Summerville's Flowertown Festival 2024 and A Lot More

Summerville is at present shimmering in a sea of magnificent multitudinous masses of magenta. It is the annual azalea bloom putting on its best dress for the upcoming Flowertown Festival hosted in Summerville's Azalea Park.

The flowers are the official doorkeepers of spring greeting all to the celebration of warmer days. Drive anywhere on the streets in the town's historic district between Central Ave. and S. Main and you will be convinced Summerville is rightfully crowned the "Flower Town in the Pines."

Rightfully called the "Flower Town in the Pines" because Summerville is also famous for its pine trees, but unfortunately, the pollen bloom that rains down from its branches when the weather warms is not enthusiastically embraced with happy celebration like the azaleas. With that being said, pine trees and azaleas are a perfect collaboration because azaleas grow well in their shadows.

The varieties of azaleas are as bounteous as its blooms thanks to hybridizing, or crossbreeding. They are native to North America, so it is likely they greeted our arriving ancestors in some form. All North American species are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves. The evergreen varieties come from Japan where they can be hundreds of years old. 

The azaleas that helped make Summerville famous are most likely the non-native variety. The first hybrids were planted in Charleston, South Carolina. John Grimke Drayton imported the Azalea Indica from Philadelphia where they were grown only in greenhouses by a nurseryman who also had a branch nursery in Charleston, and introduced them into the estate gardens of his rice plantation on the Ashley River. Marie Clinton Hastie wrote about the beginnings of her grandfather's garden, "it was somewhere in the mid 1840s that the Azalea Indica was introduced to Magnolia." His garden was the first in America to plant azaleas outdoors.

In 1932, Grange Cuthbert became the mayor of Summerville. He came up with the plan to take some of the land deeded to Summerville by the "Civic League" between Central Avenue and Magnolia Street and turn it into a mid-town paradise. George Segelken, a pioneer in azalea propagation, entered the picture. Thanks to his generosity Summerville became the place to see these prolific plants in all their abundant glory in 1935. People came from all over to view the lush beauty of the town's Azalea Park. Segelken named the salmon pink colored azalea "Pride of Summerville." The park is the predominant venue of the Flowertown Festival.

The Flowertown Festival ranks as one of the largest festivals in the Southeast with an origin that goes back to 1973. The three-day festival also carries the well-deserved distinction as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. One of the main features of this family-oriented festival centers on the promotion of arts and crafts. More than 200 craft artisans and vendors are given the opportunity to showcase their creative wares throughout Azalea Park.

The current festival was predated by a previous one in 1941, when Summerville celebrated the first Azalea Festival--a four-day event that included dances, concerts, a parade, and a formal ball. The festival promoted local business and celebrated the town's community pride, a pride as old as the trees. Summerville's rich history dates all the way back to the late 1600s.

Along with the Flowertown Festival, there will be The Southern Songwriter Festival--in collaboration with Summerville Dream, the Community Music Collective, and the Edisto Blackwater Boogie. 12 talented songwriters will perform in downtown Summerville on Short Central for a night of musical entertainment. It's free to the public, so bring a chair, the kids, and the pets. Time will be 6 pm to 10 pm.

Artists include: Sean Keefer, Lori Rinken, Scotty Oliver, Macy Crawford, Chris Rinken, Anna Crosby, Katie Lyon, Fleming Moore, Chris Roberts, Graham Whorley, Mark Yampolsky, and Dan Riley

If that is not enough, the 2024 Farmer's Market will begin on Saturday April 6, and will have extended hours of 8am-6pm. 

Well, that is Summerville—azaleas and the biggest festival in the Southeast. While visiting for the Flowertown Festival, when you see me walking around town be sure to say, "Hey." I am always interested in making new acquaintances.

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Summerville Dream

The Fate of Six Famous Summerville Inns Lost in Time--Imagine if They Would Have Survived

Since the early 1900's tourists have flocked to the Town of Summerville to enjoy the beauty of its spring blossoms, particularly its azaleas, which are in full bloom presently. The Town will soon be packed with people from all over the Southeast and beyond to enjoy the Flowertown Festival April 5-7. The downtown district and its local businesses will be happily ringing their registers, if they still have that antiquated device, otherwise joyously swiping credit cards. S. Main Street will be a sea of people from the Square on down to Azalea Park. Many of the visitors looking for places to stay. However, I wonder, what would Summerville be like if the Wisteria Inn, Holly Inn, Vose Inn, Squirrel Inn, Carolina Inn, and Pine Forest Inn survived to today? You would have to agree, quite different. The following is their story and their fate.

There is not any significant information about the Wisteria Inn other than it was at the intersection of W. Carolina Ave and S. Main Street, and it burned down.

Wisteria Inn

The Holly Inn was next to the golf course at The Summerville Club on Holly Inn Rd. It was eventually demolished.

Holly Inn

Vose Inn is not a commonly recognizable name in the history of Summerville. The obvious reason for its present anonymity is it no longer exists. It was so severely damaged by the Earthquake of 1886, it was deserted to the elements to rot into oblivion before the Golden Age of the Inns began. It was at its best by 1860 before the Civil War. It was situated behind what is now Ambler Hall on W. Carolina Ave.

Vose Inn

Helen and Raven Lewis had the Squirrel Inn built, but Helen is seldom mentioned with her sister Raven as part-owner of the inn. In fact, the two sisters were inseparable. Lifelong companions, Helen having never married left her entire estate upon her death to Raven.

Squirrel Inn opened around 1912. It became known for its hospitable atmosphere and distinctive cuisine. In 1941, Jeanne and Eugene Sutter bought the inn. Under their ownership, it received a nomination in 1957 for being one of the top forty rural inns in the nation. It continued to be a noted inn with fine cuisine until 1966. The building was renovated for condominiums in 1979.

Famous author and diplomat Paul Hyde Bonner wintered as a guest at Summerville's Squirrel Inn. He wrote the best-selling novel called The Life of Llewellyn Jones while a town resident. It was released for publication on January 1, 1960.

The main character of Bonner's story is F. Townsend Britton, a career diplomat of fifty-odd years who carefully charts his disappearance from an authoritative, rich wife to become the widowed, retired, middle-western Liewellyn Jones, a good enough impersonation that fools everyone except Terry, a girl he meets in Cincinnati. To escape further entanglements, Jones retreats to a town in South Carolina where there is an establishment called Redbird Inn.

The South Carolina town in Bonner's story was inspired by Summerville, and the Redbird Inn was a reflection of the well-known Squirrel Inn he wintered at as a guest.

Squirrel Inn

One the the more famous of the inns was the Carolina Inn. In 1810, Moore's Tavern stood on the property. It would become the Brown's Hotel around 1855 under the ownership of Isaac T. Brown--also called the Summerville House. Brown added a ten-pin alley and a billiard room. The hotel was surrounded by wide piazzas.

The Brown's Hotel suffered damage from the 1886 earthquake. It closed around 1890, but unlike the Vose Inn, reopened in 1895. It became known as the Dorchester Inn featuring full, wrap-around porches and numerous shuttered windows. In 1912, T.R. Moore owned the Dorchester Inn and after enlarging the structure, extensively remodeling the interior, and updating the building, it opened its doors as the Carolina Inn featuring 67 rooms and a swimming pool.

With white wood-rail fencing, beautifully landscaped walking gardens, and an acquired reputation for excellent accommodations and cuisine, it would become preferred by many travelers for its discreet elegance and atmosphere. Unlike the structured offerings of the Pine Forest Inn, there were no activities

One of the favorite pastimes of the guests was competing in bridge tournaments and competitions. Somewhat similar to tourism today, other diversions included historical tours, garden tours, maybe a silent movie at the Arcade Theatre, or shopping and sightseeing excursions into Charleston on the South Carolina Railroad out of Summerville.

The Carolina Inn was demolished. 

Carolina Inn

The grandest of Summerville's inns was the Pine Forest Inn. It sat on 60 acres and opened its doors in 1891. The internationally renowned hotel had four floors, elevators, and 150 rooms. The Inn had its own power plant, telegraph office and long distance telephone service. It also housed three water supplies--an artesian well for mineral water, spring water and a charcoal purifying cistern. The weekly rate in the 1934-35 season was $49 for a single room with private bath and $168 for a double, which included meals.

In addition to the enormous rooms the Pine Forest Inn had a glassed in rocking chair porch with 150 rockers and a dining room that was larger than the 1,600 square foot dining room inside the White House.

The amenities included bowling alleys, shuffle board, billiards, a swimming pool, 18 hole golf course that sat on 130 acres, hunting, fishing, tennis, croquet and a 50 horse stable. It also offered a casino.

The Inn was later demolished by Mr. Salisbury for fear of fire.

Pine Forest Inn

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Summerville Keeps on Rising Like a Phoenix from the Ashes in the Face of Adversity

Summerville, from the time of its conception, has been a place to where Lowcountry residents came to heal and renew. Charleston planters, who perspired in the heat and humidity of their river plantations, marooned themselves there to prevail upon its "remarkably dry and balmy atmosphere." Charlestonians, laboring against the voracious mosquitos and yellow fever of their peninsula estates, traversed the 25 miles to avail upon its "foliage of trees and luxuriant undergrowth" that "shut in any poisonous exhalations that might otherwise arise." Unequivocally, Summerville has been appraised as a "charming, rural, picturesque town with a health-promoting atmosphere."

However, Summerville's journey from "Let The Pines Be Sacred" to "The Birthplace of Sweet Tea" has had its ups and downs. In the beginning, the inviting sandy plateau was dotted with Mosquito houses with roving cattle cutting paths through the many pine trees. Then, the railroad came to town and made Summerville one of its stops and held out the promise of greater things to come, but the pineland village grew slowly in population and accommodations.

Then, in 1860, the inhabitants came under the influence of a "new sprit." The sluggish apathy of the previous years seemed to disappear. An "enthusiasm for progress" pervaded the sleepy community. A new administration was taking charge. The new mayor, Reverend Limehouse, purchased land on the Great Thoroughfare and had a new town hall built with a jail behind it and adjacent was the town market. The Brown's Hotel was open for business with a new ten-pin alley and billiard room along with $.50 tickets to Charleston and back, including carriage ride. The Vose Inn and Mr. Cooper's Paradise were other attractors.

However, a political hurricane was brewing in the social atmosphere and its black, ominous clouds spilled over the Town in a fury. It was now 1861. In the distance, shells rained down on Fort Sumter and the American Civil war was under way. Southern State troops were ordered to rendezvous on the South Carolina Railroad at Camp Woodward in Summerville. It would be a chaotic time with the arrival of the emotionally charged troops.

About the gathering combatants, Major Thomas W. Woodward wrote in his memoirs, "And—folly of follies—you were to be allowed to choose whether you would go as a Regiment or disband and go home, although you had already agreed to offer your services to the Confederacy." He further lamented, "some companies preserved their discipline, others were really but roving mobs of jolly, rollicking soldiers."

Eventually, the uniforms changed from grey to blue. There was a threat the Federals who captured Charleston were going to burn the town. In May of 1865, the Black Union Provisional Brigade moved from their position at Bacon's Bridge to occupy Summerville. With many houses and buildings turned into hospitals, it became the temporary residents for the sickly and wounded.

While recovering from the Civil War, the final years of the 19th century saw two more devastating local events. Summerville was rattled by an earthquake in 1886 and a downtown fire ravaged most of the buildings around the Town's square. As with all fires, the clouds of thick smoke dispersed and sunny, blue skies appeared overhead. The sacred tree's that soothed the first marooners came to the rescue.

The International Congress of Physicians in Paris declared Summerville one of the world's two best places for treating lung disorders. The town rose from the ashes and the pleasant aroma of azalea and wisteria wafted through the tall trees and winding streets. Grand inns and hotels were constructed to accommodate the influx of visitors. It was the "Golden Age of the Inns" and prosperity reigned supreme. But alas, the dubious crown of financial security was soon to be knocked off.

An Economic shakeup called the Great Depression began to change the landscape. The wrecking ball took out two of the Town's premier accommodations, the Pine Forest and Carolina Inn. The Summerville Short no longer stopped and the grand old railroad station disappeared from Hutchinson Square. The Summerville Show stopped the movie projectors from turning. Hurricane Hugo paid an unwelcoming visit and showed no respect for the cherished pines. The downtown area lost its allure.

Then, a call went out. :The show must go on," said the Flowertown Players, and Summerville had a Dream. Every Third Thursday the community would gather together and the shops were going local. The Town's popular magazine made a sweet discovery and the "Birthplace of Sweet Tea" took its honored place among the town's mottos, and now from Botany Bay to Boone Hall, it is "at the heart of it all." Restaurants and cafes are on nearly every corner and in-between inviting patrons to linger a little longer. It seems there is no stopping the Town from rising like a Phoenix from the ashes in the face of adversity, and a little help from providence.

Could there be another civil war, it is in the realm of possibility. Could another earthquake happen, it is a viable danger. Could there be another economic crisis, there is always that prospect. Could there be another Hurricane Hugo, blink your eyes and the weather does change. As heralded in this article, each of these insidious calamities have confronted the Town through its 177 years, and each time without reservation, it has prevailed. The only way Summerville could ever fail is if it would lose touch with its sense of itself. Who it was, who it is, who it needs to be, and who it must be in the ever changing South Carolina Lowcountry.

Visit Summerville        Coastal Coffee Roasters

Summerville Dream     La Rustica - on Magnolia

Flowertown Players      Laura Summerville

Azalea Magazine          Five Loaves Cafe

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The Summerville Inn That Changed Its Appearance Like a Chameleon

Dorchester Inn

Vose Inn is not a commonly recognizable name in the history of Summerville. The obvious reason for its present anonymity is it no longer exists. It was so severely damaged by the Earthquake of 1886, it was deserted to the elements to rot into oblivion. It was situated behind what is now Ambler Hall on W. Carolina.

A famous name in Charleston history stayed there, and afterwards, penned some glowing remarks about the "charming, rural, picturesque" town of Summerville. She spoke of a "new spirit" and an "enthusiasm for progress." It was 1860, and the Charleston writer was a woman nicknamed "the ancient lady," Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Poyas.

Around the same time, another accommodation was emerging in popularity as a place that combined all the comforts of a city hotel, with the enjoyments of country living. The hotel's address was at the crossroads of W. Carolina and Sumter Ave. But on this day of March 8, 2024, as I stand at that very same location, no traces of the lodging with a history as old as Summerville's pine trees and an identity that varied as much as a chameleon changes colors remained.

Unmercifully, in the 1960's, it suffered the same irreversibly regrettable fate as the Vose Inn, total destruction. So, with some imagination and preserved photos, I gazed out over the present landscape and visually reconstructed the old inn.  

In 1810, Moore's Tavern stood on the property. It would become the Brown's Hotel around 1855 under the ownership of Isaac T. Brown--also called the Summerville House. Brown added a ten-pin alley and a billiard room. The hotel was surrounded by wide piazzas. Inside were spacious parlors, ample halls, and comfortable and airy chambers complimented by all the substantials and luxuries of a well supplied table. Hotel rates were $1.25 a day, $7.00 a week, and $25.50 a month. Boarders were furnished tickets at $.50 each for a round trip passage on the railroad to Charleston, which was a hour trip, including carriage ride to and from the depot.

The Brown's Hotel suffered damage from the 1886 earthquake. It closed around 1890, but unlike the Vose Inn, reopened in 1895. It became known as the Dorchester Inn featuring full, wrap-around porches and numerous shuttered windows. In 1912, T.R. Moore owned the Dorchester Inn and after enlarging the structure, extensively remodeling the interior, and updating the building, it opened its doors as the Carolina Inn featuring 67 rooms and a swimming pool.

With white wood-rail fencing, beautifully landscaped walking gardens, and an acquired reputation for excellent accommodations and cuisine, it would become preferred by many travelers for its discreet elegance and atmosphere in comparison to the opulence of another competitor, the Pine Forest Inn. There was an east wing and a west wing with one large, window-lined dining room sectioned off into two dining spaces with table settings containing china and sterling. A third dining room was reserved for staff employees who accompanied their employers when staying at the inn. The fine cuisine included an offering of duck and quail, two dishes the inn's kitchen was renowned for.

Unlike the structured offerings of the Pine Forest Inn, there were no activities organized by management. Patrons were left to their own devices. One of the favorite pastimes of the guests was competing in bridge tournaments and competitions. Somewhat similar to tourism today, other diversions included historical tours, garden tours, maybe a silent movie at the Arcade Theatre, or shopping and sightseeing excursions into Charleston on the South Carolina Railroad out of Summerville.

The only part of the inn complex that has survived is the two-story 2,400 square foot annex building at 315 W. Carolina. It was built to serve as an the overflow for guests seeking accommodations at the main building. It has been a private residence since 1963.

Carolina Inn Annex

Carolina Inn was sometimes mistakenly confused with White Gables by some today--another inn found on the famous directional sign. A Southern adaptation of Greek Revival architecture, White Gables was built in 1830 at the crossroads of Palmetto and Richardson Streets and was purchased by Sarah Woodruff in the early 1900's. There are some interesting stories associated with the Woodruffs and White Gables. Sarah was Summerville's Scarlet O'Hara when it came to business. However, that is another story.

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Drayton Hall House Tour--See One of the Lowcountry's Greatest Architectural Treasures

Founded in 1738, Drayton Hall is a preeminent example of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States. It is one of the most significant, undisturbed historic landscapes open for public viewing. Its amazing and timeless wood and plaster carvings are a testimony to the artful skills of the master craftsmen of the day. The stories told offer a brief glimpse into the people who lived and served within its majestic walls. All of which have been preserved in their original true to life state of being, unvarnished both physically and spiritually.

Upon arrival, you will want to check in, and you do this at the gift shop. While you wait for the house tour to start, and you are encouraged to do this, you can take a self guided stroll around the visitor center. A brief orientation film is offered in the Stephen F. and Laura D. Gates Gallery along with a full-wall time line. The adjacent room, in the same building, includes rotating exhibitions of decorative arts objects that once belonged to the Drayton family, examples of authentic house furniture, archaeological artifacts related to the estate and its inhabitants, as well as archival materials and architectural fragments.

Anchoring the visitor center, the Lenhardt Garden surrounds a sprawling 200-year-old oak tree. The plantings are historically inspired, with horticultural specimens related to John Drayton's botanical lists. There is a grouping of benches upon which you can sit and soak in the tranquil surroundings and enjoy the seasonal flora and fauna.

The exhibit in the caretaker's house highlights the post-Civil War period and the 20th century at Drayton Hall. Constructed in 1870, the caretaker's house was built for the caretaker to watch over the main house and grounds while phosphate was mined on the property. The house has been rehabilitated to serve as a conditioned exhibit space, creating opportunities to see layers of its construction and decorative materials. Of course, you can enjoy these three amenities any time before or after your tour.

Once the tour begins, the guide introduced us to the complex where it begins. Then explains the radical decision that was made to preserve the seven generations of history within Drayton Hall's walls. The choice was made to stabilize the house rather than restore it to a particular period, and to preserve it as it was acquired from the family in the 1970s. All imperfections and changes over time have survived to the present.

Next, we were led to an archeological dig next to the main house. It reveals what was originally one of the flanker buildings that once upon a time stood on each side of the main house and connected by a tall brick colonnade. It is an essential element of a one time unknown surprising twist in the house's history.

Drayton Hall is unquestionably not without its mysteries, both surreal and real. The most recent and famous occurred in 2007 when one of its staff members received an anonymous package containing the photograph of a watercolor painting of Drayton Hall purported to be date back to 1765. The envelope it arrived in was simply postmarked 22602-6754 with the words ATT: Back in The Day. The numbers were found to be a Winchester, VA zip code.

Up to that moment, no 18th-century image of Drayton Hall had ever been found. The earliest dated to c. 1845. The mystery was deepened further by what they saw depicted in the watercolor. It presented an image of Drayton Hall never seen before. It showed the Palladian brick building surrounded by low colonnades. Inspired by this revelation, archaeologists dug into the museum's lawn, where 18th-century foundation marks were found, suggesting the 1765 drawing of a u-shaped colonnade was an accurate portrayal.

The tour moved to the main house beginning in the cellar, which housed mainly the kitchen. From there, we exited to the grand portico, the first floor, and finally the second floor. After entertaining and thought provoking stories on each floor about the people who lived and worked in the house, we were turned loose to go wherever we wanted at our own leisure. Before exiting the property, we took the solemn stroll through the African American Cemetery.

If you are looking for the complete southern experience, Drayton Hall should be on your list. From the moment you enter the gate and drive up the narrow causeway toward the columned portico's of the house's stunning front entrance, you sense a change in time. And, when you ascend the stone stairs facing the Ashley River and step through the door, the sudden rush of humid antebellum air swoops you back to an era of ballroom serenades, afternoon tea, and plantation living both elegant and controversial.

Voted the Best Place to See by Condé Nast Traveler.

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Tickets for Private Guided Tours

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Glimpses of 1861 Summerville Through the Recollections of Lieutenant Andrew McConnell at Camp Woodward on the South Carolina Railroad

Camp Woodward set up along these tracks

The South Carolina Railroad and a building boom in the 1850's brought prosperity to Summerville. By the eve of the American Civil War, there were five hotels and boarding houses(Brown's Hotel, Captain Vose's, and Mr. Cooper's Paradise to name a few) three churches, two public buildings, nine stores, 372 dwellings and servants' houses, and 1088 inhabitants.

Lieutenant Andrew McConnell wrote an extensive diary about his time at Camp Woodward in Summerville during the explosive days of 1861. He prodigiously penned on a daily basis. His candid commentary outlining his observations and personal experiences about the troops and townspeople were both profound and striking, as verified by the musings of a fellow officer, Major Thomas W. Woodward.

Shortly after Fort Sumter was bombarded and secured, South Carolina State troops consisting of the 6th Regiment South Carolina Infantry to the Confederate Government were ordered to rendezvous 22 miles outside of Charleston on the South Carolina Railroad, so said the diary of Lieutenant Andrew McConnell. He stated on June 6, 1861, "This morning at home - though I do not feel so well packing my clothes for to start to Camp Woodward, Summerville, Charleston District, South Carolina. We are stationed 22 miles from Charleston city on the railroad. I left Columbia at 2 O. C., P. M. enroute to the camp. 9 0. C., P. M. I arrived at Summerville."

It would be a chaotic time for the town of Summerville with the arrival of the emotionally charged troops. About the gathering combatants, Major Thomas W. Woodward wrote in his memoirs, "And—folly of follies—you were to be allowed to choose whether you would go as a Regiment or disband and go home, although you had already agreed to offer your services to the Confederacy." About the troops, he lamented, "some companies preserved their discipline, others were really but roving mobs of jolly, rollicking soldiers."

Woodward continued, "One company—the Fairfield Fencibles—which was the last to arrive, finding that their tents had not, been erected for them, and that other general arrangements for their ease and comfort were unprovided, created such a din that the Colonel turned them loose and allowed them to go into town to hunt quarters, and it was not long until they captured this elegant summer resort, and were having a good time generally; and they were only brought back to camp some days after..." It was party time in elegant Summerville, which included a lot of drinking.

Lieutenant Andrew McConnell recounted his various excursions into Summerville in great detail often laced with bits of amusing commentary.

He occasionally visited "Miss Mag Brown. She is one of the handsomest Ladies that my eyes ever beheld...& during the night my whole dream was concentrated on her." He often dined at a place he called Judge Cooper's Hotel(Mr. Cooper's Paradise), where he enjoyed "chicken, beef, dumplins, bacon, cabbage and molasses." He spoke of savoring a glass of ice cream and iced lemonade while in town and fished and bathed in a lake 200 yards from camp.

Lieutenant McConnell was a church-going man, who also had an eye for the ladies, judging by some of his comments. He often visited Summerville's Episcopal Church concerning which he said was "a very neat church. Carpet floored and seats filled with the prettiest Ladies imaginable. After services were over I followered after a very handsome Lady as I was bound to learn her destination - in which I was successful. She stopped at Judge Cooper's Hotel." On another occasion, he wrote, "There were a good many spectators out on dress parade this evening and among them were some very pretty ladies." At one service, he estimated "there were about three hundred present and among the number about eighty volunteers."

On June 16, 1861, after a stay at the Charleston Hotel, he wrote, "2 l/2 0. C. in the afternoon we got on the Augusta train and proceeded to Summerville which is about 1 l/4 hours ride. Rev. Mr. Douglas preached this evening. His text, "Acquaint Thyself With God."

Some of the troops were not so polite to the pretty ladies and citizens of Summerville. McConnell recalled, "Two men of the 6th Regiment in jail at Summerville for bad conduct towards the females. Today there are twenty men detailed to patrol over in Summerville today and night. All of which originated from the bad conduct of the volunteers towards the citizens of Summerville." The offending men no doubt were incarcerated in the Old Town Hall jail, which was built in 1860 when Robert I. Limehouse became mayor.

On June 20, 1861, McConnell pens one of his more fascinating entries, where he states, "R. M. Clark and myself walked to the head of B. H. Guard Street and took a glass of Ginger Pop and a saucer of ice cream." Ginger Pop in Summerville. How was that possible in 1861?

James Vernor first developed the recipe for his ginger pop in 1861 at a Detroit drugstore called Higby & Sterns, but was then called off to join the Civil War, leaving his ginger syrup to lay dormant in an oak cask. After his return in 1865, he finalized his golden ale formula and first served it to the American public in 1866 when he opened a drugstore of his own in Detroit, Michigan, on Woodward Avenue and sold his ginger pop at its pop fountain. So, where did Summerville get its Ginger Pop?

Well, it is possible it came from Ireland. The best informed historians attribute Thomas Joseph Cantrell, an Irish apothecary and surgeon, with the invention and manufacturing of the first golden style fermented ginger ale with a strong ginger spice flavour in Belfast, Ireland, in the 1850s, which he marketed through local beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company.

And then, there was Robert Robinson of New York City, who claimed he was the first one to make ginger ale in the U.S. in the 1840s, calling it ginger soda. However, his claim was rather dubious to say the least because his concoction was more like the "gingerades" being made in England at that time, rather than the ginger ale "flavor" produced in Ireland. Whatever the case, Lieutenant McConnell's diary entry confirms Summerville offered some of the finer things of life.

On July 15, 1861, Lieutenant McConnell made his final entry pertaining to his stay at Camp Woodward with the words, "This morning I took the cars at Shelton destined for Virginia via Summerville. July 16, 1861, This morning I woke up in Virginia." Thus, Lieutenant Andrew McConnell's time in Summerville came to an end.

McConnell would not return to his home in Northwestern Fairfield County, South Carolina. He was killed at the Battle of Petersburg on July 30, 1864. This article only covered a small portion of snippets taken from his Summerville experience. His writings were preserved and for a brief moment, they give Summerville historians a fascinating glimpse into their elegant little town's exposure during the turbulent days of 1861.

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