Lost Lower Richland

[Captain Worley]

Since I was a kid, a LOT of changes have come to the Lower Richland community, and a lot of stuff is gone for good. Anyone remember:

Epting's store?
The Bounty?
Swimming at Caughman's pond?
Swimming at Sunview?
Miss Kate's store (I think its just overgrown)?
The Magistrate's office at Horrell Hill?
The old post office at Trotter and 378 (ayone remember when it was a clothes store of some sort?)?
When Handy Hut had video rentals?
The Citgo at Old Sumter Highway and Sumter Highway?
The Amaco across from LR HS?
The Chicken Coop?
The Par Three Golf Course?
Sike's BBQ?

[JDidGirl]

Since I was a kid, a LOT of changes have come to the Lower Richland community, and a lot of stuff is gone for good. Anyone remember:

Epting's store?
The Bounty?
Swimming at Caughman's pond?
Swimming at Sunview?
Miss Kate's store (I think its just overgrown)?
The Magistrate's office at Horrell Hill?
The old post office at Trotter and 378 (ayone remember when it was a clothes store of some sort?)?
When Handy Hut had video rentals?
The Citgo at Old Sumter Highway and Sumter Highway?
The Amaco across from LR HS?
The Chicken Coop?
The Par Three Golf Course?
Sike's BBQ?

Other than Epting's Store (I'm trying to place where it was) I remember all of this. I do remember the old post office building at Trotter and Sumter Highway (378). I always that that was just the weirdest place to open a clothing store. Don't think we even went in there either.

I also remember going to Eastover to the Main Street General Store for 35 cent icecream scoops. You could double it for 20 cents more.

[Captain Worley]

Epting's was where the Handy Hut was, catty corner from the old post office.

[JDidGirl]

Epting's was where the Handy Hut was, catty corner from the old post office.

Okay... I do remember that now. Funny, I don't think I ever knew the name of that place. That place rented videos too at one time, didn't they? I think a lot of those places got into the VCR/VHS movie boom when it first came out.

[Captain Worley]

I can't remember what happened to Epting's but I think it was gone in the very early senventies. I see to recall a two story building with a gas station/mercantile on the first floor. Cue could help me out on that, maybe Zoo.

The A&P at Greenlawn and 378 was the closest grocery store for a looong while, too.

[JDidGirl]

I can't remember what happened to Epting's but I think it was gone in the very early senventies. I see to recall a two story building with a gas station/mercantile on the first floor. Cue could help me out on that, maybe Zoo.

The A&P at Greenlawn and 378 was the closest grocery store for a looong while, too.

Well, if Epting's was gone in the early 70's then I must be remembering a different store in that location (there's been a store of some sort - usually under different names every few years)... I was born in the early 70's so I'm sure I'm remember something else.

The A & P at Greenlawn... I remember that place (the post office was right down from it in the same shopping center). My mom tried to take out a light pole there once in our baby blue Ford Fairlane station wagon. I also remember when the Bi-Lo went in near Columbia East theater (man... I remember Columbia East theaters... that's scary). I also remember when the Food Lion went in on Leesburg in the late 80's. That made things easier.

[Captain Worley]

Boozer's Lumber was a victim of the housing bubble bursting.

Lets's see...there was a KFC in front of the Columbia East Theaters and an American gas station with a HUUUUGE flag right beside it.

Kroger went in next to Bilo, but folded kinda quick.

Is there anything left in Columbia East shopping Center at all?

[RPWeed]

I noticed Square D changed it's name to Schneider Electric.

[Captain Worley]

Yeah, they've been owned by Schneiders for quite some time. Square D had a lot of equity in that name. I was surprised to see they changed.

[JDidGirl]

Boozer's Lumber was a victim of the housing bubble bursting.

Lets's see...there was a KFC in front of the Columbia East Theaters and an American gas station with a HUUUUGE flag right beside it.

Kroger went in next to Bilo, but folded kinda quick.

Is there anything left in Columbia East shopping Center at all?

They kept trying to open a bar in that area back towards where the grocery store was (not to be confused with a couple of the other bars that were in there, but more towards the road or next to the theater), but it lasted very long. Family Dollar was in there for the longest time along with a beauty supply shop. I remember when those little shops started putting up the chaings and bars on their doors and windows and then they never took them down... even during operating hours. That's when you knew times were a changing and not for the better.

[RPWeed]

Yeah, they've been owned by Schneiders for quite some time. Square D had a lot of equity in that name. I was surprised to see they changed.

I knew that they were owned by Schneiders also, but I was alwasy so used to seeing the big blue and yellow Square D sign with the big "D" on the building...kind of shocked to see it had changed. It was easy to use as a landmark when giving directions out that way.

[JDidGirl]

Is Defender Industries still out there? Are they something else now or did they close down all together?

[Captain Worley]

Is Defender Industries still out there? Are they something else now or did they close down all together?

The building is still there, but I'm not sure if they go by the same name.

When Eckerds left Columbia East, that spot became a night club for a time. That all ended with a shooting...can't remember if it was fatal, but I'm thinking it was.

The beauty supply store started out as a cosmetologist's. I don't think that hall was ever filled. there were spaces for four or so stores down there, but no frontage.

I can't remember the name of the strip mall on Greenlawn and Leesburg, but there used to be a babershop called El Toro in it and in the mid eighties there was a used bookstre called the Book Nook.

Landmark Square used to have a Hamricks, a Winn Dixie a Book Dispensary, and a Fabric World in it. Before they built the place, true's Junkyard was on that property.

Used to be a DQ where 77 crosses Garner's Ferry.

[Captain Worley]

The 'singing bridge' over the swamp. Last peice of road on 378 before you hit Sumter County

[JDidGirl]

When Eckerds left Columbia East, that spot became a night club for a time. That all ended with a shooting...can't remember if it was fatal, but I'm thinking it was.

I think there were at least two shootings. I believe one was fatal... one was not. There were always issues there though. I remember there was once a country bar back there (there were a couple of little redneck bars towards the front, but this was actually a country & western place that catered to line dancing or something like that). I remember that they also tried to open a gay bar in that space once or twice... it never lasted very long. The location was terrible for a gay bar.


I can't remember the name of the strip mall on Greenlawn and Leesburg, but there used to be a babershop called El Toro in it and in the mid eighties there was a used bookstre called the Book Nook.

I remember the Book Nook, but not completely where it was located... is that where the library is now?


Landmark Square used to have a Hamricks, a Winn Dixie a Book Dispensary, and a Fabric World in it. Before they built the place, true's Junkyard was on that property.


I worked at both Fabric World and Rite Aide in Landmark Square. When I first moved out of my parents' house after high school my first apartment was on True Street behind Landmark Square in Amanda Court Apartments.

[RPWeed]

Is Defender Industries still out there? Are they something else now or did they close down all together?

The sign is still up and I still see cars out there.

[swampfox]

It's still in operation. It is apparently still privately owned. There are some houses around the edge of the property, private docks, a picnic shelter, etc. A good non-polluting corporate neighbor.

[Captain Worley]

I remember there was once a country bar back there (there were a couple of little redneck bars towards the front, but this was actually a country & western place that catered to line dancing or something like that).

The Kroger's next door was some country place called Tombstone's ro something like that.


I remember the Book Nook, but not completely where it was located... is that where the library is now?

I think you are thinking about the Book Dispensary, which was in the 'crook' in Landmark. The Book Nook was in the strip mall at Leesburg and Greenlawn.

[JDidGirl]

I think you are thinking about the Book Dispensary, which was in the 'crook' in Landmark. The Book Nook was in the strip mall at Leesburg and Greenlawn.

No, I remember the Book Dispensary... I worked at a couple of places in Landmark and I remember that it was back in the corner. I remember the Book Nook, too, but I couldn't quite place where it was. Now I remember the little strip mall. There use to be a Merita (sp?) bread store in that same area.

[ZooFuzz]

Since I was a kid, a LOT of changes have come to the Lower Richland community, and a lot of stuff is gone for good. Anyone remember:

Epting's store?
The Bounty?
Swimming at Caughman's pond?
Swimming at Sunview?
Miss Kate's store (I think its just overgrown)?
The Magistrate's office at Horrell Hill?
The old post office at Trotter and 378 (ayone remember when it was a clothes store of some sort?)?
When Handy Hut had video rentals?
The Citgo at Old Sumter Highway and Sumter Highway?
The Amaco across from LR HS?
The Chicken Coop?
The Par Three Golf Course?
Sike's BBQ?


I'm showing my age:

Catch-22 CB radio club ( we were mostly a PARTY club) that operated on the eastside, nearly all of our membership resided inthe Hopkins/LR area.

A bar on Hazelwood called "Goatwinders".

MiniMart where the propane place is now.

Defender was owned by the B.C.Inabinet and family, I used to go to church with them at Shandon UMC across from Dreher. Defender is now in the private security business.

I was working security at Hamricks at Landmark Sq, this is where I met Gator.

I remember a dollar theater at Columbia East SC.

[Cliff]

I was born in the early 70's so I'm sure I'm remember something else.

Dang
You guys are olld

[Captain Worley]

I remember when they built that water tower on top of Horrell Hill. It reminded me of the alien war machines from War of the Worlds (or as they say in New Yawk, 'Da Woir of da Woilds).

[Captain Worley]

When we practiced soccer at LR, everyone loved climbing the tower on the practice field. It was pretty rickety even then (late seventies). I'm sure its been torn down or fell down since then.

[swampfox]

Diagonally across from what used to be the Handi Hut there is an old overgrown wooden building that appears to have been a store. It looks to be very old. Could that be Epting's?

[Captain Worley]

No, that's the old post office. Eptings was where the Handy Hut was. What is the Handy Hut called now?

[swampfox]

It doesn't seem to have a name. It just has signs saying what they sell. Usual convenience store kind of stuff. I'll check today.

[Captain Worley]

It doesn't seem to have a name. It just has signs saying what they sell. Usual convenience store kind of stuff. I'll check today.

Probaly just 'The Store' or something similarly inventive.

[ZooFuzz]

In 1966 at Caughman Farms on the then Garners Ferry Road (dirt), I remember going to to summer camp, where hey took us to LRHS to play basketball. MAN, that was a long time ago.
They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa! was released that year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iDl2zwF8TM&feature=related

[Captain Worley]

I remember a dollar theater at Columbia East SC.

Wasn't it a 99 cent-$1.50 movie theater for most of the eighties? Seems like it dropped first run movies pretty quick.

I always wondered what happened to the fiberglass cows on top of BiLo.

[JDidGirl]

Wasn't it a 99 cent-$1.50 movie theater for most of the eighties? Seems like it dropped first run movies pretty quick.

I always wondered what happened to the fiberglass cows on top of BiLo.

Columbia East theater disgusting and dirty... it started to really go downhill in the 80's, but really took a turn into the dirt when it turned into the dollar theaters. A lot of raunchy stuff went on in the back rows at that theater.

As for the Bi-Lo cows... I know someone that bought one of them. I believe one them was stolen as well. They had to replace that cow a couple of times.

[swampfox]

It doesn't seem to have a name. It just has signs saying what they sell. Usual convenience store kind of stuff. I'll check today.

Food Fare. There's also a liquor store in one end of the building. And behind it in a house Sister Rose will tell your fortune. Without the Cornelius Brothers.

[Cliff]

A lot of raunchy stuff went on in the back rows at that theater.


Huh? Like what? http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p47/KE4MIV/Smilies/dunnof.gif




http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p47/KE4MIV/Smilies/tounge.gif

[Captain Worley]

Saw this editorial in The Fishwrap. I bet some scummy developer wrote it.




WHILE THE city elections brought renewed hope for increased cooperation between Columbia and Richland County, the governments’ inability to collaborate on a large sewer project in Lower Richland illustrates just how far they have to go.

Columbia and Richland have dragged their feet for nearly four years while residents endure failing septic tanks and developers sit in limbo, waiting for sewer lines so they can build thousands of homes the county already signed off on. This is unacceptable.


Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/08/31/1442127/city-county-cooperation-must-extend.html#ixzz0yCB468Zn

This came to a head over the development at McGregor's farm and the area behind LR.

Watch out, Lower Richland residents! More crammed together cheap housing is behind this!

[JDidGirl]

Watch out, Lower Richland residents! More crammed together cheap housing is behind this!



The Lower Richland area really just can't take anymore crammed together cheap housing. I never get the name right... It's Quail something or another off of Lower Richland Blvd. or housing developments like Green Lakes (off of Leesburg Road) have proven that they just don't work in those areas. Cheap housing brings in thugs and trash... and Lord knows... LR doesn't need anymore of that. The area may be nice(er) for a year or two, but then it always goes down the toilet. Developers just turning a quick buck... it's insane.

[Captain Worley]

I have to admit, I've never heard of Kingville before.




Lower Richland’s rich history, often overshadowed by nearby Columbia, will be celebrated Saturday with the unveiling of five new S.C. historical markers.


The event is part of efforts by the South East Rural Community Outreach to draw attention to the communities of people in an area known mainly for its sprawling farms and forests. The area has one of the state’s highest concentrations of African-American property owners, a trend dating to the 1800s.


The King’s Highway, the major north-south road in the American colonies in the 1700s, went straight through Lower Richland, bypassing the future Columbia to the north. While political sway and railroad lines helped Columbia become the focal point in the county in the 1800s, those same rail lines helped define Lower Richland.


Two of the markers will provide details about Kingville and Eastover, communities built around rail stations. Eastover, founded in 1880, shows up on today’s maps. Kingville is older, was more grand, and now is less known.


According to the historical marker, Kingville had a hotel, post office, shops, offices and residences in 1860. Today, most folks driving through the intersection of Bluff Road and US 601 don’t even realize they’re in the Kingville area.


The other markers celebrate the history of Hopkins and Minervaville and the landmark Harriet Barber House. The community of Hopkins is named for John Hopkins, a plantation owner who was a delegate to the First Provincial Congress in 1765. Minervaville was named for an early rural school, the Minerva Academy.


The Barber house, one of the few in the community that dates back to the 1800s, was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.


Saturday’s ceremony will be at 10 a.m. at the Barber house, 116 Barberville Loop in Hopkins.






Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/09/10/1457469/new-markers-tell-story-of-lower.html#ixzz0z8aWmcdT

[swampfox]

Did you know that Hernando de Soto came right through Lower Richland, probably close to Hopkins, during his exploration in the early 1500s? He was headed for what was then the "capital" of the Cherokee nation not far from Camden.

Plus, the geographic center (according to the USGS) of SC is in a front yard on the road to Hopkins from the intersections in front of the high school.

I used to argue that it was on the school campus, but I had nothing to support my argument.

[Captain Worley]

Never heard that about de Soto, but I have always heard that Horell Hill was the geographic center of the state.

[Captain Worley]

Looks like the County Council bowed to the will of the developers. Expect to see more of Lower Richland join the realm of the lost.


Richland County has endorsed a long range plan to provide public sewage service to Lower Richland County, agreeing to partner with the city of Columbia to serve long-suffering developers near town.

Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2010/10/06/1499182/county-approves-sewer-service.html#ixzz11ao4sALC

[Captain Worley]

A few weeks back I went by that strip mall at Lessburg and Greenlawn. Very sketchy characters hanging out there.

Also, at the intersection of Leesburg and Fairmont, there was a building that was a pool, the a roller skating rink (or vice versa). Is it just sitting vacant now?

[JDidGirl]

A few weeks back I went by that strip mall at Lessburg and Greenlawn. Very sketchy characters hanging out there.

Also, at the intersection of Leesburg and Fairmont, there was a building that was a pool, the a roller skating rink (or vice versa). Is it just sitting vacant now?



That little strip mall at Leesburg and Greenlawn was always kind of sketchy. I can only imagine that it probably has just gotten worse.

I remember the building that had the pool. Wasn't it a church at one time? I seem to recall driving by one day and seeing a baptism being performed there (and, yes, I'm being very serious about that). I think my parents knew someone who tried to buy the building or to rent it for something and I want to say there was a huge issue with the commercial insurance on the building due to the pool being there. Geez... it's been so long ago now that I can't remember what all that building was actually used for at this point. I never understood why (1) a pool was put in, in the first place and (2) why they didn't just cover up the pool in general.

[Captain Worley]

It was originally a pay-as-you-go type swimming club. Pay a fee to swim all day. I never went inside, but I assumed they filled in the pool when they turned it into a skating rink.

I did notice that it looks like they are refilling Caughman's Pond.

[JDidGirl]

Actually, when it was originally built wasn't it a gym as well? I don't remember that lasting very long at all (the location was horrible) and then it was a list of things before the skating rink.

[Captain Worley]

I thought it was just a pool, no gym, but I could be wrong. A gym may have come later.

[Captain Worley]

Anyone remember Sloan's Charcoal Hamburgers? It was before my time.

http://columbiaclosings.com/wordpress/?p=4197#comments

[JDidGirl]

Sloan was a popular name in that area... if I recall correctly. Isn't the same family that had a BBQ place further down 378 for quite some time? I believe they also did something in the lines of construction. I can't remember exactly what, but I do remember they had a lot of large machinery. They even came over once and helped my parents dig out a spot for a pool they were putting in. Of course, I could be completely wrong regarding the name completely.

[Captain Worley]

I believe you might be thinking about Sykes BBQ. I always thought it was funny that at the place you picked up your tray was a sign that said, "Septic tank digging."

[Captain Worley]

Richland County is buying 44 acres for a park on the outskirts of town, spending $1 million for a landmark piece of property along Garners Ferry Road.

The land, with a lake visible from the road, is still called the old Caughman place by some. In the 1970s, it had a restaurant resembling a pirate ship where diners could rent a pontoon boat.

While those features are long gone, Councilman Norman Jackson said the park could draw visitors with walking trails, picnic areas and, eventually, water sports. He hopes it might rival nearby Saluda Shoals.



Read more: http://www.thestate.com/2011/10/05/1997405/county-buying-park-land-in-lower.html#ixzz1ZuTInxBW

[JDidGirl]

I believe you might be thinking about Sykes BBQ. I always thought it was funny that at the place you picked up your tray was a sign that said, "Septic tank digging."

That's it! Gosh, I couldn't think of that to save my life. Sloan sounded so right, but yes... it was Sykes.