Linda W. Brown – Building a better South

August 25, 2015August 12, 2015

Tin-roofed buildings, Clarendon County, S.C.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown remembers taking this picture last year in rural Clarendon County. They could be storage buildings or old tenant homes, she recalled.

Clarendon County has 34,357 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 population estimate. About half of the county’s residence are white; the other half are black. Some other statistics:

High school graduation rate of those 25 or older: 76.3 percent.
Bachelor’s degree graduates: 13.8 percent
Median household income: $33,267
Poverty rate: 22.8 percent

More QuickFacts from the U.S. Census.

August 19, 2015August 12, 2015

Barn, near Hyman, S.C.

High summer finds a crop in the field in front of an old barn in Hyman, a small community just outside Pamplico, in rural Florence County, S.C.

Florence County had 137,948 people, according to a 2012 Census estimate. Its poverty rate — higher in the rural areas than the county seat of Florence, averaged 19.4 percent in 2010.

QuickFacts about Florence County .

June 11, 2015June 12, 2015

Empty house, Florence County, S.C.

This old house in the southern part of Florence County is an example of so many farmhouses across the South that are no longer in use, writes Kingstree photographer Linda W. Brown. “From its size, one can imagine that it was once home to a large farm family,” she writes.

May 22, 2015May 22, 2015

Business construction, Kingstree, S.C.

Construction is moving along apace on a new Family Dollar building on Main Street in downtown Kingstree on the spot once occupied by a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, writes photographer Linda W. Brown. She says the town already has two Family Dollar stores and, presumably, one will move into the new building. Kingstree also has two Dollar General stores.

May 16, 2015May 12, 2015

Lots of miles on this truck

Trucks seem to have a long life in Williamsburg County, S.C., as farmers use their equipment as long as it lasts, notes photographer Linda W. Brown, who spied this old truck on a farm between Cades and Hebron.

Photo is copyrighted. All rights reserved.

May 14, 2015May 12, 2015

Mothballed helicopters, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Old Coast Guard helicopters, Hebron Crossroads, S.C.

Seeing a fleet of mothballed Coast Guard helicopters — particularly in rural Williamsburg County — isn’t an everyday sight, notes Kingstree photographer Linda W. Brown.

“These old Coast Guard helicopters have been accumulating on the grounds of the old Hebron School. After the school closed, the building was used as a “sewing plant.”Once it, too, closed, it appears that the owner is using the grounds for helicopter “storage.” Note the guard dog! ”

Photo taken Feb. 15, 2015. All rights reserved.

April 27, 2015April 15, 2015

Contraption, Florence County, S.C.

Photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C., said she’s not exactly sure what this contraption in a Florence County pasture was used for on the farm. “Personally, I like all the different levels and sizes of wheels.”

April 23, 2015April 15, 2015

Town hall, Salters, S.C.

Although never incorporated, Salters, S.C., has a town hall,” writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown. “Built around 1900 as a project of The Salters Social Club, it hosted community and club meetings and was a venue for school commencements, community plays, dances and suppers.

The social club members bought stock at $10 a share to raise money for its construction. The stock purchases raised $1,000 to build the structure in Williamsburg County, she said.

April 14, 2015April 15, 2015

Empty store, New Holland Crossroads, S.C.

Abandoned store, New Holland Crossroads, S.C.

This old store is diagonally across the Old Ninety Six Indian Trail from Jackson Hole in the western part of South Carolina. New Holland Crossroads in rural Aiken County, S.C., looks pretty much like a ghost town these days, said photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C.

Aiken County, longtime home of the federal Savannah River Site, is not a Southern Crescent county but it is adjacent to impoverished Barnwell and Orangeburg counties. Rural areas in Aiken County look much like those in the Crescent.

April 9, 2015April 9, 2015

Pastoral scene, Clarendon County, S.C.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown observes there are still plenty of working farms in rural South Carolina. These barns are part of a farm in Clarendon County.