Swinging
Round the
Circle
HAMER,
A LITTLE GIANT
OF INDUSTRY
By
W. J. Galloway
June
28, 1906
The Dillon Herald
The Eden of Marion County - Lands the Equal in Fertility of the Famous Valley of the Nile - Its Industries - Its Schools - Its Churches.
A
Homogeneous People
Last week when my Balaam said, "Arise, let us go hence," it was an easy matter for us to decide into what country we would make our journey. Knowing as we did that the race of our Balaam was nearly run, that the end of our circle was about reached and that we must sever our connection for awhile at least from the tree of hospitality and friendship from which our swing has hung so long, we desired to save one of the best for the last, so at Hamer and among its people is where our Balaam led us to take our last swing before granting the vacation to the faithful old servant.
In this section we see everywhere signs of thrift, progress and prosperity. Everyone seems quiet now on the political situation now and are now actually engaged in freeing their cotton and corn from "Green's" powerful army.
As is the case in most sections of our country there are few drones here. Stop here when you will and you'll find the people busy.
In this community many good farmers live and as it was not my pleasure to see all of them I will just have to make some local items and let our readers know in that way what the folks of Hamer are doing.
Messrs. Daniel and Duncan McDuffie, two good Scotch citizens, live near the station and operate a large farm and a successful mercantile business. A brother, D. B. McDuffie, lives and runs a large store near the factory. Mr. McDuffie is doing a fine business here besides running several farms he owns in Hillsboro Township. They are all good citizens and excellent business men who have been eminently successful.
E. B. and R. B. McEachern, J. H. and D. W. Campbell and Neil J. Carmichael are among the prominent farmers on this side who play their part in the advancement and upbuilding of the community and whose farms are true pictures of what farms really ought to be.
Judge Carmichael was last year appointed Magistrate here and he has made a good and faithful officer, who because of justice and fairness with which he renders his decisions, has impressed the law-abiding citizens with his efficiency and has become a terror of the evil doer.
On the other side now among those who lend aid to the success and upbuilding of the community are A. F. Bryant a very successful farmer who lives near the line, J. W. Bryant, who operates about 18 plows is very prosperous. Mr. Bryant lost heavily in the failure of the Independent Cotton Oil Co. of which he was a stock holder. He is also a stock holder in the Hamer Cotton Mills.
G. R. Campbell and Jno. B.McEachern are also good farmers here who are stock holders in the cotton mill. Like most worthy citizens we see them sharing with every enterprise which tends to the upbuilding of their community and the advancement of its commercial rating.
Capt. A. C. Sinclair is one of the landmarks of the community, a veteran farmer whose acquaintance it was not our pleasure to make yet we hope that this will not be so always.
Watson McDonald is another one of those hard working men who always somehow reaps a bountiful yield as the fruit of his labors. He owns a place here and makes fine crops. He is on the whole no sorry man.
Two rising and energetic young planters here are Don and Alex Watson. They have been eminently successful, too. They are farmers right whose motto is to do everything at the right time. They have interests in several enterprises at Rowland, the Rowland Hardware Co. is one, of which Alex is president. This concern was organized 2 years ago and has paid handsome dividends to its stockholders.
Among the largest farmers of this section and the best citizens of the county is Mr. D. A. McCallom. Mr. Mac is a native Marionite but twelve years of his life were spent in Georgia and Florida where he and his father were engaged in the turpentine and naval stores business. But four years ago he cleared out his business there and purchased land here where he has a beautiful plantation on which he operates about 25 plows. A 6 horse farm of his is on the North Carolina side, the remainder together with his handsome country home surrounded by a magnificent oak grove is on our side. He is a hustler in the true sense of the work, as a visit to his home, a glimpse at his surroundings will prove that he is a high-toned gentleman as well.
We have now paid our respects to the country surrounding the village of Hamer, and have drawn "toward the city." Here is located a cotton mill of which R. P. Hamer is President, Secretary and Treasurer. It was through his efforts largely that the mill was built and he owns a large interest. Mr. D. P. Smith, a Citadel graduate from Spartanburg county, is the Superintendent, and Mr. E. P. Mobley of Fairfield is bookkeeper. A great many of the farmers here own stock, in the mill and it has thus far proved a paying investment.
Hamer is the seat of one of the best public schools in the county. It runs nine months every year and is supported wholly by local taxation. No private funds are used at all. The faculty for the next term has not yet been elected.
The skeleton of the defunct Independent Cotton Oil Co. is also here. It once did a flourishing business, but closed with the failure of that company last summer. Mr. Hamer was a large stock holder therefore his loss was indeed a heavy one.
We will wind-up this little narrative by a brief sketch of doubtless the largest planter in the county and one of the largest in the state. Around this man's career hovers no halo of splendor and none of the extraordinary romances of a departed statesman; no marvelous stroke of luck, no freak of fortune but a child of energy, a man of force, doing things to a finish 'in a simple business like way, "a worthy son of a noble sire" is R .P. Hamer, Jr.. He was born and reared on the old homestead at Little Rock. We see he has never drifted far from his native hearth. He graduated at South Carolina College in the class of '85, after which he settled on his farm and has demonstrated the value of intelligent farming. He has succeeded in getting this world's goods far in excess of his necessities, and oftentimes invests his profits in the most valuable real estate to be had. He owns several fine plantations in different counties, all aggregating a total of 158 1-horse farms. Sixty of these are in Richland county in four places, three of which are the noted Live Oak, Logtown and School Bred plantations. These places lie in that fertile section between the Congaree and Wateree rivers from which the county derived its name, Richland. In Marlboro county he operated 18 plows; in Robeson county, N.C., 20 and in Marion county, 60. 158 plows, as many mules, as many hand besides the little army of overseers, managers and helpers place him among the foremost planters of the state.
Mr. Hamer pays special attention to fine, bred cattle, having six imported Jersey cows, six heifers and one male, all of which are registered thoroughbreds.
Mr. Hamer owns the entire little village here, where he has one of the handsomest homes in the county. He purchased last week from Prof. D. A. DuPree of Wofford College a beautiful summer home on the summit of Pine Mountain at Saluda Springs and will this week move his family there.
With his good fortune in other matters his fellow citizens have not been forgetful of him when their honors were being bestowed. He was twice president of the State Fair Society, now a trustee of the University of South Carolina and chairman of the Board of Visitors of Clemson college.
He was
strongly
urged this summer to become a candidate for governor and since the
opening of
the campaign he has received numerous letters from different parts of
the state
expressing extreme regret that he did not consent to run.
Mr. Hamer would no doubt have made the race
had not Mr. Featherstone led him believe that he would run. And when Mr. Hamer heard that Mr.
Featherstone was not a candidate it was then too late for him to
enter. However, he is comparatively a
young man and
his friends hope that he may yet live to receive the honor.
W.J.G.
With this issue, Mr. W. J. Galloway severed his connection with the
Herald.