Summer travels

It's been a while since I've last written.  We've had a few adventures in Miz B, but between all the rain and then the heat, there have been very few.  We did take a ride up to Union County to Rose Hill Plantation.  It was the home of the former secession Governor of South Carolina, Henry Gist.  Built between 1828-1832, Rose Hill Plantation has been beautifully restored and visitors can enjoy tours of the home and gardens.  The park also offers picnic areas, walking and bike trails, and nature trails.  Rose Hill was the last privately maintained Governors Mansion in South Carolina.  All subsequent governors would live in the Governor's Mansion in Columbia.

The day was spectacular, although a bit hot in the afternoon.  We left home about 10:30 and traveled up to Newberry for lunch in a popular diner on the main street of old downtown.  Then we were off to Union County.  The plantation is situated in the Sumter National Forest and we were treated to narrow winding roads.  Just the kind we really enjoy driving in the Model A!  

We arrived with a bit of time to spare before the tour was to begin.  We enjoyed a friendly chat with the Park Ranger, who would be conducting the tour, on the front porch of the mansion.  The mansion is under restoration.  Having fallen on very bad times from about 1900 until 1942, the house was just about falling down.  A private citizen purchased the house and many acres of surrounding land and set about making necessary repairs.  In the 1980's the estate was sold to the state to be preserved for the future.

The home has a central hallway and staircase entered from the front door.  Directly to the rear is the back door.  The front and rear entrances have matching porches, which were added in the 1830's.  At that time the house was transformed to reflect the Federalist style of architecture.  Recently, restoration efforts have uncovered many of the original paint colors and faux painting techniques applied to the woodwork and doors.  Air conditioning has been installed, to preserve the building further.  The house is very close to the Tyger River and the humidity levels can be quite high.

John with Rose Hill Mansion

Kitchen building

Fan Light over front door

Restored Faux Wood Graining

Dining Room

Original bed in Master Bedroom

Harpsichord in upstairs Ballroom

Ballroom

Front entrance garden

Downstairs bedroom

Desk in Back Parlor

After our tour, we were off to Union and ice cream!  The temperatures had gotten up to the mid 90's and the humidity was probably just as high.  

Ice cream was delicious and cold.  Soon, we were on our way back home, arriving about 5:30.  Nice trip.

We took another ride with the club to Cheraw, SC.  It was another cool rainy morning, but the skies dried up a bit just before we arrived.  Our first encounter in Cheraw was a statue to and of Dizzy Gillespie.  Cheraw is the home of this great Jazz musician.  

Dizzy Gillespie

We first toured The Lyceum (c. 1820).  It began as a chancery court, became the Lyceum Meeting Room and private library, served as Cheraw's first telegraph office, and was both the Confederate and Union quartermasters' headquarters. It now houses a museum depicting Cheraw's history, Indian artifacts, steamboat era and Confederate War relics. 

Cheraw Lyceum

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the River's Edge, a Mennonite family owned and operated restaurant.  The food was wonderful and the enormous portioned desserts were most delicious!

Lined up in front of River's Edge Restaurant

Our next stop was to Old St. David's Church.  The last Anglican or "State" church built (c.1770) in South Carolina under King George III. The church was used by the Americans and the British during the Revolution and later by both Confederate and Union armies. There are soldiers from almost every American War buried in the cemetery. Also in the cemetery is a Confederate monument, the first ever erected (c.1867) in memory of those who had fallen in the Civil War. The original inscription did not mention Confederate soldiers directly because Union forces still occupied the area. The steeple and vestibule were added in 1826.  It is a very sparsely decorated church with a simple altar and wooden cross.

Old St. David's Anglican Church

Our tour guide in the pulpit

Altar cross

Revolutionary War grave

Before leaving Cheraw, we drove down to take a look at the Great Pee Dee River.  It was very swollen from all the recent rains and was flowing very swiftly.  We also saw remnants of the pre Civil War bridge that the Southerners had destroyed to keep the Union troops from crossing the river.

Great Pee Dee River