HISTORIC WILLINGTON DAY on Saturday, October 1, will be an opportunity to celebrate the history of this area through a variety of experiences. Visitors to Willington will purchase a ticket and map for $20. With a listing of places to visit on site and nearby, visitors will move at their own pace to enjoy the day from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Visitors have an opportunity to watch an 18th century gunsmith at work and a pioneer woman demonstrate the art of candle making. Three antique cars with the owners who restored them will join us that day.
I am delighted that Geraldine and Thomas Ware have agreed to open the Calhoun/Gibert/Moss home. This two-story white frame home was originally built about 1856 for Edward Calhoun. The present owners are restoring the house and demonstrating what can be accomplished with no huge grants but with vision, energy, and “elbow grease.”
The Willington Cemetery, the Badwell Cemetery, and the Gillebeau Cemetery will be available for self-directed tours using information provided at the ticket table. The tomb of John de la Howe will be on the tour where someone will share the history of John de la Howe’s life and the history of the school.
On-site exhibits include the History Center with newly refurbished exhibits chronicling the history of Willington with a model village of Willington from 1915. Dioramas of the first French Huguenot settlement of New Bordeaux, Fort Charlotte, and the 19th century Willington Academy are highlights of a visit to the History Center.
The African American Cultural Center, housed in a 1920 one-room schoolhouse, displays African American artifacts. The docent there will share stories of life in this area for generations of black families. The Daniel P. Juengst Post Office and Railroad Building has a wonderful display of vintage post office boxes and letters.
Four buildings in Willington house approximately 40,000 used books making us one of the largest used bookstores in South Carolina. We also have a collection of new local history books. Several local writers will be with us to sign their books. A new gift shop with an array of eclectic items including special books, framed prints, toys, puzzles, and historic items will be open.
OLA’s Food Truck featuring Southern soul and Caribbean cuisine will be on-site.
The late historian and writer David McCullough while describing a project he was working on illuminated a crucial insight. “Discovery comes most often not from finding something unknown or long hidden, but from seeing afresh what has been on the table all along.” As a representative of Willington On The Way and a volunteer, I invite new folks to the area to come hear the stories of people who built and populated this area. For “old timers” who have been here for years or generations, take to heart the words of McCullough and come expecting to experience these stories of our history with new eyes.