Box In Courthouse Cornerstone Reveals Historic Documents

THESE PAPERS, DOCUMENTS CAME FROM BOX IN CORNERSTONE

Dedication Of Old Courthouse Brought To Life In Ceremonies

Spartanburg County of 1891 was revived briefly Monday with the opening of a box which was placed in the old County Courthouse cornerstone nearly 68 years ago.

Found in the metal box were documents and other articles placed there at dedication ceremonies of the old courthouse on May 22, 1891.

The opening ceremonies were staged at the new County Courthouse preceeding convening of County Criminal Court. The courtroom was jammed to capacity for the event.

A May 22, 1891, copy of the Spartangburg Daily Herald among the items in the box revealed in its news columns the pomp and pageantry afforded the dedication on that nearly forgotten summer day.

Although some of the documents are turning yellow with age, they are in an excellent state of preservation. Many of the historically valuable papers will be sealed in the new Courthouse cornerstone.

The old cornerstone was dedicated in 1891, in Masonic ceremonies by South Carolina Grand Lodge and Spartan Lodge 70. A large parchment in the box bore names of Masons and other Masonic information.

Tho still shiny silver plaques were also inscribed with Masonic symbols and names.

A family Bible which had belonged to Joseph and Sally Brown was packed in the box. The brown-backed 1830 edition had been found under the cornerstone of the even earlier courthouse by william Russel Browden on March, 1891, according to inscriptions written on its pages. The family record began in 1781, the date of Mr. Brown's birth.

One Spartan, apparently constructor of the metal box, attemted to aboid obscurity by scratching his name, "T.T. Beacham" on the inside of the box lid.

It had been thought that a bottle of rye whiskey would be found in the old box, but this was not among the items removed by clerk of Court Ernest Miller.

Other items in the box were photographs, copies of several newspapers, including the Carolina spartan, forerunner of the Spartanburg Journal, Converse and wofford publications, an almanac and several pamphlets of that day.

Two lightly sealed jars found in the box contained county documents. One of them also contained several old coins.

An old faded photograph was identified as that of two principals in the old courthouse's construction. They were County Commissioners A.J. Caldwell and Charles A. Barry.

Identifying them were Mrs. Bernice Brown, 70, of Landrum and R.C. Barry of Moore. Mrs. Brown is a daughter of Commissioner Caldwell and Mr. Barry, a grandson of the other commissioner.

Mrs. Brown was paid tribute by Judge Charles Pace for her insistence months ago that a search should be made for the box which she believed had been placed in the old cornerstone.

The box also contained various period catalogue of the University of South Carolina, copies of Columbia and Charleston newspapters, a temperance publication, an annual report of Spartanburg grade schools and a Chamber of Commerce type publicity pamphlet.