| Notes |
- The 1910 Census shows Hubert 39, a printer, Elizabeth D. 36, married 12 years, had 2 children and 2 were living, Elizabeth 8, Herbert D. 6, living in Sumter Township.
A review of old Sumter--papers of H. D. Osteen and Herbert Moses:
Col. Hugh McLaurin has asked me to visit with you all tonight and review three fortnightly historical papers that describe old Sumter. When I say old...we are addressing Sumter in the 1880ís and then in the first half of the 1900ís. The paper delivered by Mr. Osteen was written in December l945 and is entitled
"Sumter--Fifty and More Years Ago" It is 13 pages of double spaced type and requires the use of oneís knowledge and imagination of Sumter mostly in the late l880ís....Col. McLaurin asked me to review two papers by Mr. Herbert Moses...the first one is seven pages of single space typing and is entitled "Some of Sumterís Older Businesses". This paper was delivered to the Fortnightly club in November l955, and then another paper of this same title was delivered in October l956 that was amended and expanded version of the first paper. It is 5 pages of single space type that not only tells of Sumterís business, but also tells of the streets and how they were named. This is quite a good reference and should be in possession of all that love the history of Sumter....and I would suggest that someone ought to do a similar study now on the hundreds of streets in Sumter and Sumter County.
Col. McLaurin has given me 25 to 30 minutes to cover all this material....which is an impossible task....but will be made possible as I was taught at The Citadel to always say YES Sir and follow orders.....I know that some of you all will be sorry you did not bring seat cushions.....but on with the assignment:
First of all....a brief description of Mr. Moses and Mr. Osteen:
Hubert Graham Osteen was literally born into the newspaper business in 1870 as he was the son of Noah Graham Osteen who was the publisher of number of papers, with the best known being the Watchman and Southron. His paper is a good recollection of his growing up years in Sumter. I would urge each of you to read more about him, but for now I will just mention that he is best remembered in our town for establishing the and serving as the Editor and Published of "The Sumter Daily Item"...now named "The Item". Little known facts of "Mr. H. G." are that he taught school for a year or so before establishing and devoting all of his time to the newspaper business----and other things of note...he ...unlike most in the business....he never learned to type....all of his work was done in long hand....and he never learned to drive a car; took pride in raising camelliaís (some are still evident at his old home on Hampton Avenue.)....loved to smoke cigars and wore his hat in his office. He died in l955, living all his life in Sumter except for going to college and teaching in Georgia for two years. His father Noah also never learned to drive and was killed in l936 at the age of ninety three when he ran his bicycle into a car. He was on the way to attend to his "beeís" as he produced honey as hobby....Please on your own learn more about "Mr. H. G." and I would also commend to you to learn more about General Osteen (Mr. Noah) as he is one of my favorite characters.
Mr. Herbert Moses was six years younger than "Mr. H. G." having been born in Sumter in l876. He also lived all his life in his native city except for attending the University of S. C. (Class of 96) and serving in the Spanish American War in l898...and of note ---he refused a pension when offered for this service as he said it was an honor to serve and besides he did not need it....give it to someone else. He like his friend was also at one time in the newspaper business, serving as editor of a Sumter paper called the "Evening News" in l904-1905. He served Governor Richard I. Manning (last Governor from Sumter) as his assistant also served as one of two city councilman from l938 (when elected) to l946.....but spent most of his life in the Insurance and Real Estate business that was named for his partner and brother Henry P. Moses Co. "Mr. Herbert" as he was affectionly called by everyone and Mr. Osteen were involved in almost every endeavor for the betterment of Sumter and its people and both made a real contribution to all of us by recording history as they remembered. "Mr. Herbertís" work on the Sumter Jews is a true treasure and we would urge you to obtain your personal copy. "Mr. Herbert" died in l969...what a true gentleman.
Mr. Osteenís paper seems to cover a period of time from the late l870ís until l900......We need to remind the listeners that at this time Sumter County had half the population (52000 + -) that it did in l990 and that the City of Sumter was less than 5000 with two thirds of those being black citizens....so if you would....focus you thoughts in that light.
Here are some of Mr. HGís recollections:
1. He first remembers two Negroes being hung that had robbed a man and then cut him up with a hatchet....this in the l870ís.....The Osteens lived at that time in what is now the Ralph Lee Home on Hampton...but at that time they could see the gallows being built and crowds coming and going over on Liberty near the fair grounds ....he did not witness the hanging as his Mother sent him to play with a friend in another part of town.
2. He next recalled for us the Hampton Red Shirt Parade in l876...his memory of this large crowd gathered for a rally near the present location of Jones Plumbing on Harvin Street in a large grove of oak treeís....but he was most impressed with General Guignard Richardson dressed in his fine uniform with a large ostrich plume in his hat.....astride a handsome horse.......Guignard --our most traveled street is named for Guignard Richardson.....Mr HG commented in his paper that this and other rallyís help restore decent government to South Carolina. We were occupied until l877.
3. Following this was a description of the area south of town from Dingles Mill to the City.....also here is the story of the murder of Mr. Bee who was robbed and killed by the Yankee Soldiers when General Potter and his federal soldiers entered Sumter in l865.
4. He then describes the Wilmington and Manchester RR facilities at the fork of Main Street and Manning Avenue.....and an old two story building that became a hotel called the Curtis House....Curtis also manufactured buggies and was Sumterís largest employer with 10 people working there.
5. Now begins a tour up Main Street from Oakland northward. Of note here are some of the agricultural fields that were on Main Street...and of particular note was the two story brick home on the SW. corner of Bartlette and Main....it was the only brick home in Sumter having been built and owned by Mr. Hulbert who was the brick maker.
6. Mr. HG named the people that lived in the houses both large and small on Main Street....and used as referenceís for his audience as to what was there in l945...for instance he describes the Missís Elhoseís millenary shop with living quarters upstairs as being where the South Carolina National Bank is today....(this is now John Miles Office)....and there is no SC National Bank today....he also gave a lot of credit to owners who had beautiful gardens.....
7. Mr. Osteen then describes the block from Liberty to Republican Street...now known as Hampton Avenue....as being the business center of Sumter....with Sumterís largest store....J. Ryttenberg & Sons being built on the NW corner of liberty and Main in l882....part of this was replaced in l913 with the now National Bank of Sumter Building. He also mentioned a Negro merchant, Bill Andrews, who sold "fish and tings"...
8. Two Government building described are the old Mills Court House....replaced by our current court house in l907 and the Opera House that he said that was built before the war ....this building was destroyed by fire in l892 being replaced by our current Opera House in l893.
9. Other Main Street structures among the many mentioned by Mr. HG were Schwartz, W. B. Burns Hardware, Folsomís Jewelry, The law offices of General Moise, Judge Moses, a Col. Earle, WFB Haynsworth and Judge Frasier. Two residences of note to the author were the Solomonís Home that was where the court house is today, and across Canal the home of John Gayle, on the N. E. corner of Main and Canal....the place where our city began when a court was established here on the "plantation of John Gayle". Of course he did not leave out the county jail on Canal ( part of Tuomey Hospital today)...and then Craig---later Hurst Furniture Store and Funeral home...established in l854....now the parking lot for Tuomey;s emergency room.
10. The business area of Liberty Street was then described by Mr. HG....he said most called "Little Dublin" by some as here were a goodly number of Irish Catholic craftsman and merchants, who also lived above the stores. Also on this street was a stable, blacksmith shops, and the Independent Fire Engine Company...of all he named...there are none here today.
ll. Quickly---as I have stayed to long here....he tells of Sumterís three Doctors...one a Dr. Witherspoon too old to practice who wore at silk hat and long tail coat and described the water system that was also installed in the 90ís.....he made further remarks on the knee deep mud on main street until paving about l910....I have left out many things....maybe we should take a 7th inning stretch and then continued with Mr. Herbertís two papers.
Mr. Herbertís papers are entitled---as I said in the beginning...."Some of Sumterís Older Businesses"....delivered in l955 and another paper by this title....only he says it is amended and expanded......it really is more of an expansion as you shall see...
Mr. Herbertís papers, he says in the beginning, when he was boy...which would have been in the same period as Mr Osteenís report---1880ís to 1900....but he does more than this for us....many things he mentions are from l900 to the l950ís as he recalls for us old Sumter.
1. Mr. Herbert addressed his subject from the stand point of how Chain Stores were now on the Sumter scene....but that in the olden days....all business was local.
He first of all talks of the A&P grocery...and from this mentions all the local merchants that were either still here or had vanished. In l999, if someone writes a paper, they would mention all the chains such as Winn-Dixie-Wal-Mart-K-Mart--Lowes but probably they could not even name the mangers who seem to only stay a short period of time.....but there are still plenty of local oneís ----just as not visible as the old ones that used to be up and down Main Street....he mentions such names as Ryttenberg--Levi Brothers---Bultman Brothers--Yates---Croswell--Monaghan--OíDonnell--Commins and Cantey Plowden-Chandlerís Shaw and McCollum and more that are unknown except to some of older people today.
2. Mr. Herbert then tells about a building next to Naomi and Warners Gift Shop and across the street from Western Auto....I think he is speaking of the old Rex Theater building ....he dates this building as I do in l883.....Western Auto was then on Main but also had other locations in its history here....Western Auto ceased to operate in Sumter just this past year....He also mentions a black merchant, who also operated a bar....his name was Zack Walker...the black cemetery just off Oakland behind the Catholic Cemetery is named for him....
3. He then skips up main to the Corner of Canal and describes Mr. J. D. Craig who operated a furniture story and was the first undertaker in Sumter....1854....this later became Hurst Furniture and Funeral Home...and he talks of this succession. Of note to me was his description of Mr. Craig, with his long gray beard, wearing a long black frock coat, leading funerals in his one horse buggy with the air of the typical undertaker of that time.
4. Next he visits the NE corner of Main and Hampton....Folsomís Jewelry and gives a history of this business....
5. Across the street---just south of the now Aldermanís Drug Store he describes Schwartz that was owned and operated by Mr. Charlie and Miss Emma Schwartz...and gives a history....
6. Now across the street he gives an excellent history of W. B. Burns and Sons and businesses that were here before....this building in l999 is a burned out structure next to where our planning office is now located.
7. Moving on south and across Liberty he tells of Sibertís Drug Store and a history of this business....and also some good stories on the Sibert Family....
8, Back north now....he gives a history of Ducker and Bultman---motto in later years "Hometown Grocers since l876"...good story here also....family and business.
9. The next paragraph is a history of Knight Brothers....they ran the book store where you had to buy school books before the days of the school renting or furnishing them....and they also published a newspaper "The Sumter Herald" Again...a good history of the family and the business....The newspaper--a weekly ceased to be published in l955...copies are on micro-film at the Carolinana....and let me plug here we need to get these and others for our research center.
10. Next is a history of The Sumter Dry Goods--families and the business itself
This business was on the SE corner of Main and Liberty....
11. Mr. Herbert then gives a history of the Barnett family and the farms and stores that they operated....the store that they operated is still in existence on Liberty Street.....
12. Sumter Planing Mills is covered very briefly....this many will remember was operated in our time by the Folleyís.....Mr. O. H. Folley buying this business in l928.
13 A real prize exist in the next paragraph, as Mr. Herbert tells the story of a real outstanding Sumter citizen---one Charlie Bartlette, manager, who failed to show up one morning in the early 1880ís to open
Sumterís only bank...and the funds were gone from the vault....Sumter was without a bank....until Simonds of Charleston opened here....this became First National and was a tenant in the new Opera House when it opened....this bank later became
South Carolina National Bank....and today Wachovia..... is our oldest continous bank. He also mentioned that the National Bank of S. C. was celebrating its 50th anniversary in l955.
14 To move along....(know that you all are worn out by now)....Mr. Herbert covers some history of the insurance business, a paragraph on the Witherspoons and the Casket Co......W. B. Boyle & Co. (good information here) and then returns to write some more things about the Ryttenbergs...he also mentions some of the Lawyers, Doctors and hospitals...and there is quite a story about how the Sumter Machinery Company was begun in l905.
15. Mr. Herbert concluded this paper with urging his listeners to visit the business district of Sumter and look for some reminders of these once great contributors to our way of life in that time....some of them are still here 45 years later...and I will conclude remarks on this paper by reminding you to do the same thing;
To conclude my assignment by the good Colonel McLaurin...I have chosen just to say that Mr. Herbertís Amended and Expanded paper is maybe the best reference on Street names that was written up to l956.......but before getting to this, he had a paragraph on the old Cotton Oil Seed Mill located just south of the rail road tracks on S. Main. I can smell it now....as it was a distinct sweet sort of smell...and as cotton was what we were all about ....guess you could best say it smelled like money.
Just a few street names to arouse your curiosity......Bartlette, Brand, Dingle, Anne, Emily, Georgania, Adams, Frank Clarke, Lemmon, Baldwin, Albert Spears, Cardinal, Wrenn, Buttercup, Church, Lafayette, Hospital Street (no hospital now there)...Telephone,, Harby, Moise, Marion...and other street names....one of note is Brooklyn Street.....why was such a name given to a street in Sumter in the l920ís when we had a distinct dislike for New York and Yankees....it was because Brooklyn Cooperage moved here as new industry in l927....Sumter Machinery began on Pierson Street....but is now on Brooklyn.
Again...let me urge you to get a personal copy of not only this amended paper but of all the papers we have covered here this evening.....I want to especially thank Col. McLaurin again for asking me to give this address.....I enjoyed it greatly....and Col. Sir....I have completed my duty to the best of my ability and did not have to use something else taught at The Citadel when one was accused of wrong doing or not carrying out an assignment....that is to say---"No excuse Sir".....again thank you for your orders and direction.
W. A. "Bubba" McElveen.......talk November 16, Sumter County Historical Society.
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1870 - 1955 (84 years)
