Town of Mayesville History

ONCE THRIVING MAYESVILLE HAS RICH HISTORY

AP File Photo Mayesville native and famed educator Mary McLeod Bethune poses at
Bethune-Volusia Beach in New Smyrna Beach, Fla, in an undated historical photo.
Posted: Sunday, November 14, 2010 6:00 am | Updated: 11:35 pm, Sat Nov 13, 2010.
By SAMMY WAY sway@theitem.com

The Mayesville community, located northeast of Sumter, was named for Matthew
Peterson Mayes II, also known as "Squire Mayes." The Mayes family, of Scots-Irish
decent, originally came from Holland and settled in Virginia circa 1611. Matthew was
born in Virginia in 1794 and when he turned 18 settled in Raleigh, beginning work as a
merchant. He briefly served in the military during the War of 1812; however, he was
wounded and returned home shortly after his enlistment. Mayes met Martha Bradley
from the Salem community in the Sumter District while she was enrolled in college in
the Raleigh area.
The couple married and moved to a new home in the Sumter District where Mayes
began a career in farming. The couple purchased a plantation from an owner named
Mitchell and later adopted two children of Martha's sister Elizabeth, who had met an
untimely death. In 1819 Martha died "in the seventeenth year of her age," two years
later Mayes married Henrietta Shaw and the union produced nine children; Junius
Algaeus, an influential doctor in Mayesville, William David, Thomas Alexander, Mary
Henrietta, Margaret Elizabeth, Sarah Jane, Robert Peterson, Frances Anne and Matthew
Peterson, III.
Squire Mayes acquired land for his newly developing plantation and built a large, stately
home in 1821. He was well known for his hospitality and public mindedness. Mayes
served in the state legislature, signed the Ordinance of Secession and served as an Elder
in the Salem Black River Presbyterian Church.
The community of Mayesville developed around the nearby railroad station. The
Wilmington-Manchester railroad was extended to include Mayesville in 1851-1852.
Unfortunately, deadly fever coincided with the arrival of the railroad, and Mayes lost his
wife, a son and grandson to this malady. The railroad was granted a right of way by
Matthew P. Mayes, and according to Cassie Nicholes, the Atlantic Coast Line Company
was allowed to use Mayes' slaves to complete the roadbed. It was rumored that the
"curve beyond Scape O'er Swamp (the only curve between Sumter and Lynchburg) was
routed so that the railroad would not pass through the home of 'Squire' Mayes."
According to local recollections the first train station established in the community was
near the Mayes home; regrettably, no records remain to reveal what kind of structure
was there or how long it existed. In 1865 members of General Potter's Union forces
advanced upon Mayesville, burned the depot, destroyed boxcars of ammunition and
burned the town's only store.
Trains became the principal means of transportation due to the poor conditions of the
roads and the absence of the automobile. At the height of rail operations, six passenger
and several freight trains provided daily service to the community. Thomas Alexander
Mayes, the third son of the "Squire" was the first railroad agent in the town and is noted
for having sold the first passenger ticket for use on the new rail system. He managed
ticket sales from his office located on top of a pile of crossties located in front of the old
Mayes homestead. The trains brought large numbers of immigrants to Mayesville prior
to beginning of the Civil War.
THE VILLAGE OF MAYESVILLE
Matthew Mayes had not reached his 30th birthday when he laid out the initial design of
what became Mayesville. The town consisted of three straight avenues emanating from
the Mayes manor house. These roads connected the main house with the homes Mayes
had constructed for each of his sons. Two of the original structures still remain, the
home built by Thomas Mayes located near U. S. Highway 76 and the other by Robert
Peterson on South Lafayette Street. Built in the 1840s the Peterson house continues as
the oldest structure left standing in the Mayesville community. The Squire Mayes home,
which burned in 1904, was the scene for numerous weddings and parties open to all
who chose to attend.
During the 1850s cotton and tobacco were the primary products grown on the newly
developing plantations. The village of Mayesville, like many rural communities, grew
around the train station. Several stores were constructed to provide the supplies needed
by the local populace. I.W. Bradley, Witherspoon Cooper and Isaac Strauss were
individuals who opened some of the earliest businesses in the village. Fertilizer was
frequently unloaded at the train station allowing farmers to purchase this essential
commodity needed for farming. Cotton was brought to the village where it was
processed, baled and offered for sale. The patriarch of the Mayes family, "the Squire,"
died in 1878 and was buried in the historic cemetery at Salem Black River Presbyterian
Church.
A number of large plantations developed near the community, the most prominent being
The Muldrow Plantation which comprised more than 3,000 acres with nearly 300
slaves. The Robert English Plantation, whose owner served as an elder in the Salem
Black River Church, became a state senator. His son, Thomas Reese English, is best
remembered as a lawyer, statesman, signer of the Ordinance of Secession and minister
in the Harmony Presbytery. He sold the plantation which later became known as the
Hugh Witherspoon Place. The McBride Plantation was originally owned by James
Bradley and his daughter.
During the Civil War the village of Mayesville, like most communities in this area,
suffered greatly in the loss of lives and the destruction of property. The trains, which
had become an important aspect of the lives of the residents, had been disrupted and no
longer ran on schedule. Conditions began to gradually improve and by 1880 the
residents constructed a new depot using logs and heavy timbers.
After the Civil War the large Mayes estate was gradually divided into small portions and
sold to the influx of new settlers. The town was incorporated on Feb. 13, 1874; Dr. J.A.
Mayes was elected as the first Intendant (mayor) and Robert P. Mayes elected to serve
as clerk and treasurer. The first council meeting was held in Mayesville on April 14,
1874. The Council decided to build a large, modern high school which was completed
after the council raised $9,500. The building was designed by architect J.H. Sams of
Columbia and built by T.B. Fort of Mayesville.
Three brick buildings owned by the J.E. Barnett estate were constructed on the corner
of Main and Lafayette streets. J.B. Goldman & Co. built two stores on Main Street in
1909, and J.F. Bland had a brick stable and a modern concrete vehicle house
constructed. On Lafayette Street, which became the principal business thoroughfare for
Mayesville, one could find the Bank of Mayesville which was organized in 1902, a
two-story structure owned by Dr. W.M. Bradley, a drug store, meeting houses for the
Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World, telephone exchange, furniture store,
undertaker parlor and the Kineen Hotel.
THE KINEEN HOTEL
The hotel was completed in 1911 and became the focal point of the downtown area. It
was designed by architect T.B. Fort; the contractor was W.N. McElveen. The two-story
brick building featured three stores on the first floor and a dining room. There were 22
rooms located on the second floor; each had two windows and a transom over the door
to increase ventilation.
The hotel was a favorite stopping point for traveling salesmen, who often rented buggies
pulled by mules or horses to pay calls on prospective customers. The advent of the
automobile and major improvements upon the highway system brought this era of
prosperity to a close. The hotel was forced to close during the Great Depression and
was sold along with three acres of land to Robert James for $600 (the only other bid
was for $1). . This once magnificent structure is currently unoccupied and in a state of
disrepair.
Mayesville once boasted a number of beautiful homes, some of the most impressive
belonging to R.J. Mayes, Jr., H.C. Bland, J.F. Bland and C.D. Cooper on Lafayette
Street and R.A. Chandler and W.W. Gardner homes on Salem Street. By the turn of the
century, Mayesville had more paved sidewalks for its size than any other town in the
state.
CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS
The first two churches founded in the Salem community were Salem Black River
Presbyterian ("Brick Church") circa 1759 and Mt. Zion Presbyterian, where the first
church building was believed to have been erected in 1809. The initial settlers in the
Mayesville community were members of one or both of these congregations.
The Mayesville Baptist Church was established in 1878 under the leadership of M.L.
Ball. The church was disbanded in 1912, yet apparently revived in 1916 after it was
reorganized and repaired.
On Jan. 8, 1881 the Mayesville Presbyterian Church was organized with 34 charter
members holding its first meetings in the Masonic Hall. The church was eventually
constructed on a parcel of land donated by Matthew P. Mayes.
Several schools were constructed during the late 1800s in the Mayesville area. Three
African-American schools were organized due to the efforts of the local black churches.
The first school was built by the Northern Presbyterian Church, another by the
Ebenezer Church located near Dalzell and the third by Goodwill Church near the Salem
Black River Presbyterian Church. The third school was known as the Mayesville
Institute and was directed by Emma Wilson. One of the most celebrated students to
attend this school, which was often referred to as the "Emma Wilson" school, was Mary
McLeod Bethune. Mrs. Bethune would help found Bethune-Cookman College, and
served as an adviser to Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
Also several large schools were constructed during the 1880s for white students,
including the Mayesville High School and Shady Side.
CHANGING TIMES
By 1909 the town could boast of two drug stores, several grocery stores, a department
store, a jewelry store, a magnificent two-story hotel, several doctors and three growing
churches. During 1909-1913 the price of cotton increased, and with expanded
production three gins and several storage building were constructed. The downtown was
filled with mules pulling wagons laden with bales of cotton whose sale required many of
the local shops to stay open until midnight. Due to the increased presence of
automobiles it became necessary to build, a "filling station" near the downtown area of
Mayesville during 1915-1925. By the 1920s a paved highway between Mayesville and
Sumter was complete, allowing businessmen to move from Mayesville to other
communities. Those entrepreneurs making the move to Sumter were Strauss,
Addlestone, Barnett, Hallie Bland, R F. DeChamps and C.G. Rowland.
The Great Depression of the 1930s had a devastating effect on Mayesville. Banks were
forced to close and numerous buildings in the downtown portion of the community
remained empty or were being used as storage facilities.
During the 1960s the last passenger train made its final stop at the Mayesville depot, and
in 1988 the depot was removed and the tracks were eventually taken up. Today, the
once bustling town of Mayesville has become a quiet residential community with a few
stores and one cotton gin in operation. Those residents who call this area home are
encouraging others to return to their community and discover the benefits of life in a
quiet, rural environment.
Perhaps Ethel Turner offers the best description of this tiny hamlet by noting that
"Mayesville takes pride in her heritage, her church life, and her quiet beauty."
Some information from the writings of Cassie Nicholes, Ethel Cooper Turner, The Item
Archives and W. T. Grant was used in the preparation of this article. Photos were
obtained from The Item Archives and the late Mayor Bubba McElveen.
Reach Item archivist Sammy Way at (803) 774-1294.