Williston was founded in the early nineteenth century by the descendants of an early settler, Robert Willis. Growth occurred rapidly following the establishment of a railroad running from Charleston to Augusta. On Christmas Day, 1833 the locomotive "Best Friend" made the first trip along the 136 mile route, averaging 12 miles per hour! At the time the longest railroad in the world, by the mid-1840s over 100,000 bales of cotton a year were being shipped along it to Charleston. Farms soon sprung up along the route, and Williston soon became an important station stop.
During the Civil War Union forces under Sherman made a concerted effort to cut and then destroy the rail line, which was an important supply route from the interior to Charleston. On February 8, 1865, Major-General Kilpatrick, the commander of the Union Cavalry, reached Williston. He set up a headquarters in the Ashley-Chapman House and, pushing on, fought a sharp skirmish with Confederate forces guarding the rail line two miles west of the center of town near White Pond. Units of the First Alabama Cavalry were badly routed and a number of baffle flags captured.
Over the next several days successive Union forces moved into and through Williston on their way to Columbia tearing up the railroad ties and track in their wake. Much of the town was burned as they left, with only the Ashley-Chapman house and a nearby house where a woman had just given birth spared. Sherman’s comments on the matter were “we don’t burn occupied houses, but if people vacate their own houses I don’t think they should expect us to protect them." Kilpatrick is reputed to have said that when he got through, Barnwell County would have to be renamed "Burn well." Many honored dead from the war are buried in the town cemetery.
Major rebuilding occurred in the years during and following Reconstruction, as fanning came back, and many of the homes around the town date from this period. In the early twentieth century it was discovered that local conditions were ideal for asparagus, and until the early 1930s more asparagus was grown and shipped from the Williston area than from any other part of the country, earning the town the nickname “The Asparagus Capitol of the World.” Unfortunately, California gradually captured the market, and only now are asparagus crops being reestablished locally.
The first phone system in Williston was established in 1905 and had ten subscribers. City waterlines were built in 1917, and electric power was established in 1919 (at first only available from 5PM to midnight). The high school, built in 1925 and now housing administrative offices, is one of the oldest buildings of its kind in the state.
Main Street FoutainThe establishment of the Savannah River Plant by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission caused population to boom, from 896 in 1950 to almost 10,000 a few years later. Once construction ceased, however, many of the workers moved on, and population stabilized near its present level of just over 3,000.
Home to a number of large and small businesses, beautiful homes and gardens, pleasant people, and tranquil neighborhoods, Williston is a quiet, peaceful town.
The Williston Tricentennial Committee compiled a History of Williston, South Carolina in 1970. The contents of that historical narrative are included below with links provided to each chapter. Note: The information may be outdated due to the time that has passed since the publication of this narrative.
Williston is located in Barnwell County on the Southern Railroad and on U.S. Highway 78. It is easily accessible from Aiken, South Carolina; Augusta, Georgia, and the state capitol at Columbia. It is less than a two hour’s drive from the site where the very first settlers arrived at Charles Towne (now called Charleston) just three hundred years ago.
It is regrettable that the history of Williston has not been fully recorded, but death and the intervening years have made compiling this history difficult.
Main Street BannerThe incidents that are related here are used solely for the pleasure of the reader and in the hope that their retelling may stir memories of the past.
It has been said that history should not be written until one hundred years have elapsed, but facts and circumstances should be preserved so that history may be presented accurately.
This locale was probably an Indian village three hundred years ago. Possibly, Hernando de Sota passed through here on his trek from Savannah to the Mississippi River, long before 1670. In February, 1865, General Sherman ordered Union troops, under the command of Brevet Major-General J. Kilpatrick and General Slocum from Blackville through Williston. Their mission was to destroy the railroad tracks along he way.
Much of the history of Williston has been destroyed by fire on four separate occasions. The whole truth we reserve to God alone and to those resting in their graves. We hope that this simple narrative will be a token of gratitude to those resting in hallowed ground who toiled, struggled, fought, and fathered generations in order to make the year 1970 one to celebrate. We are thankful that we live under a president, instead of a king; a governor rather than a Lord Proprietor; and with the Palmetto and Old Glory as symbols rather than the hammer and sickle of Communism.
Do the names Joseph West, Dr. Henry Woodward, and Lord Ashley sound familiar to you? They should, for Joseph West had commanded three English ships that left England in order to establish a province less than one hundred miles from here. History tells us that upon arrival these early settlers happened upon Dr. Woodward, who had miraculously escaped from the Spaniards. The West-Woodward party landed on the western side of the Ashley River in April, 1670.
When the first United States census was taken in 1790 only the heads of the family were listed. At the time of the census Williston was included in the Orangeburg Judicial District. Aiken County was subsequently created by an Act of the General Assembly of South Carolina in March, 1871. Its area was comprised of territory taken from Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington and Orangeburg Counties. For that reason it is difficult to distinguish the origin of some of [the] families….
Records show that Robed Willis came to this section of Barnwell County from Orangeburg. He had lived in Orangeburg with his two sisters after his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage. His father, John Willis, had come to South Carolina in 1750 from Virginia. It is not certain who his mother was. Robert was born in 1773 and married Keziah Watson from near Ridge Spring in 1795. They had fourteen children. Among their children was Cyrena Willis Perry (1815-1835). Robert (1773-1844) and wife Keziah (1780-1845), daughter Cyrena, and son J. T. (1799-1844) were buried in the family cemetery five miles from Williston, just off the Springfield Road, a short distance from the original Willis home “Wildwood”. The oldest grave in the cemetery is Cyrena’s, who was not quite twenty-one when she died.
Robert Willis became very well-to-do and was well known as a planter. His property was divided among his children at his death and it is possible that the land his son Elijah Willis gave to be used for, a church, depot and school had belonged to his father, but Elijah himself had acquired a great deal of property by purchase. Be that as it may, the land was given, a town was born, and named Willistown in their honor. Their family cemetery is located five miles from town just off the Springfield Road near the original home site (Wildwood).
Another cemetery, the Smith cemetery, is interesting. Many members of the Smith family were also laid to rest in this cemetery near their home. The Smith house has long since vanished but the cemetery is in excellent condition. John Smith (1776-1855) and his wife, Linna Smith (1776-1855), lie buried there with their son J. Terrell (1822-1905) and his wife Martha (1826 - 1904)
Terrell and Martha Smith were childless, but had a great love for children. They were quite active in the effort made by their community in 1891 to get the proposed Baptist Orphanage located here. Mr. Smith made a very generous offer trying to induce the trustees to vote for Williston and was very disappointed when Greenwood was chosen by the Association. However, within a few years they built a cottage for boys at Connie Maxwell which was named the J. Terrell Smith Cottage. Upon Mr. Smith’s death, he made provisions for a companion building for girls to be known as the Martha Smith Home. Also, he bequeathed the greater portion of his estate, which included the family cemetery, in trust for the institution. The only stipulation made was that the family cemetery should be maintained. The trustees of his estate united with the Connie Maxwell trustees in a friendly suit where the courts directed that the property be sold and monies realized reinvested. As a result, this profit afforded an opportunity for the erection of the Smith Industrial Building on the orphanage grounds.
Joshua Ashley (1791-1869), came to this area from Virginia. He bought a great deal of property and farmed extensively. His holdings included the Goose Pond tract which he purchased in 1833. It was here that the picnics, barbecues and horse races took place. These events often attracted statewide interest.
The Ashley cemetery is located about three miles from Williston on the road to Barnwell, just across from the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thompson Bates.
Nathan Stansell was the first Stansell to arrive in the Barnwell District. He was married in North Carolina in 1799 and had seven children, all born before he came to South Carolina in 1817. During the ensuing twelve months, he acquired fifteen hundred acres of land. In 1838 he bought a house and lot in the town of Williston. Nathan died in 1843 and the lot was sold in 1855 by his daughter-in-law. It was subsequently leased to persons who operated it as a hotel, and, possibly, the first hotel in Williston.
Of the children of Nathan Stansell, Thomas and Arthur played an active part in the life of Williston arid its environs.
The graves of Nathan and perhaps other members of his family have disappeared. The graves of Thomas (1807-1883) and his wife Sarah Amanda Lewis (1823-1873), a twenty year old son, and five infants are to be found about 300 yards off Elko Street, just past the Kelly-Edwards School.
Thomas Stansell planted lands lying between Williston and Elko, and during the 1830’s he and one John P. Walker had an interest in a retail business in Williston.
In 1827 the legislature issued a charter to the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. This charter authorized the company to build a railroad from Charleston to Hamburg, a small South Carolina town across the Savannah River from Augusta.
Most landowners along the planned route were more than happy to sell or donate land for such an enterprise. However, there was one large landowner in the town of Barnwell who refused to sell. For that reason the railroad tracks were laid about ten miles from the proposed route. The town of Williston became an important station stop along this new route.
There were a number of reasons for hesitancy on the part of the property owners in regard to relinquishing rights-of-way. Some feared the trains might run over and kill their children or their livestock. Others simply did not want the peace and quiet of the countryside destroyed by the noise of the steam engine.
Many tons of iron were brought from England for this railroad. Timber was cut for the cross ties. The locomotive, “Best Friend”, was made in New York and shipped by boat to Charleston in 1830. On Christmas day, 1833, the locomotive made its initial trip through Williston on its way to Hamburg. At that time it was the longest railroad in the world.
In a reprint from Miller’s Almanac of 1835 an artist’s sketch graphically illustrates this locomotive, puffing black smoke and pulling two railroad cars. Under the sketch it reads:
Mr. John Ashley of Williston expressed the desire that, should the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company choose to build through his land, to have the railroad just as close to his home as possible. He, along with hundreds of others, relinquished rights-of-way for this purpose and even furnished the timbers for the company’s use. John Ashley’s home at that time is the present home of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Chapman.
A typical example of a deed to the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company is as follows:
Recorded 21st March 1833
Certainly the day the “Best Friend” was to make its first run through Williston was an exciting one. Hundreds of people lined the tracks. Many were skeptical, feeling the locomotive would surely explode. Others feared that the passengers carried in her unique little car would die of heart failure due to the terrific speed of the train. When she finally reached Williston she was covered with flowers thrown upon her by well wishers all along the way.
The “Best Friend” continued in service for several months. Then one day the fireman closed the safety valve in an effort to stop the hissing noise caused by escaping steam. The boiler blew up, seriously injuring the fireman and ending the career of the locomotive under that name.
Bits and parts of the “Best Friend” were salvaged and, in time, the locomotive “Phoenix” emerged. This locomotive was appropriately named for the bird that arose from its own ashes.
A replica of the “Best Friend” passed through Williston in 1928. On this occasion schools were dismissed and the tracks were lined with people who came to honor a train that had its beginnings in this section of South Carolina.
The fact that Williston was a town on the South Carolina Railroad during the War Between the States made it play an important part in history.
A desperate effort was being made by the Confederate troops to keep this railroad open so that necessary troop depositions could be made. Sherman’s troops were just as determined to destroy the track, looting and burning entire towns along the Way.
On the 9th of February, 1865, a portion of Union General Slocum’s 14th and 20th Corps along with Kilpatrick’s cavalry left the vicinity of Blackville and followed the railroad toward Augusta. Confederate General Wheeler learned of these plans and began immediately to assemble his men to attack this Federal column. On the day that these Union troops reached Williston, General Wheeler moved on toward Aiken in an effort to save Augusta.
In Special Field Order No. 25 dated February 8th, 1865, the following orders were given:
The following letter from General Kilpatrick to General Sherman is self-explanatory:
Major-General Sherman:
General: I will encamp to-night at Williston and destroy some track: … I will be prudent, bold, but not rash.
Kilpatrick further reported in a letter on February 8, 1865 that he had made an attack upon the First Alabama Confederate Cavalry holding the railroad to Augusta in the vicinity of Williston.
In still another letter:
It was on the night of February 8th, 1865, that the Federal troops were billeted at the Chapman home, then owned by Mr. Hollis Johnson.
Civil War Monument outside Chapman homeAt this point families along General Kilpatrick’s route were fleeing for their lives. What valuables they could not take they tried to hide or bury. The Yankees, sensing this, searched the entire area and found many items that had been buried. When they completed their looting they usually burned what was left. Livestock, carefully hidden in the swamps by the Southerners, was sought out by the Yankees. Only a few homes were left standing in Williston. The Chapman home was spared. It has been said that thirty homes belonging to the Willis family were destroyed. One Willis home was spared.
The Willis home was located almost directly behind Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Greene’s present home. It, too, was put to the torch after Susan Willis and her new-born baby boy were carried from the house on a mattress and laid in a field. A young Union lieutenant saw what had happened and ordered the flames extinguished at once and the occupants returned to the house. Susan thanked him and asked his name. “Lieutenant Walter Tate”, he replied. “Then that will be the name of this child”, Mrs. Willis answered.
At a much later date this home was also destroyed by fire.
The home of John Smith was also spared. It had been completed in 1860. It is located about three miles from Williston on the Dunbarton Road. It was purchased in 1900 by Mr. Thomas W. Scott. His son, Inman, was born there and he and his wife still occupy it.
The building of the railroad in 1830 caused towns to spring up along its route. The planters came in from the outlying areas and built homes closer together. A depot and post office were built and merchants established stores. The town of Williston was granted a municipal charter on December 21st. 1858.
A large percent of the population was well-to-do and the education of their children was no problem. However, there were many who were financially unable to obtain any education. The prosperous ones employed governesses to live in their homes and teach their children. Eventually these children went away to further their education at an academy or institute for there were no facilities in Williston
A turning point came in 1853 when Mr. H. M. Thompson, a Scotsman, opened a private school. Tuition was one dollar a month. Mr. Thompson was an excellent teacher, highly educated, cultured and refined. He married Miss Josephine Matthews whom he had taught.
Mr. Henry Johnson established a private school. He came to Williston from Charleston at the beginning of the Confederate War. He and Mr. Thompson were chiefly responsible for the education of Williston youth during the war and for several years thereafter. Mr. Johnson married Miss Linna Smith.
About 1873 Mr. Elijah Willis gave some property to the town upon which to build a school. It was erected where the John Howell home is now located, diagonally across the street from the old Methodist Church.
The school was a one room frame building with a chimney at each end. A Mr. Murphy was the first teacher. He placed the boys at one end of the room and the girls at the other. The pupils sat upon long benches with no backs, The books used by the pupils were any that their parents happened to have. Mr. Murphy was paid by the parents.
The first “free” school opened in Williston between 1870-1880. Mr. Sams, from Charleston, was the teacher He met with some difficulty – no pupils. It was considered degrading not to pay for the education of one’s children.
In 1879 Mr. Henry Willis opened a long, one room school and an era of successful teaching began. The population had grown enough to require two teachers. Miss Lizzie Thompson, who later became Mrs. Preston Dicks, was the assistant to Mr. Willis. So great was Mr. Willis’ reputation as a teacher that boys and girls from other places boarded in Williston in order to attend his school. Abraham Lincoln’s nephew, George Todd, son of Dr. Todd in Barnwell, was one of Mr. Willis’ pupils.
There were other schools during this time. Miss Della Bell and Miss Tillie Johnson, who later became Mrs. Harry Trotti, had schools in their homes. A Miss O' Bierne gave music lessons for twenty-five cents each. She used a piano in the home of Mr. T. F, S. Weathersbee and taught his daughter, Lucia, in exchange for her dinner.
In 1888, by action of the General Assembly, the Williston Graded School District was created and a local tax levy of two and one-half mills was placed on all real and personal property. This was for the purpose of operating a free public school. The first trustees were: Mr. T. F. S. Weathersbee, Mr. W. C. Smith, Mr. A. M. Wcathersbee, Mr. J. C. Hair, Mr. E. L. Nixon, Mr. W. H. Kennedy and Mr. B. W. Key.
A Mr. Middleton was the first head of this public school and was assisted by Miss Lou Crossland and Miss Tillie Johnson. School was now held in the Woodbury house, which is the present home of Mrs. Jennie Lou Folk Robertson. Mr. Middleton left before the year was up and Mr. D. W. Key finished the term.
A new two-story frame building was erected in 1890 on the site of the present Howell home. Mr. 0. Y. Perry, Miss Minnie Dicks and Miss Tillie Johnson comprised the faculty of this modern school.
Professor F N. K, Bailey came to Williston in 1891 and revolutionized education in this whole area. His influence was widespread. He began taking boarding students in 1892 and had pupils from thirteen different counties. At first they were boarded in private homes, but later a large dormitory was built on the site of the present Robert Eley home.The school was named the South Carolina Coeducational Institute.
Financial support for operating the school six months in the year was derived from property tax, dog tax, poll tax, and the profit from the dispensary. Town students paid one dollar and twenty-five cents a month tuition. Boarding students paid whatever Professor Bailey arranged with their parents.
There were seven faculty members. Great stress was laid upon the Music Department. The 1895 catalog notes that ninety-six students were enrolled in the department of Piano, Voice, Mandolin and Wind Instruments. Mrs. F. N. K. Bailey was the Music Director.
Professor Bailey moved the Institute to Edgefield in 1898 and then to Greenwood where it was located for a long lime. Finally its doors were closed permanently.
The Williston High School occupied this same building. There were seven members in the graduating class of 1900 – two boys and five girls. A reprint of this graduating class appeared in the December 26, 1968, Williston Way. Under the picture was this wording: The seven graduates of the Williston High School of 1900 with the Superintendent, James E Sanders ….Admiral Norman Murray Smith, Horace J. Crouch, Miss Daisy Willis, Mrs. Land Quattlebaum, nee Delphine Thompson; Mrs. Clarence J. Fickling. nee Maude Hair; Mrs. R. E. L. Stallings, nee Ada Black; and Miss Maude Harley”.
Mr. Horace Crouch is the only surviving member of the class. He has served as Barnwell County Superintendent of Education for 59 years.
In 1912 the two-story frame building was abandoned for the new two-story brick school building that was built on Springfield Road, where the Town Recreation Center is now located.
An annex was added in 1921 which provided more classroom space and an office.
Williston School District was consolidated with eight other districts in 1925 and a modern high school was built where it still stands.
A temporary school building was erected in 1952 when the Savannah River Plant was being built and thousands of people came to live for a time in Williston. This building and the old elementary school were dismantled after a new permanent elementary school was completed in 1953.
The Kelly-Edwards School was completed in 1954. It is one of the finest school buildings in the county and accommodates kindergarten through the twelfth grades. The enrollment in 1969 was 719.
It was in 1832 that Elijah Willis gave land upon which to build the first church in the town. It was erected on what is now known as Church Street and was known as the Williston Baptist Church. Records show that the church was first a member of the Savannah River Baptist Association and was received through their delegate, William T. Matthews. In the beginning there were only nine members.
The first pastor was the Rev. H. D. Duncan who had been preaching at Williston once a month for more than a year. The formation of the church and the erection of a neat house of worship were due to his energy and fidelity.
William T. Matthews and G. C. Matthews were the first deacons and J. B. Armstrong the first clerk. G. C. Matthews was killed at Battery Wagner on Morris Island in 1863, at thirty-nine years of age.
In 1859, the church withdrew from the Savannah River Association and united with the Barnwell Association. The 1866 session of the Barnwell Association was herd in the Williston Baptist Church.
The first church building was torn down in 1908 and a larger building was erected on this same site.
The Rev W. R. Davis became pastor in 1923 and served the church for ten years. The membership decided in 1924 to build a larger and more centrally located brick building. The architect was Willis Irvin of Augusta. The old church was remodeled as a home and sold.
From a small beginning, the church has advanced steadily forward through the years. In 1855 there were nine members; in 1936, 535; in 1962, 884; and in 1968 the church membership was 862.
Methodism in Barnwell County goes bark to the early 1800's when the Barnwell Circuit came into the Conference and Columbia District in 1844. The Rev. Q. M. Chrestyberg and the Rev. Peter W. McDaniel were the pastors that year, serving the Williston Methodists who were without a church building.
In 1859 Dr. W. W. Smith, early church leader and generous benefactor, granted a piece of land to the Williston Methodist Church on which to build a house of worship. It is believed that work was begun in the early 1860's. The building was in use in 1866.
The 1873 Conference minutes named seven churches in the Williston Circuit (Williston, Springs, Copen’s Chapel, New Hope, Sharon, Pierce’s Chapel, Siloam), and lists two hundred white members and two colored. There were four Williston families named: W. W. Smith, H. E. Phillips, H. J. Harvey, and W. W. Graham.
In 1879 Williston and Blackville Circuits were joined with D. Z. Dantzler serving as pastor. Later they were united with the Springfield Circuit. This alignment remained until 1915 at which time Williston became part of the Aiken charge under the Rev. Driggers. This arrangement lasted until 1952 when Williston was made a full time appointment as result of the construction of the Savannah River Plant. The Rev. Levy Rogers was assigned by the Conference and served the church until October, 1956. The Rev. Rogers led the membership in building a beautiful new church one mile from town on the Springfield Road. It was completed in September, 1956.
The Williston Presbyterian Church was organized by a committee appointed by the Charleston Presbytery and first met in the Williston Baptist Church on September 21, 1920. The initial membership consisted of Mr. J. A. Latimer, Mrs. W. E. Protro, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Cunningham, Mrs. R. S. Martin, Mrs. H. R. Thomas and Mr. W. C. Cunningham. The Rev. Hugh R. Murchison, D. D. of the Columbia Seminary faculty was called as supply pastor. For many years the services, through the kindness of friends, were held in the Baptist Church, Methodist Church, Kennedy Hall, and in various homes of the members.
The Rev. Stuart came in 1938 to serve the churches in Allendale, Boiling Springs, Barnwell and Williston. At that time there were only thirteen members. A new building was erected on land donated by Mr. W. E. Prothro. The beautiful stained glass windows were formerly in the old Baptist Church and were given to the Presbyterians by the families of Q. A. Kennedy, Dr. J. L. Smith and D. L. Merritt. Mr. William Belk of the Belk stores gave the brick for the building. The pulpit was made from an antique organ by the Rev. William D. Stewart. The church was completed and dedicated to the glory of God on January 24, 1943.
The Rev. Cecil Brearly followed the Rev. Stewart as pastor and organized an active Church School.
With the coming of the Savannah River Plant in 1950, the membership of the church began to increase. Regular weekly services were begun with the Rev. Sterling Edwards serving the Williston and Barnwell churches.
In 1954 an educational building was erected. Later a Hammond organ was installed. The membership increased to fifty.
The Williston Church was separated from the Barnwell Church in 1958 and the first full time pastor for Williston was the Rev. Charles Cook. An addition to the educational building and a pastor’s study were completed in 1962.
Beginning with eight members the church now has 125, two of whom are charter members – Mr. Walter Cunningham and Mrs. Louise Prothro Alderman.
One of the Church’s finest hours was when a baptismal font was dedicated in 1967 in honor of Mr. W. C. Cunningham on his 90th birthday.
At the turn of the century the people of Williston had risen from the ashes of the War, settled their internal strife, and were looking to the future with great hope. The town relinquished its Charter of 1858, but was re-chartered May 23, 1904.
Agriculture was still the greatest means of livelihood. Cotton was the chief crop. The boll weevil was on the march and the farmers had to look for other profitable crops. The climate and sandy soil, with its natural drainage, proved suitable for growing asparagus.
Mr. H. Jeff Harley began the cultivation of asparagus in this area. It did not take long for the progressive farmers to follow suit. For more than thirty years, during two months in the spring, Williston was a busy place with the cutting, trimming, packing and shipping of asparagus to all parts of the country. At one time more asparagus was shipped from Williston than from any other place in the world. One acre produced fifty crates and there were over 2,000 acres under cultivation. Two and three carloads were shipped a day.
Williston Cotton GinDuring this period the Greene Lumber and Crate Company was one of Williston’s assets. Mr. Walter Greene was the owner and manager. During asparagus season it was not unusual to see two hundred wagons lined up at one time at the plant waiting for asparagus crates. Mr. Greene employed about fifty people and built houses for them near his plant. He also had a cotton gin at the same location.
The company was eventually sold to Mr. W. E. Anderson who, in turn, sold it to Mr. Lokey of Washington, Georgia. It was finally closed. The ruins of the plant may still be seen at the dead end of Bennet Street.
In the early 1930’s Williston farmers had a rude awakening. Southern California began to ship asparagus and get it to market much earlier than they could. Moreover, it could be grown there more economically for the soil was richer and they had a six month’s growing period. The competition grew until Williston farmers realized they were waging a losing battle, and by 1937 the growing of asparagus had all but ceased.
About 1900 Mr. Walter Greene built the Fairmont Hosiery Mill on what is now the property of Mrs. Charles Baker. This plant manufactured men’s hosiery. There were thirty-two houses built near the plant, including a large boarding house and general store. The plant was located on Rosemary Creek which furnished power for operation. A flowing well provided residents with water and a swimming pool was a big attraction.
After about seven years severe rains came and washed the dam away. The plant was so severely damaged that operations ceased. However, the machinery was moved into Williston and operation was begun once more, but this time by steam. The plant was located approximately where Mrs. Perry Greene now lives. Later the mill was moved to Blackville.
One year after the War Between the States, Mr. W. H. Kennedy opened a general merchandise business in Williston that was destined to become a leading store. It was situated where Benny’s Department Store now stands. For many years it bought the farmers’ produce and served the people’s needs. A new store was eventually built adjacent to the old one. The Williston Furniture Company is now housed in that building.
In 1917 a second story was added with a large auditorium where many gay dances were held and entertainments presented on the stage. There was space for offices on this second floor and they have been occupied by dentists, lawyers, and at one time a beauty shop. The public library was house there for a number of years.
The railroad depot continued to be the center of activity. It was a place to chat, learn the latest news, transact business, and watch the train go by. The first depot was on the site where the present one is now located. The second depot was erected in 1912, but was destroyed by a fire that originated on the loading platform March 12, 1946. Not only was the depot destroyed but a large portion of the town was burned. It was due to the bravery of the local fire department and assistance from nearby towns that the whole town did not go up in flames.
The depot fire also destroyed Kennedy’s Stables which was one of Williston’s landmarks.
Mr. W. B. Beasley was Williston’s first postmaster. The first rural route included the area to the Edisto River and Mr. Tom Mathis was the first rural mail carrier out of Williston. Mr. R. L. Hair began carrying the mail on Route No. 2 in 1911 and it extended to Dunbarton. At first he drove a horse and buggy but shortly thereafter he bought a car. It was a one-cylinder Maxwell, and he was the first in Williston to own an automobile. He attracted a great deal of attention along his route and many times had to have assistance to get through the sand beds.
Soon several Williston citizens followed Mr. Hair’s example and purchased automobiles.
Mr. A. N. Garber, who ran a store, decided to provide gasoline for them. He had a fifty gallon tank installed behind his store and serviced the cars by carrying a bucket of gasoline to the cars in front of his store.
Anderson and Son also had a store, and eventually had a gasoline pump installed in front.
The practice of embalming the dead was slow arriving in Williston. Mr. L. S. Mellichamp was the first undertaker Mr. Mellichamp had a general merchandise store where the Merle Norman Studio is now located, and kept his wooden caskets in the back of the store.
In 1902 he ordered a fine new horse drawn funeral coach to be delivered by freight. As was usual, a group of people had gathered at the depot when the train arrived with the funeral coach. In the crowd was a little boy nine years old. His name was Ernest, the son of Mr. W. E. Prothro, who was the depot agent. As the doors of the freight car swung back and the little boy saw what, to him, must have been an awesome thing of black, with glass windows, and draped in black, he exclaimed, "I know one thing; I won’t be the first to ride in it”. Very shortly thereafter, Ernest was out with his gun and accidentally shot himself in the leg. The wound was so great that he bled to death and, sadly enough, he was the first person to ride in the new funeral coach.
Mr. G. C. Matthews followed Mr. Mellichamp as undertaker and remained in the business until 1931.
In 1926 Cecil Folk opened the first funeral home in the County and it is in the same location today. The first funeral Mr. Cecil Folk conducted was for Mr. Whit Hankinson, a Confederate veteran.
In 1929 Folk’s Funeral Home added an ambulance to its list of services.
The Williston Cemetery dates back to the 1890’s when Dr. William Smith deeded land for that purpose. It was to be supervised and maintained by the Baptist and Methodist Churches. The money realized from the sale of lots was to be used for its upkeep. The first person to be buried in the Williston Cemetery was Rosa Smith Hair, wife of John Calhoun Hair. She was buried December 29, 1891, at thirty-five years of age. Many graves have been moved into the cemetery from old family plots and from abandoned churchyards. Mrs. Bessie Weathersbee was buried there upon her death at the age of 103.
In 1924 the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected a granite arch over the entrance to the cemetery in honor of all the men from Williston who served in the Confederate Army. Their names are listed on the gate posts and those killed in action are identified by a star. For many years Memorial Services were held annually at the cemetery. This granite arch was damaged and has never been replaced. Instead the stones were buried on either side of the entrance.
In recent years the families of Cecil Folk, Tate Willis and Q. A. Kennedy have donated land which has been incorporated into the area.
The Williston Public Library was created in 1933. Prior to that time there was not a library in Barnwell County. The American Legion Auxiliary decided to sponsor one and the people of the town were asked to donate books. A book club also gave its stock of books. Through a lending library in Massachusetts enough books were obtained to open. It was located over the old Smith’s Drug Store and Mrs. Jennie Lou Purvis Givens was the first librarian.
Mrs. Ellen Harley Wise, Mrs. Alma Sanders and Mrs. Jennie Lou Robertson have also served as librarians. The library is presently located in the Town Recreation Center. It is served by a regional library service composed of Aiken, Edgefield and Barnwell Counties.
Dates are forgotten and records are lost, but the first telephone exchange was owned by Mr. Walter Greene. It was located in the Greene home on the corner of Church and Rosemary Streets. There were ten initial subscribers in 1905. The switchboard was located in the hail so that anyone passing by when a call was made could answer and make the connection. Mr. Greene bought a bicycle for his brother, Cecil, to use to contract those wanted on the phone who did not have one.
The exchange remained in the Greene home until a building to house it was constructed where Mrs. W. E. Anderson now lives. This building was used for many years. It was later relocated at the corner of Greene’s Lane and 12th Street. Chief operator was Miss Jessie Hair (Mrs. Jessie Hallman) and her assistant was her sister Miss Leila Hair (Mrs. T. R. Pender). Their father was manager and maintenance man for the system.
The telephone company changed hands several times during the ensuing years. It was in 1935 that the first telephone directory was printed. It contained the phone numbers of its almost one hundred subscribers and also useful information such as: a compilation of business laws in daily use, quantity of seed required to plant an acre of numerous crops, weight per bushel of grain, etc. A quote from the directory “We want everybody to have a phone. If you need a phone and not able to pay for it we will give you one."
The exchange has grown to considerable size today. It has over 2,000 listings in its directory, a new building located on West Street, and the most modern equipment.
The Williston Way was established in Williston in 1921 by B. P. Davies and J. Austin Latimer. A modern printing plant was installed in the building now occupied by Benny’s Department Store. This paper was quite successful and booklets, programs, etc. were also printed. After several changes in ownership it is now published in Barnwell by B. P. Davies, Jr.
In the 1890's the need of a bank was felt in Williston, but the first financial organization ended in disaster. In 1905 the Bank of Williston was organized with Mr. A. M. Kennedy as its first president. Later a second bank was organized and chartered as the Farmers and Merchants Bank. Mr. W. D. Black was president. After a few years, the two banks merged as the Bank of Williston. It is the oldest bank in continuous service in Barnwell County and still located on its original site.
The volunteer Fire Department was organized in Williston shortly after World War I. Mr. G. W. Whitaker was the first fire chief. For many years the hand reeled fire truck was housed in a building adjacent to Folk’s Filling Station. In 1954, a Town Hall was erected, and the fire truck is kept in readiness there.
In 1917 the first water was piped to the homes in Williston from a well that was drilled on property adjacent to the Greene Lumber and Crate Company. As the demand increased, other wells were drilled. An abundance of water for homes and industry is available today.
Other conveniences were acquired as the town grew. Electricity was provided by the Edisto Public Service Company in 1919. Mr. Robert Easterling was founder and owner of the company. Electricity was available from 5 P. M. to 12 Midnight.
In 1928 the old South Carolina Power Company bought the Edisto Public Service Company from its holding company, Commonwealth Southern Company of Augusta, Georgia. and unlimited use of electricity was permitted.
The South Carolina Electric and Gas Company acquired the assets from the South Carolina Power Company in 1947 and in 1950 the properties were merged. The companies became known as the South Carolina Electric and Gas Company.
Williston was a sleepy Southern town on November 8, 1950, when it was suddenly awakened by the startling news that the Atomic Energy Commission's nationwide program of nuclear productions and research would be erected on land in Aiken and Barnwell Counties.
Not since the War Between the States had South Carolina towns been evacuated, but all the people living within the bounds of that particular area had to relinquish their property. The "dying" of Dunbarton in Barnwell County and Ellenton in Aiken County is a story closely associated with Williston, for many of these families moved - homes and all - to Williston.
No term could more accurately describe Williston at this time than “renaissance”. Williston had declined front a bustling town boasting "the largest department store in this part of the state”, fine stables, a first class blacksmith shop, a magnificent depot on the Southern Railroad, a crate factory, a hotel, and many business houses. Williston was no longer the “Asparagus Capital of the World”.
In 1950 the population was 896.
During the peak of the Atomic Energy Commission's project the population of Williston and the outlying areas was estimated at 10,000 or more.
When construction was completed, many people moved. Many others remained as employees of DuPont. Others remained simply because they liked Williston and could find employment.
By 1960 the population was reduced to 2,722.
In the years following, several new industries have been attracted to Williston. This accounts, in part, for the fact that the population during this Tricentennial year is in excess of 3,000.
There are those who would turn back the hands of time; there are others who feel that the best is yet to come.
Bureau of the Census ~ Govt. Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 1908
South Carolina ~ Salley Edwards
The Simms History of S.C. ~ Mary C. Simms Oliphant
A Shorter History of S. C. ~ D D. Wallace
Battle of Aiken ~Raymond P. Boylston, Jr.
Association of American Railroads ~ Washington. D. C.
Williston Way ~ Editions
Mrs. Evermae Robertson
Descendants of John Willis ~ Elizabeth Willis De Huff
Confederate Military History ~ Ed. by C. Evans
Life and Sport in Aiken ~ Harry Worcester Smith
Campaignings of Wheeler and His Cavalry, 1862-1865, ed. by W. C. Dodson, 1899
Augusta Chronicle ~ May 8, 1921
Barnwell-People Sentinel ~ 75th - 100th Edition