Three For The Road

Tom Poland
January 23, 2014  

 

Abbeville, Campbell’s Covered Bridge, & Harbison State Forest

A fellow and I were talking the other evening about the trips people take just to impress others when he said something profound.

You know, unless you just want to say you went somewhere famous, you can see some great things right here in South Carolina.

He’s right. You can strike out on day trips to many an interesting place. From time to time I’ll write a Three For The Road column for those who want to better know their state. Leave the clichéd excursions to Las Vegas and other worn destinations to others.

Abbeville’s Burt-Stark Mansion
Where The Confederacy’s Hope Ended

You don’t have to go to Gettysburg to see Civil War history. Drive west to Abbeville you’ll see a place where many say the Civil War began and ended. Abbeville’s Burt-Stark Mansion is Abbeville’s historical and architectural jewel. Known also as the Armistead Burt House, it’s the place where the last Council of War cabinet members of the Confederate government met.

Abbeville is often referred to as the birthplace and deathbed of the Confederacy. The birth took place at Secession Hill when local citizens gathered November 22, 1860, to adopt the ordinance of South Carolina’s secession from the Union. Four and a half years later the Burt-Stark Mansion is where the will to fight left the Confederacy’s leaders.

David Lesly, a prominent lawyer and planter, built this fine old mansion as a town house for his wife Louisa circa 1840. It was built in the Greek revival style meant to impress and provide comfort. After Lesly died in 1855 the house went through several owners. In the spring of 1862 Armistead Burt purchased the house. Burt, a lawyer, planter, and Congressman, had been friends with Jefferson Davis in Washington, D.C. That friendship brought a most historic event to Abbeville.

Historian and tour guide, Fred Lewis, gives an account of the key moment at the Burt-Stark Mansion. As the Civil War approached its end, President Davis left Richmond, Virginia on April 2, 1865 heading southwest. He reached Chester where he was invited to Burt’s home for a time of rest. He arrived in Abbeville May 2 accompanied by 900 to 2,000 Confederates. He arrived at the old home around 10:00 in the morning. After ‘supper’ that evening he met with Secretary of War John C. Breckenridge, military advisor Braxton Bragg, and five field commanders in the men’s parlor. His attempt to obtain support for another effort against the Union failed. Convinced not to pursue a guerilla war against the Union, Davis says, ‘Then all is lost,’ and the CSA dies. Reportedly a shaken Davis had to be helped upstairs where he rested in a four-poster bed. Contrary to legend Davis did not spend the night here. You can tour the home and see the very parlor where the Confederacy’s hopes were dashed and the bed where Davis contemplated all that had happened. 

For those who love history, architecture, and antiques, this southern home is a must see. Authentic antebellum pieces fill the home. The grounds are splendid and have been referred to as a horticultural feast. See the old home’s kitchen out back. Get a close look at what a kitchen of the early 1800s looked like. Best of all see where history took place.

Abbeville is a beautiful southern town. The town has a beautiful square with restaurants and more and the drive there takes you through rustic countryside.

Burt-Stark Mansion
400 North Main/SC Highway 28 Business
$10 per person for a one-hour tour
Abbeville, SC 29620
864-366-0166
http://www.burt-stark.com/web_content/index.htm

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Campbell’s Covered Bridge
Americana At Its Best

I never saw an authentic covered bridge until Clint Eastwood directed and starred with Meryl Streep in The Bridges Of Madison County. Genuine covered bridges in these parts are as rare as hens’ teeth. Several years ago, though, I came across the real deal: a covered bridge up in northern Greenville County. It was a late winter afternoon when sunlight comes in so low everything is gold and lustrous but driving is hard. A bit blinded as I rounded a curve, I got a treat as my eyes adjusted—Campbell’s Covered Bridge.

You can see it too. You’ll find the covered bridge near the small town of Gowensville. It’s South Carolina’s last remaining covered bridge and it crosses Beaverdam Creek. Greenville County owns the bridge and closed it to traffic in the early 1980s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 1, 2009. Major renovations have kept the bridge in good shape.

In 1909, Charles Irwin Willis built the 38-foot long, 12-foot wide pine structure. The bridge was named for Lafayette Campbell, who at the time of the bridge’s construction owned 194 acres in the immediate area. Campbell owned a nearby gristmill and he let his property to be used for the bridge’s construction. Willis was no dummy. He knew area farmers could better bring their corn to his mill across the creek.

The Greenville County Recreation District has transformed the surrounding acreage into a park where visitors can picnic, explore the foundations of the old gristmill and home site, wet their feet in Beaverdam Creek, and learn about the area through interpretive signage.

I got out and walked inside the bridge, struck by its narrow width, just right for horse-drawn buggies. Through cracks in the wooden flooring, I saw and heard Beaverdam Creek running cold and swift over rocks. Everything was peaceful, the air a bit chilled. I stayed there a while trying to envision the many years ago when old cars and carts rolled through and no one gave a second thought to the bridge’s uniqueness. I’m sure it made for a nice spot for couples, once the busy day settled down, a Bridges of Madison County spot so to speak. I walked out from the bridge as darkness settled in, and just then a young couple drove up. They looked at me, a stranger, as if I didn’t belong there, and I didn’t. 

I was glad to see the old bridge still had allure, still had its pull on romantic souls. It will pull on yours too. The bridge and surrounding area are quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. Pack a picnic come spring when greenery bursts forth and visit this rare bit of Americana. Be sure you take photos. Return home with great moments to remember.

Campbell’s Covered Bridge
171 Campbell Covered Bridge Road
Landrum, SC 29356

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Harbison State Forest
Take A Winter Hike

Cold weather and early dark make for a good time for a winter getaway. In the heart of the South Carolina Midlands sprawls a state forest with a deep and rich history. Bordered on one side by the Broad River, Harbison State Forest is one of the largest public greenspaces inside a city’s limits in the eastern United States. Hard to believe Columbia is just eight miles away.

 

Here’s a place where you can beat the winter blues. Hike or bike its 31 miles of roads and trails and enjoy some winter daylight and get something more: history itself for here’s where Catawba and Cherokee tribes found sustenance in woods and waters of the Broad River. When European settlers arrived an oft-used Broad River ford in the forest came to be known as Deutsche volk. Today we know the area as Dutch Fork. Now, as then, you can walk these woods as Native Americans and European settlers did. See landscapes free of leaves. Get close to the Broad River and see the Broad River rapids where a rocky ridge extends across the river, visible evidence of why we call this region the Falls Line.

The Harbison Environmental Education Forest proper has 18 miles of trails where you can cycle, hike, jog, or walk. Be alert to deer, bird species, and the common grey squirrel. You’ll find ample trails sure to meet your level of adventure. Trail difficulties range from easy to moderate to moderately difficult and difficult.

The Harbison Environmental Education Center, a 5,000-square-foot log building, serves as a classroom that teaches visitors about the forest. Encircling the Education Center, the Learning Trail hosts four outdoor classrooms where you can learn about the complexity of forest ecosystems. (The forest consists of approximately 67 species of trees.)

You’ll find plenty of reasons to take a break. A short walk down the Discovery Trail you’ll find a pine gazebo in a meadow. Here and there are smaller picnic areas. Strike out north about 1/3 mile up the trail across from the Gazebo Field and you’ll come to the Eagle Shelter, a great setting where traffic lights, honking horns, and the crush of city life seem far, far away. 

A winter hike offers a time when you can see farther, be free of pesky insects, and not work up a sweat. Keep in mind some basic rules. Whatever you carry in pack out. (You’ll find drinking water and restrooms at the picnic area.) Bicycles are allowed only on designated trails. Wear approved helmets when cycling. You can canoe here too but save that for warmer weather.

Now’s a good time to beat the winter blues with a short daytrip to a beautiful, bountiful green space. Head to Harbison State Forest and leave your winter worries behind.

If You Go …
Parking passes required of all visitors. Get them at fee boxes, online, and the Education Center.
Harbison State Forest
5500 Broad River Road
Columbia, SC 29221
803-896-8890
http://www.state.sc.us/forest/refharb.htm

Visit Tom Poland’s website at www.tompoland.net
Email Tom about most anything. [email protected]

 

Tom Poland is the author of seven books and more than 700 magazine features. A Southern writer, his work has appeared in magazines throughout the South. The University of South Carolina Press just released his book on how the blues became the shag, Save The Last Dance For Me. He writes a weekly column for newspapers in Georgia and South Carolina about the South, its people, traditions, lifestyle, and changing culture.