Marlboro County ScArchives History - Books .....Chapter XXXIV McColl 1897
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Book Title: A History Of Marlboro County

CHAPTER XXXIV.
McCOLL.

  The prosperous and thriving town of McColl is situated on the eastern border
of Marlboro County, only one and a half miles from the North Carolina line, and
about ten miles from Bennettsville. It lies between Beaverdam and Panther
Creeks, and is immediately upon the C. F. & Y, V. R. R. Eleven years ago, in
1884, the people in that community had no idea that a town of such considerable
proportions would grow up in their midst so soon, but about that time the
railroad was being built from Fayetteville in the direction of Bennettsville,
and T. B. Gibson and J. F. McLaurin, in order to induce them to locate a depot
at this point, offered to build a depot and subscribe to the stock of the
company. They were ably assisted in their efforts by others in the community. In
1884, therefore, the depot was -built, which was the first house erected in the
town. Mr. Gibson had some time previously exchanged places with his brother, 1.
P. Gibson, and the railroad passed across the lower end of his tract, and a site
for the depot was selected and located on his land, and so the town of McColl
had its beginning. It was named in honor of D. D. McColl, of Bennettsville, who
during the time of building and for a while afterwards, was the president of the
S. C. Pacific Ry., the South Carolina division of the C. F. & Y. V. R. R. A
little less than a dozen years ago, where Mr. Gibson was growing fine corn and
cotton, to-day stands the growing and prosperous, plucky and pushing town of
McColl. In proportion to its size and age, the town of McColl has, perhaps, more
strikingly handsome and well-appointed houses than any town in the State. "One
is struck with the fact at McColl that the proper start was made in most
things." This is particularly true of the churches and schools. Three
comfortable and commodious churches, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist, adorn
the town; while "the McColl High School was organized about the time the town
was founded and has grown up with the town." The school building is large, well
built and comfortable, and is under the supervision and control of Prof. Craven.
Nothing in the community commands a greater share of the interest of the
citizens than the McColl High School.

  The town of McColl is lucky in having a number of men of fine business
capacity who do thoroughly and well what they undertake. Mr. Frank P. Tatum, a
native of North Carolina, is one of the leaders in enterprises calculated to
help the town. He located in Marlboro about 1867, and is now a farmer, merchant,
cotton-buyer, liveryman, and president of the McColl Manufacturing Co. He runs a
farm of eighteen plows, and conducts a very large and successful mercantile
business. T. B. Gibson, his son-in-law, was born not very many years ago, within
a few hundred yards of the business center of the town; and though comparatively
a young man, has a mature business headset firmly on his shoulders. He is one of
the leading successful merchants of the place. Mr. P. Mangum came from
Chesterfield to Marlboro a number of years ago, and lived a few miles north of
McColl, but judiciously decided to make McColl his home. He manufactured the
brick from which his handsome and imposing residence was built. Mr. Arch K. Odom
is his partner in the mercantile business. Mr. J. F. Mc-Laurin was born in the
immediate neighborhood of McColl, and is a son of the late Capt. Loch McLaurin.
He represented the county in the Legislature during the last term, and has been
re-elected for the term of 1897-98. Mr. McLaurin has been merchandising about
eight years, and is doing business in a handsome two-story brick store, built of
brick manufactured at his yards. A. W. Morrison & Co. may be ranked among the
leading business establishments of the town. Mr. Jeff D. Morrison is the junior
member of the firm. Among the other business houses in McColl may be mentioned
J. E. Willis, Luther McLaurin, Lane & Bristow, W. M. Gibson, Lester Sisters, J.
I. Vick, J. F. Stubbs, and W. T. Smith.

  One of the chief reasons, and perhaps the principal one, why McColl has grown
so rapidly and prospered so well, is the fact that magnificent farming lands,
»rarely equaled for productiveness and fertility, stretch out on every hand, and
this, with the further important consideration that the people who own those
lands work them judiciously, intelligently and industriously. Bounteous
harvests, as a natural consequence of well-ordered and intelligent labor, bring
prosperity and content. Thrift, prosperity, fine management, and a proper regard
to comfort and convenience, are all shown in the "fine orchards, splendid
stock," magnificent cotton and corn fields, numerous and large out-buildings,
and handsome, convenient and well-arranged dwelling-houses. Farming in the
McColl neighborhood means a bounteous and generous home support, and a handsome
surplus for sale, and consequently but few of the farmers trade on time. The
merchants therefore handle cash, instead of bad accounts, and hence they
prosper. Marlboro lands, Marlboro methods, and McColl farmers make success and
prosperity sure for the town of McColl. The Gibsons, McLaurins, Fletchers,
Willises, Tatums, Parkers, farm to some purpose and profit.

  The McColl Manufacturing Company, located in the town of McColl, the only
cotton mill in Marlboro, is owned and managed almost entirely by citizens of
Marlboro. It is spinning Marlboro cotton into a fine grade of yarn at the rate
of fifty bales a day. "In the spring of 1892 the first wing of the main building
was completed, and the machinery put in motion. The main building is 'now a
brick structure 88 by 303 feet, with opening and lapper room 50 by 80 feet,
packing room 40 by 40 feet, and machine shops 30 by 50 feet " It is run by a
Corliss engine of 250 horse-power, having three large boilers of 100 horse-power
each. The finest English and American machinery was purchased. It is supplied
with all the latest and most improved devices for insuring safety against fire,
and illuminated throughout by electricity. Three hundred operatives are
employed, who live in comfortable cottages, erected on land belonging to the
mill. The mill runs day and night, and a ready market is found for the entire
product of the mill. Mr. F. P. Tatum is the President of the mill, and T. B.
Gibson its Secretary and Treasurer, who, together with D. D. McColl,C. S.
McColl, E. Strudwick, W. W. Goodman, Eli Willis, T. H. Bethea, and A. W.
Morrison are the directors, whose work have accomplished such satisfactorily
results. "Messrs. F. P. Tatum and T. B. Gibson, and a few other citizens of
McColl are the men who hesitated not to navigate this large undertaking to its
present successful condition. It took pluck, ability and money more than once to
overcome the obstacles, but one of the best managed and most successful mills in
South Carolina to-day tells the story of the fight and victory." The court-house
town no longer dominates the whole county, or absorbs all its business. Towns
grow up at the railroad stations, and at the site of a cotton mill, and by
reason of their churches and schools, and by reason of their more intimate
connection and association with the surrounding community, are becoming centers
of influence and trade, and are able and willing to enter into business
competition with the county seat, though often larger and more pretentious.
While the McColl Manufacturing Company is the only cotton mill in Marlboro
to-day, yet two others have been built. The first cotton mill built in Marlboro
was at the "Burnt Factory," lately the property of Mr. Aaron Manship. It was
built by a joint stock company composed of Col. Williams, of Society Hill; John
Taylor, of Cheraw; John McQueen and William T. Ellerbe, of Marlboro, in the year
1836. In 1840 Meekin Townsend, father of R. E., C. P. and Walter, acquired an
interest in the "factory," as it was called, and about 1845 ^e purchased it. It
was burned in 1852, and the same year Mr. Townsend died. Another cotton mill was
erected a few years after the war, at what has been known as Medlin's Spring
(property now owned by Rev. Mr. Kirton) by a man named Cameron, but the mill was
burnt about the time of its completion. It is hoped that other mills will be
erected and operated in the county, for where the staple is grown there it
should be manufactured; and the pluck of the McColl people ought to be a
stimulus to * others to do as they have done.

  It has been mentioned elsewhere in these pages that William Leggett, the
grandfather of James S. Leggett, of Clio, lived about the time of the
Revolutionary War at or near what is now McLaurin's Mill, and owned land lying
between Beaverdam and Panther Creeks. It would be interesting if we could show
how much of the land lying south of the town of McColl he owned, and to whom he
sold, and the changes that have taken place in the ownership of the land since
his time. The land lying south of the town, and now in the possession of John F.
McLaurin was once owned by Robert Hamer and conveyed by him to Benaett R.
Jackson and from him to the late Captain Lock McLaurin, the father of John F.
Esquire Pipkin, the father of Mrs. N. M. Gibson, owned several hundred acres of
land, a part of which land Mr. N. M. Gibson purchased at the partition sale of
the estate of Esquire Pipkin and the central and northern portion of the town is
located upon that land. Lying north and east from the lands formerly owned by
Esquire Pipkin and extending to and even beyond the Adamsville road, covering
several square miles and several thousand acres of land, Moses Parker, the
grandfather of Capt. John R. Parker, claimed as his own. Capt. Parker now lives
on lands set off as dower to his grandmother, and has no intention of
transferring his possessions to other hands. Mr. F. P. Tatum purchased his
plantation lying just east from McColl from the late Isaac Pipkin, and while Mr.
Pipkin might have sometimes regretted the sale, it is safe to say that Mr. Tatum
has not regretted the purchase. Lying west from McColl are the beautiful
plantations of H. L. B. McColl, T. H. Bethea, W. P. Lester, and then the
plantation of R. J. Tatum. Then you come to the thriving town of Tatum, so named
from Richard J. Tatum, who a number of years ago came from North Carolina and
made his home in Marlboro. He married the daughter of the late Jesse Bethea, of
Adamsville, and settled where he now resides. The town grew up at his very door;
the depot and most of the town being on Hamer lands. There are two handsome
churches, a large, roomy school building, a half dozen store houses and quite a
number of comfortable residences. Fine farms lie all around the town, and Mr.
Tatum, the Easterlings, Hamers and Manships know how to work them. Two doctors,
McKenzie and Reese, attend to the sick when there is any sickness to attend.
They do not need a lawyer, because they all behave themselves and pay their debts.

  The "write-up" of McColl by J. E. Norment of the News and Courier has been
freely used in preparing this chapter.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

A HISTORY OF MARLBORO COUNTY,
WITH
TRADITIONS AND SKETCHES OF NUMEROUS FAMILIES.

REV. J. A. W. THOMAS, AUTHOR.

A wonderful stream is the river Time
  As it runs through the realms of tears 
With a faultless rhythm and a musical rhyme,
And a broader sweep and a surge sublime
  As it blends with the ocean of years.
                        —TENNYSON.

ATLANTA, GA.:
THE FOOTE & DAVIES COMPANY,
Printers and Binders.
1897.


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