Faded and Forgotten History

Faded and Forgotten History We search out the history of houses, cemeteries, people, places…anything that holds a story of the past.
(1)

We know that history whispers to us from forgotten places, and when we listen, it comes to life once more.

Marysville School, Pacolet, SC An unassuming structure sits quietly by the side of Sunny Acres Road in the small tow...
06/25/2026

Marysville School, Pacolet, SC
An unassuming structure sits quietly by the side of Sunny Acres Road in the small town of Pacolet, SC. With its white peeling paint and simple architecture, many people may be unaware of the deep history that lies hidden within its walls…a history that spans back more than a hundred years.

Marysville School was built in 1915 by the Pacolet Manufacturing Company to educate the children of local African American mill workers due to the segregation of the town’s black and white populations. The area where the school is located was once known as Gillam Town but was eventually changed to Marysville in honor of Mary Brown Knuckles who helped establish the school. Although there was a lack of resources at Marysville School, the school portrayed resilience and was known for its academic excellence.

In 1954, the need for Marysville School became obsolete when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of schools was illegal under the constitution. Marysville closed that same year.

In 2007, the school building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It still has its original walls, floor, and slate boards. Very few wooden African American schoolhouses still exist in South Carolina, which makes Marysville School a historically significant structure.

Marysville School is currently owned by the town of Pacolet.

We had the great honor today of walking through the Kings Mountain Battlefield…the very ground where my 6x Great Grandfa...
06/24/2026

We had the great honor today of walking through the Kings Mountain Battlefield…the very ground where my 6x Great Grandfather, Robert King, once fought. This battle was a Patriot victory that occurred on October 7, 1780, and was the first major victory after the British invasion of Charleston. Robert King took up arms against the British Crown, enlisting as a Private in the backcountry militia under the command of Captain Bledsoe. The newly formed army of "Overmountain Men" traveled 330-miles across the high ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Scaling the steep, rocky slopes, the men successfully surrounded the British atop Kings Mountain, and shattered the Loyalist lines, achieving a victory that permanently turned the tide of the Revolutionary War in the South.

Oh, the secrets a simple stone holds! We recently came across this grave marker in the Turkey Creek Baptist Church cemet...
06/23/2026

Oh, the secrets a simple stone holds! We recently came across this grave marker in the Turkey Creek Baptist Church cemetery in Ware Shoals, SC. I had never seen one like it before. After researching a bit, I found that Jennett Luckett Maddox had ties to the Revolution that went well beyond the words etched on this stone.

Jennett’s father, Ignatius Luckett, Jr. was born in Port To***co Parish, Charles County Maryland in 1749. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, he was one of the inspectors at the to***co warehouse of Chickmuxon. In 1778, he pledged complete loyalty to the State of Maryland, sealing his allegiance to the Patriotic cause.

But what the marker on Jennett’s grave does not tell us is that her first husband was also a Patriot. Pryor Posey joined the Maryland Militia. These were men who were not part of the Continental Army but were instead civilian guards who primarily defended their local communities. Militiamen were vital to the Patriot cause. They provided defense on a local level, helped neutralize loyalists, and surged in during crises to overwhelm the British forces.

Unfortunately, in 1782, a year after the British surrender at Yorktown, Pryor Posey passed away of illness. He left behind a wife and several children.

The following year, 1783, Ignatius, Jennett’s father, also passed away.

That same year, Jennette remarried to Henley Maddox, a man twelve years her junior. Henley’s father, Benjamin, had also served in the Maryland Militia. Eventually Jennett and Henley, as well as Benjamin and other members of the Maddox family, moved to South Carolina and settled on farmland in Abbeville County.

Jennett and Henley went on to have several children and lived out the rest of their days in Abbeville County, SC. Henley passed away in 1806 and Jennett eight years later. They both lie buried in the oldest section of the Turkey Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Ware Shoals, SC.

It’s amazing the stories a simple stone can tell. And now you know the story behind this stone.

06/23/2026

Summer Sounds in the Cemetery

06/23/2026

We pay our respects to Revolutionary War veteran, Michael McGee

The Gray Court-Owings School stands along Hwy 14 in Gray Court, SC, and has a history that spans back over a century. ...
06/22/2026

The Gray Court-Owings School stands along Hwy 14 in Gray Court, SC, and has a history that spans back over a century. In 1902, the first school was established this place. It was a simple wooden frame building. In 1914, the brick two-story central building we see today was constructed. In 1928, the school expanded further by adding two additional buildings on either side of the main structure. Also a large portico (porch with columns) was added to the central building. The school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Today it is the home of Gray Court-Owings Elementary and Middle School.

The Ware Shoals Inn was built in 1923 by the Ware Shoals Manufacturing Company. It’s a blend of both Craftsman and Colon...
06/22/2026

The Ware Shoals Inn was built in 1923 by the Ware Shoals Manufacturing Company. It’s a blend of both Craftsman and Colonial Revival architecture, which makes it an eye-catching building in this small mill town. The inn was designed to accommodate business executives, traveling educators, and new textile mill employees, yet also was open to the public. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Today it sits empty, a shadow of its former self. If you have additional information to share about this building, please comment below!

"The Price of Progress" 1980’s Anderson Mall/Clemson Blvd The picture is still vivid in my mind. A lonely graveyard,...
06/21/2026

"The Price of Progress" 1980’s Anderson Mall/Clemson Blvd
The picture is still vivid in my mind. A lonely graveyard, once hidden from view by a thick forest of trees, was suddenly revealed, its forest home stripped bare. The trees had been cut and cleared and the terrain around the cemetery had been scraped bare by heavy machinery and made level with nearby Clemson Blvd. And there the cemetery stood all alone, suspended atop a tall pedestal of land, in the midst of a large empty lot of smooth red dirt. It was the 1980’s and the 22 acres between the Anderson Mall and the Country Club Apartments was being cleared for commercial development. But in all the hustle and bustle exerted in the name of progress, modern day had stumbled upon a place where history stood still.

The elevated position of the cemetery attracted much attention from those passing by. A fence encircled the graves, and two large stone pillars kept vigil. One of the pillars held a marble slab with the inscription “Burriss Cemetery 1840.” This place was also known as the Burriss-Watson-Eskew Cemetery, a name that spoke of multiple generations of a family that had called this plot of land home for over 140 years. Inside the sacred ground lay approximately 75 graves. Like most old cemeteries of that time, some of the graves were marked with legible tombstones while others were unmarked and would forever remain a mystery. But each grave represented a life that held an important connection to the land in which they were resting.

The question was, what would become of this cemetery that was interrupting commercial expansion for the growing city of Anderson? For months it sat atop its 20-foot pyramid of dirt, progress on hold while its fate was discussed. Once legal and family obligations were met, it was decided the graves would be reinterred at the nearby Salem Baptist Church. The Burriss-Watson-Eskew families had strong ties to this church, one of the most significant being Reverend Jacob Burriss, 1799-1879, who was a leading member at the old Salem Church and contributed generously to its ministry. His grave would be one of those relocated. In the fall of 1983, the tedious and costly process of moving the graves began.

Once the process was complete, a rededication service took place at the Salem Baptist Church Cemetery. Family members and the public were invited to attend. The guest speaker was Dr. Bob Marcaurelle from Concord Baptist Church, and Rev. Ralph Gregg of Salem Baptist Church preformed the dedication.

Today, the graves that once were resting deep within the woods near the Anderson Mall, forgotten in time, are part of the cemetery at Salem Baptist Church. The grave markers lie in long neat rows and blend seamlessly with the other graves in the Salem Cemetery.

The two old stone pillars still stand guard over the reinterred graves. Although this cemetery had to pay the price that progress demands, this story does have a silver lining. The graves were not plowed under and forgotten, which sadly happens from time to time. They were saved. They were moved. They still exist. Their history lives on.

But as I look across the graves and hear the nearby vehicles traveling noisily down Hwy 28 and Salem Church Road, I think about the peaceful, secluded place this cemetery stood for so long...and it fills me with a sense of sadness that I can't explain.

Dial’s Church in Gray Court, SC, has a rich history that dates back to 1808 when the church was established. The presen...
06/21/2026

Dial’s Church in Gray Court, SC, has a rich history that dates back to 1808 when the church was established. The present building was constructed in 1860. The expansive cemetery has graves that date back to 1832 and includes veterans from American wars as far back as the War of 1812. Have a blessed Sunday, everyone!

We have gained several thousand new followers in the last few months so we wanted to introduce the faces behind Faded an...
06/21/2026

We have gained several thousand new followers in the last few months so we wanted to introduce the faces behind Faded and Forgotten History. We are Robert and Donna and live in upstate SC. We both have roots in this area that date back to the 1700’s. We love our country’s
fascinating history, especially the south, and enjoy sharing it with all of you through stories, photos, and video. Thank you for following along and liking and sharing our content! It helps keep our history alive!

Address

Belton, SC
29627

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Faded and Forgotten History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category