Beginning on the evening of Tuesday, August 2, 1932, Rev. W. S. Patterson, Pastor of the Clover Presbyterian Church, opened a protracted meeting at his pastorate. Rev. John D. Henderson of Spartanburg was to be the guest speaker, but Patterson’s sermon on the previous Sunday had already become a hot topic on the town’s street. Not using kid gloves, Patterson preached on the lack of good morals in Clover and elsewhere.
Whatever was Clover’s moral condition, the crime rate for the town had taken a drastic fall. In fact, revenues for the month of June were only $62.50 — the smallest in many moons. At the time, most local towns of York County depended on revenues from fines to run their daily business. But in Clover, there had been only three law infractions in June. Two of these paid $5 fines, and charges against the third were dropped.
On the subject of churches, both the congregations of Union Baptist near Filbert and Unity Baptist in Hickory Grove were looking for people interested in helping clean their cemeteries. Unity wanted their grounds looking especially good since they were preparing for a revival that would begin that week.
Sobering the Nation
Henry Ford made an outlandish statement in Collier’s: The National Weekly about knowing for a fact that prohibition was the way to curb drunkenness. Ford went on to predict that prohibition would not be appealed or amended. He said, “I know from daily observation for over 40 years that there is not one percent of the drinking done in the United States that was done formerly.” There is no doubt that Ford knew nothing of the drinking habits of some folks in York County, and I suppose he had never heard of the thriving business being done at countless “Blind Tigers” and “Speakeasies.” Ford was emphatic on one point that most of us would agree with today. He was a firm believer that “liquor and gasoline do not go together.”
What Goes Around
All the talk we’ve heard about Washington bailing out failing companies is nothing new. In fact, in 1932 the Federal Reserve stepped into the situation and acted to furnish money to revive industry in the nation. The amount placed at the disposal of business was unlimited, and the board had made no estimate of how much would be needed. The board authorized Federal Reserve banks to make loans to individuals, partnerships and corporations for an emergency period of six months. People still argue over how much that helped with the Great Depression and how much it helps today.
Public Events
The public was invited to a “Chocolate Wedding” that was being given by the Home Demonstration Club at the Filbert High School.
McConnell’s clothing stores in Yorkville and Clover were announcing they would be presenting a tailoring display at their stores and that suits could be purchased starting at $22.50. Management reminded their patrons they did no credit business.
The public was invited to hear candidates for the US Senate and House speak Wednesday night at the Clover Hawthorne Mill.
The Yorkville Enquirer advertised it was selling bundles of old newspapers for 10 cents. Their ad proposed that these old papers were suitable for wrapping, wallpaper, or insulation under floor coverings.
Belk’s Department store advertised their specials of unbleached, seamless sheeting for nine cents a yard, and Camay and Ivory soap were on sale at two cents a bar.
Southern Public Utilities Company (now Duke Energy) suggested an investment in a Kelvinator, saying, “If it isn’t a Kelvinator it isn’t fully automatic.”
People You Know or Don’t
Attorney John R. Hart of Yorkville was progressing well following an appendectomy in Charlotte. Mrs. Edward Latham had hers removed at the Rock Hill’s Fennell Infirmary, and Charles J. Youngblood, a Yorkville businessman, spent two weeks in Charlotte following an emergency appendectomy. Yorkville surgeon Dr. W. C. Brice removed the tonsils of George and Earl Cody a week earlier, and both boys were doing well.
Charles Nunn, Robert Ashe, Mason McConnell, and Fred Blackwell, all boys from Yorkville, arrived safely in Charleston following a trip in a Model T Ford. Dr. Ben N. Miller of Hickory Grove announced his candidacy for the county board of commissioners. And music for a Sunday School Convention at Ramah was provided by the Mountain View Choir, with Moffatt Neely as its leader and Estelle Dickson as organist.
In Clover, Grey McElwee, who had been a salesman at the Clover Drug Store for the past seven years, announced that he would be leaving to take a position as Prescription Clerk with the Republic Pharmacy in Great Falls. Police Chief J. Frank Faulkner, who had been under a doctor’s care for over three months, was thoroughly examined by Dr. Abell of Chester and was released to return to his duties.
Storm at Fort Mill
- B. Ardrey gave details on a horrific wind and hail storm that struck the township south of Fort Mill on the Saturday before. He said the storm swept across a section about two miles wide and four miles long and did considerable damage. The wind left cotton stalks bare, and the leaves and vines of sweet potato fields were beaten into the ground. Ardrey reported that his farm and the farms of Boyce Bennett, S. E. White, W. E. White, B. M. Lee, and the lands of the First National Bank, suffered heavy damage. The storm also struck the home of the Cody sisters in Yorkville, ruining the front piazza, which had just been refurnished with new linoleum and furniture. Lightning struck the electric switches at Travora Mill and started three fires — at a gin, a seed house, and an oil mill.
Big League Stuff
Yorkville baseball fans watched a most interesting game between Yorkville and Hickory Grove on the Cannon Mill grounds. The game ran a full 11 innings — 10 of them with a run. In the 11th inning, Hickory Grove scored two runs, and in the last half, Yorkville posted a run, making the final score 2 to 1.
Teachers on the Warpath
Lancaster teachers hired several attorneys to prepare lawsuits over back pay. Supposedly, teachers in Lancaster were paid a pittance during the winter, and the county owed them for four months’ work. It seems that when the Lancaster School District received a large grant from the state, it used all of the money for other purposes rather than paying the teachers their due. (The SC Supreme Court decided state money could be used for nothing except paying teachers.) The idea was that the teachers would be afraid to say or do anything about it, fearing they could lose their positions. But when the trustees decided to dismiss all non-county residents and hire only residents of Lancaster County, they accidentally created a group that weren’t afraid for their jobs since they had already lost them. Those teachers who retained their positions decided to take a wait-and-see attitude, with a plan to sue the trustees after the others were paid.
And that’s how things were in York County on August 2, 1932. Some things were different from today, and some are the same.
J.L. West – Author
This article and many others found on the pages of Roots and Recall, were written by author J.L. West, for the YC Magazine and have been reprinted on R&R, with full permission – not for distribution or reprint!
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