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TOWN REFUSED TO DIE
NEW DAY IS DAWNING FOR ANCIENT GILLISONVILLE
Ridgeland, S.C. Jan. 31 -- Gillisonville, now in the limelight
as it acquires a new community house, is Jasper county's
"once-upon-a-time" village. Once it was a summer
resort; once it was a bustling government seat; once it
had thriving churches; once it was destroyed, almost utterly;
once its central mound of ruins was softly shadowed by streamers
of moss from pines and oaks; once it seemed doomed to age,
neglect and oblivion. But Gillisonville is one old village
that, against all odds, has simply refused to die. Today
it's very much alive, and although its inhabitants are few
in number, they love it with a single-hearted devotion.
Named for Derry Gillison, Coosawhatchie shoe manufacturer
of the early 1800s, the village enjoyed prominence as the
government seat of old Beaufort district from 1840 to 1868
. Situated among pines, it was reputed to be as "healthy"
as Coosawhatchie, the former government seat on the river
was "sickly." Besides the Gillisons, the Cheneys,
Davants, Fergusons, Tillinghasts, Moores, Hutsons and other
wealthy plantation owners, chose the locality for summer
residence. An impressive square was laid out in the center
of the village, and thereon were erected the court house,
the jail and the gallows On the South and east were the
main residential streets. A few hundred yards from there
junction at the square, an imposing Baptist Church, daughter
of the Coosawhatchie Church, was built. There was also an
academy; and a modest Episcopal Chapel just north of the
village, called the Church of the Ascension, which was established
in 1852.
East of the court house square was a large brick hotel,
built and owned by Dedrich Peterman, who had come from Germany
to this country as a youth. An interesting sidelight is
the fact that two other German youths immigrated here with
Mr. Peterman at that time. One A. Wichman settled in Walterboro,
and the other, young Knorad Ehrhardt, in the town that bares
his name today. All three accumulated estates of considerable
size. A traveler of 1860 has left us a picture of life in
Gillisonville during "court week," including the
routine mustering out and drilling of the milita. Journeying
to Coosawhatchie on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad,
he mentions taking the stage to Gillisonville and "putting
up at Peterman's." He writes further ," I was
too late to see the muster which took place this morning,
but enough (of them) were left drunk on the field ... Made
fine connections, this being sales day and court. In the
evening all the rowdies got tight, good deal of noise, a
little fighting; one chap got his shirt torn off."
The traveler writes of Sunday evening ; "We visited
some churches nearby , pulpits unoccupied." Perhaps
court week was a little too rugged for the preachers! But
the cataclysm came, which swept all former things away.
The fires of Sherman's army leveled the village square,
including all surrounding residences except one, which was
the home of Gen. James W. Moore of Hampton's Legion. Thereby
hangs a tale, of course, and it goes thus:
Two federal officers, while camped in the village, entered
the home one night. The grandmother, haughtily ignored the
intruders' conversation with other members of the family,
continued her rocking and knitting. It was a bitterly cold
night. One of the officers touched a finished sock by the
grandmother's chair, remarking that it was beautiful, and
must be warm indeed. " Would you like a pair ? "
the old lady asked, speaking for the first time . "
Indeed I would." the man replied promptly. Next day
a pair was ready for him. The home was not burned. The Baptist
Church was spared because it was used as quarters for federal
soldiers. Today, its glistening white columns can be seen
a few hundred yards away through the trees, by travelers
on Highway 36. Services are still held in the church from
time to time. The walls of its old slave gallery in the
back are defaced by thousands of scribbled names. Its silver
communion service, still in use and cared for by a member
in the village, bares an inscription scratched by a self
termed "Yankee soldier" on one of the plates.
In the church cemetery General Moore is buried, and also
Richard James Davant, who was a member of the Secession
Convention.
The cemetery stones also bear names of the families that
made Gillisonville their home for many years after the War
Between the States-- Ulmer, Langford, Horton, Manuel, Wall,
Matthews, Frohberg, Roberts and Cleland. Many of the present
residents remember General Moore's old home and law office,
which finally succumbed to a woods fire that got out of
control.
Many also remember the Davant law office, and the post
office nearby, which was kept by Capt. John Moore. These
buildings are no longer in existence either. Many describe
vividly the drilling of the company of state troops by Capt.
Moore, during the days after Reconstruction. And certainly
they are not likely to forget Zach Morrison, the local Negro
boot-maker, who was state senator during carpetbagger days.
After the destruction of the court house, a few sessions
were held in the local Baptist church described above, where
the old judge's seat still serves for a pulpit. The Episcopal
Church building was dismantled and sold to the Baptists
at Robertville, and its pews were bequeathed to the local
Baptist Church, where they are still in use. In 1869 , the
county seat was moved to Beaufort. Gillisonville later became
part of Hampton County, then of Jasper. A Methodist Church
was built in the village in the 1880's and was used until
1827 , when it's members voted to unite with St. Paul's
Church in Ridgeland. The building was then torn down. About
30 years ago, a modern, frame school house was built on
the North side of the square, but with further school consolidation,
it also fell to disuse. This is the building now being remodeled
into a community house, with a place for entertaining, a
modern kitchen and a dining hall. Plans are getting under
way for beautification of the old square. Lately, it has
been leveled, and the more ancient trees, which were dying,
have been removed. One somehow feels a nostalgia for the
shadowed ruins one knew so long, but it's understandable
that ruins, although picturesque, are hardly desirable as
a constant view from a citizen's front porch. The ruins
of Peterman's hotel can still be seen, but many of the brick
have been sold and carried away. A grandson of Dedrich Peterman,
who owns the property now, says he plans to erect a place
of business on the site, in the near future. Truly, anew
day is dawning for Gillisonville, the ancient village which
just wouldn't stop existing.
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