New Book About Lynches River!

A History of Lynches Forks and Extended Areas on Big and Little Lynches Rivers, South Carolina

 

     A new book on the history of the Kershaw, Chesterfield, Lancaster, Lee and Darlington County areas of Lynches River has been published by Lon D. Outen.  This book should be of interest to historians, Native American enthusiasts, American Revolutionary enthusiasts, War Between the States enthusiasts, genealogists, gold mining interest, railroad enthusiasts, ghost’s buffs, and local history buffs.  This area was affected by two wars, Revolutionary and the War Between the States.     

   

     South Carolina is a state with an enormous amount of history and every year research reveals new information about its past. The Lynches Forks and surrounding areas had a rich history in the Ancient and Native American period, Colonial period, the American Revolution period, the War Between the States era, as well as commerce.  The “Forks” area is the land between the confluence of Big Lynches Creek/River and Little Lynches Creek/River in Kershaw County.   

 

     The area included in the book is Lynches Fork and surrounding areas in Kershaw, Chesterfield, Lancaster, Lee, and Darlington Counties.  The book includes historical places such as Kelly’s Bridge, Tillers Ferry, McBee (McKay), Bethune (Lynchwood), Kershaw (Welsh’s Station), Jefferson (Millersville), the Haile Gold Mine and the Brewer Gold Mine.  It describes the history of the gold mines in Lancaster, Chesterfield, and Kershaw Counties from discovery to there demise. 

 

     Navigation on Big Lynches is discussed as it impacted Darlington, Chesterfield, and Kershaw Counties from transportation of barges, rafts, boats, and steamboat hulls. 

 

     The book begins with unusual land and rock formations, bays, and caves.  It includes the period of Ancient Americans to the Natives Americans and early explorers.  In the Colonial period religion, taverns, mills, Meeting Houses and churches are discussed.  The Revolutionary War discusses the area known for Patriot support and Tory accounts terrorizing local families on Big Lynches, along with skirmishes and the Battle of Hanging Rock. 

 

      Settlers brought with them their religions and established Meeting Houses.  Churches began to appear in the late 18^th Century.  Some of the earlier churches include Gum Branch Church and Flat Creek Church. 

 

     The Antebellum Period includes plantations in and near the Forks area and identification of families living in the area.  Lynches Fork rice planations were found on both Big and Little Lynches.  Sherman’s Army came through the Forks area, affecting the Tillers Ferry area, Kelly’s Bridge area and Young’s Bridge area.  Union Troops caused devastation in these areas and some accounts from families are included. 

 

     A brief description of the Reconstruction period and a section on nearby communities are included.   The formation of the railroads including the Three C’s, C. M. &C., and SAL including mining and logging railroads in the area are listed.  Discussed are the timber, turpentine, logging, and lumber businesses from Colonial times to the early 1900’s.  Large sawmill operations, rock quarries, cotton gins, grist, flour, and corn mills are also listed. 

 

     Sharecropping and tenant farming was large in and near the Forks area until the building of the cotton mills. 

 

     A listing of bridges, branches, creeks, road, fords, ferries, muster grounds,  churches (pre-1900), post offices, houses (pre-1900), schools, doctors and dentists, leaders and officials, faith healers, treasure and ghost stories, and some cemeteries are in the book.     

     

      There is a section is devoted to the Sistare Family, a family of ship captains, whalers, merchants, and their role in the import and export business, and their migration to South Carolina from Connecticut and Spain.

 

     The cost of the book is $35.00.