1891 Dedication

Old Newspaper Tells Of Event

A Masonic procession of about 15 men, led by the Pacolet Band, marched to the county courthouse for dedication ceremonies on May 22, 1891.

This was the scene set in a May 22 copy of the Spartanburg Daily Herald which was placed in the cornerstone of the old building along with other articles and documents of that day.

Under the direction of a Prof. Herndon, the band led the group of dignitaries under an evergreen covered arch wreathed with roses. The decorations were for the special occasion.

The Honorable W.K. Blake was in charge of the ceremony. Dedication speeches marked the afternoon as a large crowd stood by, braving the warm sun.

At the appointed time, a final act of ceremony was performed and the metal box was placed in its position at the cornerstone and mortered into place.

There the box remained for nearly 68 years before it was seen again Monday.

And during that period, Spartanburg's population grew from abobut 7,000 to some 45,000 due largely to industrialization of the area.

A Herald editorial on the same day of the dedication predicted that the city's population "will soon be 20,000 with the coming of new industry." Even at that early date the area had started to attract industry.

The editorial declared that Spartanburg County in 1891 already contained more miles of railroad, more post offices, more public schools, more scholars and more mercantile points than any county in the state.

Despite the absence of automobiles, Spartanburg in 1891 was still having problems with traffic in the city streets, the old newspaper revealed

A city ordinance passed in may of that year prohibited "droves of horses or mules to be permitted to be driven through the streets of the city at a greater speed than a walk."

The ordinance required at least three persons capable of managing the animals to accompany them.