| HIST |
$1.5 million of damage to structure, contents
Sumter Casket owners may stay in business despite losses
Seen from the Lafayette Drive bridge, Sumter Casket Co. is devastated after Monday's fire.
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Posted Wednesday, July 20, 2016 6:00 am
Sumter Casket Co.
204 S. Magnolia St.
Sumter, SC 29150
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Fire investigators worked until about 3 p.m. on Tuesday putting out hot spots at Sumter Casket Co., 209 Magnolia St., where about $1.5 million worth of structure and contents were lost during a large fire Monday.
On Monday, firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 12:45 p.m. to see two of the buildings at the location in flames, one completely engulfed.
According to Sumter Fire Department Division Chief Brian Christmas, a portion of one of the buildings was left standing. The undamaged part of the building is estimated at $100,000, and the estimated amount of contents saved is $50,000, he said.
Christmas said the business' offices were destroyed in the flames, but part of the warehouse on site was undamaged. The portion of the building left standing is about 125 feet by 50 feet wide, he said.
"I think they are going to try to create some office space there for the time being and try to get the business up and going again," he said.
Estimated damage is about $750,000 for the structures and $750,000 for the contents, Christmas reported. The business was insured, he said.
Michael James, owner of Sumter Casket Co., was not available for comment.
Also, some roadways surrounding Sumter Casket Co. were closed off during most of the day on Tuesday while officials cleared debris that was blown into the streets during the firefight.
According to Christmas, pressure from the water hoses blew bricks and debris into the streets.
Sumter County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Ken Bell said fire investigators stayed after 3 p.m. on Tuesday to inspect the site in search of a possible cause for the blaze. Bell is working with Sumter Fire Department to provide information to the public about local fires.
Christmas said the investigation for a cause of the fire is continuing and nothing has been determined. He said the process is a slow one and there is no time frame for when the investigation might be finished.
Christmas said he will issue a news release once a cause of the fire has been determined.
Casket business has been in area since 1894
Posted Tuesday, July 19, 2016 6:00 am
BY IVY MOORE
IVY@THEITEM.COM
Sumter Casket Co. was established in 1894 by Eugene Luther Witherspoon and his brother, H.L. Witherspoon, as Witherspoon Brothers and Co. In the early 1900s, they were joined by J.T. James Sr., and the business is still run by the James family. The company is the second-oldest in Sumter.
James Sr. moved to Sumter from Burlington, North Carolina, where he worked for a casket and coffin company. Under his leadership, Sumter Casket Co. shipped coffins throughout the East by train. He died in 1927, and J.T. James Jr. took over as president and general manager, serving in that capacity until the mid-1950s; Tom James III started working at the company in 1965, and his son Michael joined the business in 1992, after his graduation from University of South Carolina. Michael James is the current owner of the business.
Originally both a woodworking and a coffin company, Sumter Casket Co. began manufacturing steel about 1950. At the same time, the James family took over total ownership of the business from the Witherspoons. Today the company manufactures both wood and steel caskets in almost equal numbers.
While customers could once order their caskets directly from the company, now Sumter Casket Co. sells only to funeral homes; however, customized coffins can still be ordered.
In a 2007 Sumter Item story, James III noted, "Relationships and service are the two keys. You don't tell somebody you can do something and not produce. They depend on that, and it's got to be there; rain or shine, it doesn't make any difference. Our business is built on that reputation of dependability and service and quality."
2 Sumter businesses will move and rebuild
Commission recommends approval for Sumter Casket Co., McLaughlin Ford plans
Firefighters took advantage of observing the fire from the top to the Lafayette Bridge to put out the fire. Sumter Casket Co. will soon move to 1400 N. Wise Drive. The building burned down in July 2016.
SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO
Posted Friday, March 30, 2018 6:00 am
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS
adrienne@theitem.com
Sumter City-County Planning Commission recommended approval of two major site plans for Sumter Casket Co. and McLaughlin Ford as both businesses prepare to relocate and rebuild.
Sumter County Council approved the sale of 15 acres of county-owned land on North Wise Drive to Sumter Casket Co. in April where the business will build a new facility after the previous building on South Magnolia Street was destroyed during a fire in July 2016.
The new building - a 32,600-square-foot structure that will house an office, manufacturing, painting and manufacturing facilities - will be on a 15-acre parcel at 1400 N. Wise Drive, near Caterpillar Inc. and Sumter Easy Home in Black River Industrial Park.
The move for McLaughlin Ford is one that was foreseen as Sumter County works to finish the final 2008 Capital Penny Sales Tax project, the Lafayette Diamond, to reconstruct the intersection of North Main Street, the U.S. 76/378 bypass and other connecting roads.
McLaughlin Ford is located at the corner of North Main Street and South Pike West and will relocate to an 11.18-acre parcel at 2665 Broad St., between Tractor Supply Co. and SpringHill Suites.
The new lot will include a 37,000-square-foot dealership building with 381 parking spaces for vehicle inventory.
Aman to Tiger Lily Road
Planning commission recommended approval of a petition to change the name of Aman Road to Tiger Lily Road.
A staff report states that a 520-foot portion of the road in Sumter County is named Aman Road while the majority of the road, in Lee County, is called Tiger Lily Road.
Aman Road serves as access to one single-family home and one business in Sumter, and those property owners already use Tiger Lily Road as their address.
Rezoning property for
future development
The request to rezone 9.5 acres at 1501 Camden Highway from agricultural conservation to general commercial is expected to promote future commercial and multi-family uses about half a mile from where multiple businesses such as Walmart Supercenter and Lowe's already exist.
According to staff reports, the applicant's possible plans for the property include the development of a gas station and convenience store, professional offices and apartments.
The applicant also intends to request that the land be annexed into the city if the request is approved by county council.
Feather flag discussion deferred
Planning commission will continue its discussion about allowing businesses to display feather flags, in the county only, during its next meeting in April after members expressed concern about letting business owners display the flags on a permanent basis.
Commission members Todd Champion said allowing businesses to display feather flags permanently could add clutter along the roadways leading into Sumter.
Members suggested that business owners be required to get a permit before displaying feather signs and that a limit be set on how long the signs can be displayed.
Sumter City-County Planning Commission reviews rezoning requests, ordinance amendments and development plans and recommends approval or denial for Sumter city and county councils. The councils can vote in favor or opposition of the commission's recommendation.
Sumter Casket will build new facility in Manning
$1.8M capital investment to create 11 jobs in Clarendon
The majority of Sumter Casket Co. was destroyed after a fire in 2016. The company will build a new facility in Clarendon County with work beginning before the end of the year.
SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTO
Posted Wednesday, October 23, 2019 5:00 am
BY BRUCE MILLS
bruce@theitem.com
Sumter Casket Co., a long-time manufacturer and distributor of caskets, will have a new home.
Company President Michael James and George Kosinski, executive director of the Clarendon County Development Board, spoke Tuesday on the 125-year-old Sumter-based manufacturer's upcoming move to Manning for its new facility.
After a fire in July 2016 destroyed the company's previous facility on South Magnolia Street, Sumter Casket has operated out of two different Sumter locations. Currently, James said, a scaled-down operation is housed on the back end of the former Best Lumber building on Wilson Hall Road.
The new facility will be in the Clarendon County Industrial Park, at the intersection of Interstate 95 and U.S. 301, in Manning, and construction will begin before year's end, Kosinski said.
He said the 40,000-square-foot facility will include offices, a showroom, assembly area and a warehouse. James said the business plans to be operational in the second quarter of next year and likely within six to eight months.
According to a news release from the state Department of Commerce, the total investment is $1.8 million and will eventually create 11 jobs in Clarendon County.
After opening in the second quarter, James said it may take the company a year to build up its operation to 11 employees.
Last year, he pegged a future site location on North Wise Drive in Black River Industrial Park, near Caterpillar, but James said that he couldn't work the site out cost-wise with Sumter County. [1, 2, 3, 4] |
1894 - 2016 (122 years)
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