The unauthorized History of Gaffney and Cherokee County South Carolina

  The Best story about Gaffney I heard was just a year ago. Founded 125 years ago this month it was concocted from portions of three other counties Union, Spartanburg and York. The unofficial version which rings true is The Cowpens National Battlefield was in Spartanburg County on the line of what was to become Cherokee County in the northern parts. Cherokee County wanted it for the new county swag and was almost a deal breaker as Spartanburg, like they always are claimed better culture. Cherokee resisted and finally the other counties said if you'll take Gaffney, you can have the damn battlefied. LOLOL

     As part of yesterday's celebration the Gaffney Ledger had a special free edition on the History of the County. I think they did a fine job. I spoke to Editor Cody Sossamon a few minutes and  as his daughter Abbie who is to assume the mast as publisher was present also mingling with the crowd as was the sister of a former Miss Gaffney.

    Also had a delightful conversation with a son of Harvey Peeler, Speaker of the House for the State of SC, and nephew former LT Governor. We talked about Lt Gov Bob and the Hyatt regency meeting in Greenville with Karl Rove in Jan of 2000 when Bush 43 decided to go negative on John McCain. Many say no Bush 43 as president had that meeting not taken place.

    From the Ledger edition for the year 1939 it is noted Florence Hamrick as 17 or so girl was in Gemany for the summer of 1939. She wrote her father, also the father of John Hamrick and his brother Waite, Germany was a sad country, no joy in the eyes of the Children and how grateful she was to be an American.

    In 1969 her son John Reaves was killed in Vietnam, and the widow, Gaffney Beauty Susan Clary,  became the wife of David Wilkins who was to become trustee emeritus of Clemson University and Bush 43 ambassador to Canada. Wilkins once told me he was not in the room with Bob Peeler and Karl Rove that day when the plans were made versus McCain in the SC Presidential Primary.

     The Ledger also define the years 47 to 49 as the two years the Union Held out on a strike against  Hamrick Mills and the MillikenGaffney Manufacturing. As a video linked at the end of this paragraph shows, Milliken and Hamrick were hardwired, joined at the hip in their politics and promotion of textiles.  Hamricks niece and that of Mrs Reaves was kidnapped during that ordeal. She became the mother in law of Tim Childers, Gaffney's contribution to Danny Ford's Natty for Clemson in 81.

     Tim is the nephew of Libby Childers, former Lt Gov of Maine, on first name basis with Hillary Clinton and Mass outspoken Senator Elizabeth Warren. Libby Harrill Mitchell husband family was key force for JFK in Arkansas in 1960.

     Lot of people of influence from Gaffney.

    Google John Hamrick Legacy of Leadership video SCETV.

      John Hamrick became the shepherd of the faith community that was to become Bethany Baptist Church, a mission of the FBC of Gaffney. For several years he would come to McCarthurville and lead a Sunday School Class that became Bethany.

     My Dad became pastor of that church in 1962 bringing me to town where nine years later I was to matriculate to Furman and learn of Marshall Frady and Will Campbell and a first mention of the Gaffney strike of 47 something I never heard of in then 14 years in Gaffney.

     Ive learned more since then some from Mrs Reaves in 76 and some from some email exchanges with a scholar  GC Waldrep from NC and Bucknell who said John Hamrick was steely eyed when they talked some about the strikes in Converse and Cowpens a decade earlier.

   John Hamrick did not become president of Hamrick Mills till 1960 succeeding his Father. For one year right after WWII John worked with his Grandfather who founded the mills in 1897, thus serving in tandem for 100 years with the mill by the time of his death in 2005.

   It is interesting to note that by Marriage Hamrick is the great Uncle of Carrie Bailey Morey who made a big splash summer of 2021 on SC PBS with her series of shows Callie's Hot Biscuits. As an entrepreneur great niece Carrie is about to break wide open with her specialty biscuit empire and cookbooks. See How She Rolls on PBS google or at Facebook. Carries Mother is the daughter of Mary Lib Hartzog Hamrick brother Will or Billy Hartzog.

    In circa 1995 I made oblique reference to the Gaffney strike on a nationally shown video response to the PBS Documentary the uprising of 1934, something every honors student at Gaffney High School should see when they devote a week to textile and Civil Rights history and learn a little something about WJ Cash, who Wake Forest University shut down the campus a decade ago to commemorate.

   For a couple of years Roger Milliken attempted to prevent the airing of Uprising of 32 on the SC PBS stations. Milliken gave more money to Richard Nixon in 1972 than any other man in America.  Milliken Jr. and I were great friends the summer of 1970 when we both worked in Sunny Slope Peach Shed a key part of Gaffney's history of the sixty years.

   Cash was Baptized in Cherokee Avenue Baptist Church. There is a historical marker about him in Shelby about 15 yards from the one about Griffith, who wrote the book that became the movie The Birth of a Nation.

    In 1976 Mr Hamrick along with his great friend Roger Milliken and other scions in textiles, along with President Ford and Billy Graham, called out Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson of Sumter to run for US Congress. Mickey Mantle himself gave money to Bobby's cause. 

    Bobby came to Gaffney in the spring as part of his rollout and spoke to a small group in the building which a few years before was Bernanke's apothecary, Mr Bernanke the Uncle of later US Fed Chair Ben a native of Dillon who often came up to summer a few weeks in Gaffney

     I asked Bobby a Question about Brown Lung and how he as a Christian would vote should the matter come up re OSHA and cotton dust levels in Textile mills. He became unraveled a stumbling mess. Mr Hamrick and others were not pleased. I never heard if Billy Graham had a special prayer for me or not.

    Cody and the Ledger have with CHAPS the Gaffney History Museum and now the Welcoming Center in the Old Post Office, two distinct operations as CHAPS is now at my Elementary alma Mater, Central School; these groups have given great framework to the History of our 125 year old County.

    Now time to work on some of these other bits and pieces.