler, Leslie C. PressleyCurtis Blake Pressley, and all Persons unknown claiming thru William A. Pressley deceased,anyright,title, estate, interestin orlien on the realestate described in the Complaint; being as a class designated as John Doe, and any such unknowninfants or persons under disability or in the military service being as a classdesignated as Richard Roe, Defendants.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action has been commenced and is now pending before this Court upon Complaint of the above named Plaintiff against the above named Defendants for partition and sale of the following described real estate which is the subject of this action:
ALL that certain piece, parcel or lot of land with the improvements thereon, situate, lying and being in the Woodside Mills Village Plat #2, in the Town of Liberty, State of South Carolina, County of Pickens, and being more particularly describedas Lot 38 as shown on a plat entitled “A Subdivision of Woodside Mills, Liberty, Plat No. 2, Liberty, S.C.” made by Piedmont Engineering service, Greenville, S. C., dated December, 1951, and having the courses, distances, metes and bounds as will be shown by reference to said survey recorded in the Office of the Register of Deeds for Pickens County in Plat Book 1920 at Page 138. According to said plat, the within described lot is also known as No. 4 Tillman Street and fronts thereon 126 feet.
The interest of the Plaintiff is the one-third (1/3) interest in the above property conveyed to the Estate of William A. Pressley by Deed of Distribution of the Estate of Curtis W. Pressley dated December 23, 2010 and recorded January 24, 2011 in Deed Book 1366 at page 48. The Estate of William A. Pressley is being probated in the Pickens County Probate Court in case file #2010-ES-39-509 (See Deed of Distribution dated March 7, 2014 and recorded March 7, 2014 in Deed Book 1587 at Page 329). Billie Jane Pressley and William Lee Pressley are the two children of William A. Pressley and the sole heirs of William A. Pressley as to his real property. William Lee Pressley conveyed all his right, title and interest in and to this property unto Billie Jane Pressley by deed dated February 19, 2014 and recorded February 28, 2014 in Deed Book 1586 at Page 114, Pickens County records.
Pickens County Tax Map Parcel #4087 12-95-9512
Property address: 4 Tillman St., Liberty, SC 29657
_/s/_______________________
R. MURRAY HUGHES, III
Attorney for Plaintiff
P. O. Box 1389
Pickens, SC 29671
(864) 878-2124
SC Bar #2800
July15, 2015
Pickens, South Carolina
Jan. 13, 20, 27
————————————————————————–
SUMMONS
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF PICKENS
IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
CASE # 2015-CP-39-872
(Non-jury Partition Action)
Billie Jane Pressley, Plaintiff, vs- Teresa D. Fowler, Leslie C. Pressley, Curtis Blake Pressley, and all Persons unknown claiming thru William A. Pressley deceased, anyright,title, estate, interestin orlien on the realestate described in the Complaint; beingas a class designated as John Doe, and any such unknowninfants or persons under disability or in the military service being as a classdesignated as Richard Roe, Defendants.
TO THE DEFENDANT(S) ABOVE NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED AND REQUIRED to answer the Complaint in this matter, a copy of which was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Pickens County, and to serve a copy of your Answer thereto upon the subscriber, R. Murray Hughes,III, at his office located at 4606 Moorefield Memorial Highway, Suite 3, (P.O. Box 1389) Pickens, South Carolina, 29671, within thirty (30) days from the date of service hereof upon you. If you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court, above named, for judgment by default to be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the within Complaint.
YOU WILL FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for a general Order of Reference in this case to the Special Referee for this Court, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the Referee is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this case and any appeal from the final judgment entered herein to be made directly to the South Carolina Supreme Court or Court of Appeals as appropriate.
TO: MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN (18) YEARS:
YOU ARE HEREBY summoned and notified to apply for appointment of Guardian ad Litem to represent said infant under eighteen years of age within thirty days after the service of this Summons. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by Plaintiff herein.
TO: INFANT(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEAR OF AGE AND IMPRISONED PERSON(S):
YOU ARE HEREBY summoned and notified to apply for the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem to represent you in this action within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, and if you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff herein.
TO: INFANT(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE (INCOMPETENT OR INSANE) AND TO THE GENERAL OR TESTAMENTARY GUARDIAN, COMMITTEE WITH WHOM (S)HE (THEY) RESIDE(S):
YOU ARE HEREBY summoned and notified to apply for appointment of a Guardian ad Litem to represent said infant(s) under fourteen years (said incompetent or insane person) within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, and if you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff herein.
/s/_______
R. Murray Hughes, III
Attorney for Plaintiff
P.O. Box 1389
Pickens, SC 29671
(864)878-2124
S. C. Bar #2800
July15, 2015
Pickens, South Carolina
Jan. 13, 20, 27
————————————————————————–
PETITION for DETERMINATION OF HEIRS
PETITIONER: Charlena Elizabeth Blake
DECEASED: William Turner Gowens
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER:
DATE OF BIRTH: 09/21/1913
DATE OF DEATH: 05/26/2002
NAMES OF POSSIBLE KNOWN HEIRS AND RELATIONSHIPS:
REASON FOR PETITION: To establish the heirs of the deceased dated on date of death.
NOTICE OF HEARING
Date: February 16, 2016
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Place: Pickens County Probate Court
222 McDaniel Avenue
Pickens, SC 29671
PURPOSE: Hearing upon the Petition of Charlena Elizabeth Blakein the Estate of William Turner Gowens.
DESCRIPTION OF PLEADING: Petition for Determination of Heirs under South Carolina Code of Laws, 1976, as amended.
A full copy of the Summons and Petition is available from the undersigned attorney. If you do not appear at the hearing or file and Answer, the relief requested will be granted.
Executed: Tuesday, January 12, 2016.
_________________________
BY: Adam B. Lambert
P.O. Box 9
Pickens, SC 29671
(864) 878-1184
Jan. 13, 20, 27
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NOTICE
The Vineyards Fire Commission will hold a Budget Review Meeting to review fire department activities in 2015 and explain the budget to be submitted to the Pickens County Commission for the fiscal year 2015-2016 at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at the fire station located at 111 Granny Gear Road, Sunset, SC, 29685.
Jan. 20, 27
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NOTICE
The Holly Springs Fire District will hold their annual budget meeting Thursday February 18, 2016 at 7:00 P.M at the fire station, 2235 Moorefield Memorial Hwy. The public is invited to attend.
Jan. 27, Feb 3
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Courier Notice to Creditors 1-27-16
The publisher shall only be liable for an amount less than or equal to the charge for the space of the item in error in the case of errors in or omissions from any advertisement, and only for the first incorrect insertion.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES
All persons having claims against the following estates MUST file their claims on Form #371ES with the Probate Court of PICKENS COUNTY, the address of which is 222 MCDANIEL AVE., B-16 PICKENS, SC 29671, within eight (8) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice to Creditors or within one (1) year from date of death, whichever is earlier (SCPC 62-3-801, et seq.), or such persons shall be forever barred as to their claims. All claims are required to be presented in written statements on the prescribed form (FORM #371ES) indicating the name and address of the claimant, the basis of the claim, the amount claimed, the date when the claim will become due, the nature of any uncertainty as to the claim, and a description of any security as to the claim.
Estate: James Calvin Suber, Jr.
Date of Death: 10/26/2015
Case Number: 2016ES3900022
Personal Representative: Elizabeth Suber
Address: 830 N. Brickyard Rd.
Columbia, SC 29223
Attorney: Corinne B. Cannon
Address: Post Office Box 629
Clemson, SC 29633
Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3
Estate: Christopher Noel Vandenbosch
Date of Death: 09/16/2015
Case Number: 2016ES3900034
Personal Representative:
Jessica Lynn Bergman
Address: 6914 Frog Pocket Place
Tampa, FL 33616
Attorney: Jeremey Poindexter
Address: Post Office Box 774
Seneca, SC 29679
Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3
Estate: Maybelle B. Hendricks
Date of Death: 12/14/2015
Case Number: 2016ES3900028
Personal Representative: Elijah Bagwell
Address: 2109 Shannon Circle
Fayette, AL 35555
Attorney: James C. Alexander
Address: Post Office Box 618
Pickens, SC 29671
Jan. 20, 27, Feb. 3
Estate: Sylvia Jo Ann Roper Ross
Date of Death: 7/11/2015
Case Number: 2016ES3900006
Personal Representative: Marty Joe Ross
Address: 43 Saddleback Ledge Way
Sharpsburg, GA 30277
Attorney: Westley P. Cox
Address: 133 Straight Drive
Anderson, SC 29625
Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10
Estate: Frances Shealy Hare
Date of Death: 11/18/2015
Case Number: 2015ES3900797
Personal Representative:
Stephen D. Williamson, III
Address: 37 Rodeo Dr.
Leicester, NC 28748
Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10
Estate: Patricia Yvonne Keefover Hudgens
Date of Death: 04/20/2015
Case Number: 2016ES3900019
Personal Representative:
Robert Hamilton Hudgens, Jr.
Address: 199 Grace Lane
Long Creek, SC 29658
Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10
Courier Trespass Notices 1-27-16
In the state of South Carolina, trespass after notice is a misdemeanor criminal offense prohibited by section 16-11-620 for the South Carolina Code.
Those who enter upon the lands of others without the permission of the owner or manager shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor trespassing.
All persons are hereby notified and warned not to hunt, fish, cut timber or trespass in any manner whatsoever upon the lands of the undersigned:
Jessica Anderson Faus Jan. 2016
Barry and Rhonda Herd Feb. 2016
Harold Caddell Feb. 2016
Pamela Wilson Feb. 2016
Danny McCall March 2016
L.C. Russell March 2016
Joshua Daughety and Sue Mittelstadt March 2016
Jim D. Kelly April 2016
The Echo Valley Land Trust June 2016
Frank M. and Marie M. Crane June 2016
Jimmy McGrew June 2016
Dwight C. and Thelma P. Thrift June 2016
Melvin Lamar and Catherine Gilstrap July 2016
Artistic Builders Inc. July 2016
Larry Gibson July2016
Greg M. Cadell and Mary E. Caddell. July 2016
John F. Hendricks July 2016
Doris and Waymon Aikens July 2016
Cecil and Ruby Reid Aug. 2016
Jerry Galbreath Aug. 2016
Glenn and Carolyn Sellers Oct. 2016
Carl W. Porter Nov. 2016
Charles M. Smith Dec. 2016
Dolly Morris Dec. 2016
John T. M. Tompkins Dec. 2016
Sarah Rampy Jan. 2017
Frances Mathis Jan. 2017
Betty McGrew Hill Jan. 2017
Mildred Rigdon Cobb Jan. 2017
James Dan and Avenelle Winchester Jan. 2017
Tredwell and Erica Zeigler Feb. 2017
Edward and Evinne Elrod July 2017
Randy and Lynn Griffin Aug. 2017
Jeffery D. and Sandra Couch Aug. 2017
Courier Classifieds 1-27-16
Announcements
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Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 866-604-6857. SW
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Xarelto users have you had complications due to internal bleeding (after January 2012)? If so, you MAY be due financial compensation. If you don’t have an attorney, CALL Injuryfone today! 1-800-457-3949 SW
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Tuesday, February 2, 2016 is the last day to redeem winning tickets in the following South Carolina Education Lottery Instant Games: (SC755) BINGO; (SC715) 3 Times Lucky SW
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APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS? Call our nationwide firm 1-800-404-5928. Win or pay nothing (Exp. Incl.) Bill Gordon & Associates. Member TX/NM Bar, 1420 N Street NW #102, Washington DC 20005. SW
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DIVORCE WITH OR WITHOUT children $125.00. Includes name change and property settlement agreement. SAVE hundreds. Fast and easy. Call 1-888-733-7165, 24/7. SW
Help Wanted
Dump TRUCK DRIVERs Wanted: Must have class A CDL and good driving record.
TFC
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Can You Dig It? Heavy Equipment Operator Career! We Offer Training and Certifications Running Bulldozers, Backhoes and Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits Eligible! 1-866-362-6497. SW
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HIGH-TECH CAREER with U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800-662-7419. SW
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ATTN: CDL Drivers – Avg. $55k/yr $2k Sign-On Bonus Family Company w/ Great Miles Love your Job and Your Truck CDL-A Req – (877) 258-8782 drive4melton.com. SW
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ADVERTISE YOUR DRIVER JOBS in 107 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.3 million readers. Call Alanna Ritchie at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377. SW
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WANT MORE MONEY OR A NEW CAREER? LAID OFF? Xtra Mile can get you rolling in a new job today. Enroll in CDL Class-A Training. 803-484-6313/www.trucktrucktruck.com. SW
For Sale
FOR SALE: 1989 Honda Accord. Auto. Runs good. Great fuel mileage $1300. Text or call Randy 864-230-4855. 1/27
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For sale: 1999 F-350 duelly super duty v-10 gas. Auto. 6 wheel drive. Mechanically great condition. Strong truck. $6000. Call or text Randy. 864-230-4855. 1/27
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Auctions
ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in 107 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.3 million readers. Call Alanna Ritchie at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377. SW
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Services
Dry wall repairs, pop corn ceilings removed and repaired. Painting and all home repairs over 50 yrs. personal experience call pappy @ 864-245-2979. 1/6,13,20,27
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JC & Family Landscaping: Tree-trimming, landscape maintenance, irrigation, free quotes. 15 years experience! Contact (864)207-6046 Joey Ward/ owner. SW
For Rent
For Rent: Mobile home for rent call 878-7289. 1-27
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ADVERTISE YOUR VACATION PROPERTY FOR RENT OR SALE to more than 2.3 million S.C. newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified ad will appear in 107 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Call Alanna Ritchie at the South Carolina Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377. SW
Community commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Members of American Legion Post No. 11 lead the Pledge of Allegiance during a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday at the Pickens County Courthouse.
By Ben Robinson
Staff Reporter
brobinson@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — “Let freedom ring,” proclaimed Rev. Alphonso Houston as he gave the keynote speech at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration at the Pickens County Courthouse.
Dozens showed up for the ceremony, officiated by Pickens city councilman Carlton Holley.
[cointent_lockedcontent]”On Martin Luther King Day, we praise You most for the dreamer,” Houston said in a prayer. “All of us are here because of the dreamer. I am so grateful to be part of this.”
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
New Foundation Missionary Baptist Church pastor Alphonso Houston speaks at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Pickens.
“We thank you for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We come together regardless of our culture, regardless of our race and our creeds, regardless of our denominations, that we could come together on a day like this, united in love in Christian love. We pray, Lord that you will continue to not only bless Pickens County, but bless this world, bless this America. We pray that you will find every hatred, find every terrorist act.”
Houston remembered lessons he learned while in college studying American history. It was more than 400 yars ago that Africans came on slave ships to the colonies, he said, and 153 years ago that President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, making slaves citizens of the United States. It was more than 61 years ago when Rosa Parks refused to stand up on a bus, triggering an 11-year war against prejudice, Houston said, and 53 years have passed since Dr. King declared he had a dream of justice and loyalty.
“But my question,” Houston told those in attendance Monday, “is what good is heritage unless it is used to educate the next
Rocky Nimmons/Courier
Two children hold signs at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony in Pickens on Monday.
generation? What good is the culture unless it is taught to our children or the next generation’s children? You and I should remember our freedom as human beings. But most importantly, we should teach an entire generation that freedom comes with a price — freedom comes with suffering, freedom comes with struggling, freedom comes with sacrifices.
“Freedom is neither automatic nor inevitable,” Houston proclaimed, quoting King.
“I believe even Abraham Lincoln stated that America will never be destroyed from the outside,” he said. “If we lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
Houston noted that God is responsible for our fortunes.
“God is the one who loses, God is the one who breaks — in fact he broke another kind of chain in our lives,” Houston said. “The chain of sin.
“All of us at one time in our lives were bound to sin. If you were saved, and you are a Christian, you know that had you bound.”
Houston spoke of the Bible, where Israelites had been bound in slavery for many generations.
“They had experienced many trials and tribulations,” Houston said. “But the God they served delivered them from their chains.
“Our sin had nothing to do with our denomination. Our sins have nothing to do with our races. But because sin had us bound, we are here today because God has freed from our sins. Even though we were saved, we still are sinners. You’ve got something to rejoice for.”
Houston, who leads New Foundation Missionary Baptist Church, said many times we might not understand what God wants us to do, but we must trust Him.
“He will always lead us the right way,” Houston said. “Jesus is not a way — He is the only way. And if youfind yourself in a high location, in the right direction, if you want to make sure that you’ve got real freedom and liberation from the sin of your life, the only way is Jesus’ way.
“That’s why it’s important to remember our sins. Because each of us has been at one time a slave to them.”
Rev. Carl Allmond then read Dr. King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech. The Rev. Kathy Harris of Faith Lutheran Church closed the ceremony in prayer.
The program began with comments from Pickens Mayor David Owens, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by American Legion Post No. 11.
Following a chorus of “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” the Rev. Bryan Holder, pastor of Pickens Mill Church, followed with a prayer, followed by comments by Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark and Pickens Police Chief Travis Riggs.
Mary Webb of Giffin-Ebeneezer Baptist Church shared the purpose of the celebration, followed by Ann Foster of Easley Union Missionary Baptist Church singing, “Got To Have You.”
[/cointent_lockedcontent]
Delegation asked to add school board seat
By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal
goliver@upstatetoday.com
CLEMSON — Several Pickens County residents have asked the Pickens County Legislative Delegation to take action this session on adding a seventh seat to the Pickens County School Board.
“Back in June, I sent a letter to each of you asking that you act on House Bill 4299 — adding a seventh seat to the school board, and address things that have jeopardized the school district,” Central resident Heidi Williams said during the annual legislative delegation meeting held earlier this month at Clemson City Hall. “I understand we are in the clear with AdvancED (the accreditation agency for school districts, which had issued findings against Pickens County prior to its most recent positive report).
“It is time to bring that conversation to the Statehouse. Empower us to bring that seventh member to the school board and, hopefully, county council.”
The bill was originally introduced last spring by state reps. Gary Clary of the Clemson area and Neal Collins of Easley. After passing third reading in the House, the bill was sent on to the Senate and has remained there since.
Six Mile resident Francis Plotnik thanked House members for introducing the bill and advancing it to the Senate. But Plotnik asked legislators when the bill would be approved in the Senate and signed by Gov. Nikki Haley.
State Sen. Larry Martin of Pickens was noncommittal.
“It’s still in the Senate — it’s on the calendar for consideration, and there’s no timetable to take it up,” Martin said.
When Plotnik responded that “it would be nice to see it taken up as soon as possible,” Martin replied that all he could say was that the bill was still in the Senate.
“You’re not going to goad me into responding to a question like that, or we would be here all night,” he said.
House Bill 4299 was proposed in reaction to increased concerns that last spring’s AdvancED report, expressing criticism of what it said was the school district’s failure to take corrective actions on a couple of issues that proponents felt could lead to the loss of accreditation.
But senators Martin and Thomas Alexander, the latter representing a portion of Pickens County in addition to Oconee, were hesitant to say whether they would vote for the measure.
The bill stipulates that the seventh member must serve at large “and initially be appointed by a majority of the legislative delegation of Pickens County.” The at-large seat would eventually be terminated, and the number of members and single-member school board districts increased to seven, based on the seven attendance zones.
Finally, the bill stipulates that all Pickens County School Board members “must be elected by majority vote beginning with the general election in 2016.”
Shortly after the bill was introduced, Martin said he felt the school board itself should be responsible for correcting problems with AdvancED. The Pickens County senator said the seventh school board member, while theoretically avoiding tie votes, is not the real issue with the accreditation agency.
“It’s not tie votes, because that’s not identified in the AdvancED report, and while I’m sure the superintendent (Danny Merck) would rather not see more tie votes, and a more education-friendly board, which I get, as a practical matter the AdvancED report focuses on the actions of board members,” Martin said.
Alexander agreed, adding, “My focus is that (the school district) keep accreditation, and I’m not sure (adding a seventh board member) is the way to achieve that.”
Other audience members in attendance at the annual meeting agreed.
“I am opposed to 4299,” said Junius Smith. “We need debate, but (school district officials) want these sweet people instead of people who disagree about everything. That’s baloney. We need to debate.
“If you want to talk about a mess, you got it in the internal structure of the school district.”
Weldon Clark said he, too, is opposed to the idea.
“We need a vocal school board, delegation and county council to discuss things and disagree,” Clark said. “It’s called democracy.”
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