WINNSBORO – In 1915, the roads were dirt and cars were scarce, so it must have been quite a sight when on June 14 two of them pulled up to the jail yard in Winnsboro. A small crowd had gathered at the Courthouse across the street to await the arrival of Sheriff A. D. Hood […]
Black History Month – Recalling the 1915 shootout at Fairfield County Courthouse
February 6, 2025 By
Guest Editorial: Smith Escaped Lynching Only to be Gunned Down on Courthouse Steps
February 6, 2025 By
It’s June 14, 1915. The night air is thick with the scent of blood and burning tobacco. The Courthouse steps in Winnsboro are still slick from the morning’s carnage. Somewhere beyond the gaslight’s flicker, a man in a dark suit smirks, leans back in his chair, and exhales; satisfied. The mob has done what mobs […]
Celebrating Black History Tracing one black Fairfield family through history
February 16, 2023 By
FAIRFIELD COUNTY – It was March 30, 1956, on the Fairfield County farm (a former plantation) owned by my grandfather Willie Weldon. My mother, Oreather, was about to give birth to me, her fifth child, in the Cook’s house, where her family was residing. My grandmother Bertha Weldon had pretty much handled the delivery by […]
Blythewood Historical Society celebrates African American four-part Saturday series for children
February 9, 2023 By
BLYTHEWOOD – The Blythewood Historical Society is celebrating Black History Month this year with a Saturday children’s series about African American inventors and writers, plus the Historical Society’s staff will be assisting with on-the-spot recordings of oral histories between a child, parents and/or grandparents. The series kicked off on Saturday with a presentation and exhibit […]
Blythewood to celebrate Black History Month Feb. 26 & 27
February 17, 2022 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood will celebrate Black History Month on Feb. 26 & 27, beginning in the historic gymnasium at Bethel-Hanberry Elementary school and culminating with a community program at Doko Meadows. Sponsored by the Blythewood Historical Society, this year’s theme will be ‘Honoring the Legacy & Heritage of Bethel-Hanberry High School 1946-1970 & Beyond’ The […]
BH month program set for Feb. 26
February 25, 2021 By
BLYTHEWOOD – In celebration of Black History Month, the Blythewood Historical Society and Museum will host a virtual black history program, “And Still We Rise.” “Due to COVID-19 restrictions and concern for the health and safety of our community, we will not have an in-person event this year,” program director Doris Coleman said. We will […]
Black History celebrated in Blythewood
March 5, 2020 By
BLYTHEWOOD – This year’s Blythewood Black History event, titled ‘The Journey: How did we get here?’ was the story not only of a journey from Africa to America, but of a journey of African-Americans from slavery to today – a journey mapped out through African-American churches. Sponsored by the Blythewood Historical Society in partnership with […]
Celebrating Black History: The blinding of Isaac Woodard
February 6, 2020 By
Winnsboro native, Army Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a World War II veteran who was savagely beaten at the hands of a callous, intolerant sheriff, helped inspire civil rights in America. WINNSBORO – Isaac Woodard, Jr. was born in Fairfield County, but grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on Oct. 14, […]
The South wanted his head, the North, his heart
January 30, 2020 By
In the early morning hours of May 12, 1862, a young slave astonished a nation torn by Civil War when he commandeered Charleston’s most powerful warship and sailed it past a formidable gauntlet of Rebel forts to freedom. As the war played out, his escape from deep within Southern territory set off a series of […]
Blythewood black history event set for Feb. 29
January 23, 2020 By
BLYTHEWOOD – Planning for this year’s Blythewood Black History Event is underway and promises to be a departure from the past annual events, according to organizer Millie Whittaker. “The theme this year, ‘The Journey: How did we get here?’ will focus on the historical journey of African-Americans through the impact of the African-American Church as […]
