THE PEACH KINGS
Peach orchards abound in the Carolinas largely due to the marketing genius of Moses Richter, his son and grandsons of Mt. Gilead and Charlotte. Travelers can enjoy peach blossoms in March and April and harvesting from mid-May to mid-September in these areas: North Carolina--The south-central region near the town of Candor. South Carolina--Aiken, Saluda, Edgefield, Gaffney, Inman, Spartanburg, McBee and Allendale. At least 20,000 acres are devoted to peach growing in the two Carolinas.
The countless tourists who visit South of the Border each year know--or know about--the late Alan Schafer, the Dillon County boy who grew his 1950 beer joint into the biggest tourist magnet in South Carolina. The indescribable complex includes a 300-room motor hotel, six restaurants, 14 gift shops and 2 casinos on a 500-acre spread with 800 employees. Junction of I-95, US 301 and US 501 on the NC-SC border. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
JEWS CARED FOR MULES WORKING COTTON FIELDS
The poignant story of the rise and fall of little Jewish communities is personified by Bishopville, SC. This was the heart of the SC cotton kingdom which still produces 730,000 pounds a year.
In the old days Jews from Latvia with a knowledge of horses came to open four livery stables—not to care for show horses as in nearby Camden but mules that worked 100 thousand acres of cotton. The immigrants also got into retailing to help Bishopville grow.
When Rabbi Hector moved from Pueblo, Colorado, to become the first full-time professional, area Jews assembled to worship above Barodi’s Candy Kitchen and the Masonic Temple. “Rabbi” Karesh would come by bus to butcher cows at the ice house.
But the children grew up, never to come back home, and today only five Jews remain.
One superb artifact lives on, worthy of your visit. The SC Cotton Museum—shown here--occupies one of the former stables at 121 West Cedar Lane. E-mail sccottonmus@ftc-i-net for hours. The garden outside was designed by a noted SC Jewish sculptor and Bishopville native, Allan J. Sindler.
THE CAMDEN COMMUNITY
Camden's Jewish community dates from 1788. Temple Beth El on Lyttleton street can seat 60 but only 25 remain to worship there and then only on the High Holy Days. The jewel of a Spanish mission style Reform temple began as a Catholic church. Bernard Baruch's mother started a sabbath school in 1880. The famed house where Bernard Baruch was born was torn down to make room for a church parking lot. A historical marker remains at 1201 Broad street.
At 1314 Broad Street are the Camden Archives and Museum. You can see personal letters, photos and documents of Bernard Baruch. Portraits of Bernard and famed father Simon Baruch are displayed. Graves of Camden's great old Jewish families can be seen at Beth El Cemetery. Baruch. Wittkowsky. Wolfe. Hirsch. Heyman. Rich. Block. Geisenheimer. And a monument in memory of Marcus Baum, aide to Confederate General Joseph Kershaw. Drive to end of Meeting Street, turn right on Campbell Street, pass the Beth El Cemetery sign and enter the last gate.
THE CAMDEN HOSPITALS
Bernard Baruch's father was Surgeon General of the Confederate Army, recognized for his specialty of hydrotherapy. In his honor Bernard made large donations to the establishment and expansion of the original Camden hospital. The long-term unit of today's Kershaw County Medical Center is named for A. Sam Karesh, Camden merchant. Haile and Roberts streets.
BIRTHPLACE OF THE BIG APPLE
We are not making this up: the world famous popular dance of the 1930s, The Big Apple, was invented in a Columbia nightclub that was built as the charming Beth Shalom synagogue in 1907. Some say the New York City nickname was born here, too. This is the way it looks today. Corner of Park and Hampton streets.
COLUMBIA HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
Sculptor Irwin Hyman designed this 2001 monument to the six million. A wall etched with a chronology and map of the Holocaust, and names of SC survivors, is mounted on a slate Star of David. Hampton and Gadsden streets.
BERNARD BARUCH SILVER COLLECTION
18th century silver collected by Bernard and Annie Griffen Baruch are on permanent exhibit at McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina in the center of Columbia. Free admission Tuesday-Friday 9am-4pm.
USC SOUTH CAROLINIANA LIBRARY
Dozens of Jewish collections are housed in this building's archives--records of the Columbia Hebrew Benevolent Society, mercantile ledgers, and the papers of eminent Jews such as Edwin DeLeon, Thomas Cooper DeLeon, August Kohn and Anita Pollitzer. The Modern Political Collections Archives contain papers of state lawmakers Sol Blatt, Isadore Lourie and Harriet Keyserling. Monday-Friday 8:30-5, Saturday 9-1. 910 Sumter Street, Columbia.
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE HOUSE
At Main and Gervais streets in Columbia's center is the site of many Jewish legislators' service to South Carolina. Portraits of Speaker of the House Solomon Blatt, Bernard Baruch and other Jewish leaders are displayed in the lobby. Many SC Jewish legislators and mayors posed for this historic photo.
THE SUMTER COUNTY MUSEUM
Andrew Jackson Moses and Octavia Harby raised their 17 children in the 1848 house on this property at 122 North Washington Street, Sumter. Five served in the Confederate forces. The reconstructed building of 1916 is now the site of the extensive collections. At the nearby annex, the Genealogical and Historical Research Center houses the Moise family papers, firsthand Civil War accounts by Octavia Harby Moses, charts, photographs and historical documents. 219 West Liberty Street.
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
In Rock Hill you can discover the history of Jewish women's clubs, an ill-fated attempt to settle Russian Jews in an agricultural colony called Happyville (near Aiken), taped memories of the first Jewish students, and interviews of Pollitzer sisters Mabel and Carrie. Dacus Library. Monday-Friday 8-5.
MAX HELLER CONFERENCE CENTER
Max Heller fled Vienna in 1938 to work in a Greenville shirt factory. When he was elected mayor, he revitalized downtown and created an esplanade inspired by his memories of outdoor cafes, music and flowers. This center is part of the Hyatt Regency Greenville, in honor of Max and Trude Heller.
SOLOMON BLATT CONTINUES TO GIVE
Sol Blatt (pronounced blot) served South Carolina as its beloved, all-powerful, long-time speaker of the house. He gave his state park its recreation center for the handicapped. Near the entrance to 307-acre Barnwell State Park, Route 3, Blackville, SC. Open dawn to dusk daily. Free admission.
PALESTINE, JERUSALEM AND JEWS QUARTER ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA
For the curious traveler, North Carolina has Palestine, a community five miles north of Albemarle where five roads meet. It has Jews Quarter Island, a 2 1/2-mile peninsula in southeast Currituck County that is used as a hunting lodge. And it has Jerusalem, a former community in south Davie County. Its church is still there on US 601 in Mocksville.
A TALE OF THREE BROTHERS
Gather ‘round and hear about Sol, Al, and Lukie. Three Tenner brothers hailed from Charleston where they made tires. They surfaced with a sister in Charlotte in 1935 to open Tenner’s restaurant on West Trade Street near the square. It was the only place local Jewish people could find hot pastrami, kosher pickles and a 35-cent lunch.
In 1953 their hearts took them to Patrick, SC, 86 miles southeast of Charlotte. There they planted a 300-acre vineyard, the largest in the South, with cast concrete posts, and built a winery across the road. For 40 years they produced inexpensive Patrick red for Tenner’s and customers in Charlotte and beyond.
When the brothers retired, Sam Goldfein took over the restaurant and Marvin Sands bought the winery in 1965. It was a great epoch for Sol, Al, Lukie — and the Jews of Charlotte.
The remains of winery and vineyard can be seen at 8608 Hartsville-Ruby Road outside Patrick.
UNC AT CHAPEL HILL: BEGINNING OF JEWISH GREATNESS
The Carolinas’ largest and oldest university is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Many world-famous Jews studied there, including Louis Harris of the Harris Poll; Richard Adler who composed the scores of Pajama Game and Damn Yankees; tennis champion Vic Seixas; Pulitzer prize juror, newspaper editor and author Sylvan Meyer; Marvin Sands who built the Constellation empire, the superstar of the wine world; Herman Blumenthal and his three sons of Radiator Specialty Company, and generations of the Ceasar and Herman Cone families of Cone Mills, largest maker of denim in the world. The Charles H. Revson Foundation in New York has given $250 thousand to the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at Chapel Hill. It honors UNC graduate Eli Evans, president emeritus of that Foundation and author of Jewish-related bestselling books like Judah P. Benjamin. During his 25 years as president of the Revson Foundation, he granted $147 million to Jewish causes, urban affairs, education and biomedical research.
THEN AND NOW: JEWISH MASONS THROUGHOUT THE CAROLINAS
Travel through the centuries and the miles and you will find countless Jewish Masons who have been part of the fabric of this region’s history.
The first Jewish Masons officially in the Carolinas were Simon Nathan and Benjamin Seixas, designated to represent Masonry in Charlotte and Charleston in June, 1781.
At the Scottish Rite temples in Charlotte and Charleston you can see hard evidence of more than two centuries of Masonic Jewish activity in the Carolinas. Four of the founders of the Scottish Rite in Charleston in 1801 were Jewish Masons, and many others participated.
Jews have been founders and masters of lodges — even grand masters — across the Carolinas. Masonic squares-and-compasses appear on graves in Jewish cemeteries in both Carolinas.
In the Charlotte Treasures of Temple Beth El exhibit are documents of the 1997 joint Jewish-Masonic service honoring many Masons who have been that congregation’s founders, presidents, rabbis, and members.
Witness the connection at the Charlotte Scottish Rite Temple at 4740 Randolph Road. In Charleston visit the Scottish Rite Center, 1051 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.
GOLF TWELVE MONTHS A YEAR
All year long golf reigns supreme in North and South Carolina, from the mountains to the sea.
Pinehurst, NC, is the crown jewel. There are so many courses in Myrtle Beach, SC, you could play a different one every day for more than three months. You can hit a ball a mile from Grandfather Mountain.
Golf packages draw Canadians by the thousands. While northern golfers are reduced to swapping golf stories all through their rotten weather, southern golfers are swinging happily in more days of sunshine than Miami.
Check it out.
THE HOUSE IN WINNSBORO WHERE BERNARD BARUCH'S PARENTS WERE MARRIED
Sherman's Union troops torched the grand mansion of Saling and Sarah Wolfe in Camden, SC, while their 15-year-old daughter Isabelle watched in horror. The Wolfes and the surviving 10 of their 13 children then moved to this 1831 house in Winnsboro.
They were living here when Dr. Simon Baruch, Surgeon General of the Confederacy, returned from the war to marry Isabelle under the chuppah in this house. It still stands on the east side of South Congress street, across from the Fairfield County Museum.
One of their children would be Bernard Baruch, one of the greatest Jews in American history, fiscal counsel to every president from Woodrow Wilson to Franklin Roosevelt, host at his Georgetown Hobcaw Barony estate to many world leaders, and philanthropist beyond measure.
This large two-story home is considered Winnsboro's best example of antebellum style — beautifully proportioned, well-designed, handsomely ornamented and decorated.
It is in transition between neglected private ownership and restoration for public tours.
THE FIRST JEW IN THE CAROLINAS WAS IN THE LOST COLONY — AND SURVIVED
Joachim Gaunse (Gans), was the first Jew to come to the Carolinas. Queen Elizabeth of England enabled this famed Prague metallurgist to come to America in 1585 to study the copper and iron smelting techniques of the natives.
Sir Walter Raleigh brought him here on his second trip to Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Gaunse stayed one year to complete his research into speeding the processing of metals necessary to England's military success. Luckily Sir Francis Drake landed at Roanoke Island June 19, 1586, so Gaunse got a trip home with Drake before the settlement of 117 men, women, and children disappeared to become the mysterious Lost Colony.
His busy year here saw Gaunse observing mining and refining by the Tuscarora Indians in east-central NC — along the Roanoke, Neuse, Taw and Pamlico rivers — and by the Cherokees in the west. There he saw copper activity in what is present day Alleghany, Ashe, Jackson, and Swain counties of NC and Carroll, Floyd and Grayson of VA.
Unbelievably, fate brought this first Jew to Roanoke Island, saw him perform his remarkable research alone among strange people, live briefly among the ill-fated Lost Colony and escape successfully to England with only a few survivors.
The best way to relive his professional adventure is to attend the superb Lost Colony pageant at the Waterside Theatre on Roanoke Island between May 31 and August 20 annually. Drive US 64 or 264 all the way east to Manteo, NC. Tickets $4-$20. Kids half-price Fri-Sat. For tickets phone TicketWeb 866-468-7630 9am-9pm 7 days a week.
JEWISH LAWYER CO-FOUNDED WORLD'S LARGEST SQUAB FARM
Wendell M. Levi, Sr. Sumter, SC, attorney, was a first lieutenant in the US Army Signal Corps during World War I, heading their Pigeon Section.
That expertise led him to co-found the Palmetto Pigeon Plant that grew to become the largest squab farm in the world. His twin children, Wendell, Jr., and Patty Levy Barnett, developed it after him and in 1998 the Southern States feed co-op took over.
Today it breeds, raises, processes, packages and ships 14,000 squabs, pouissin (little chickens) and quail weekly. 85 West Wesmark Boulevard in Sumter.
ALLAN SINDLER SCULPTURES ENHANCE JEWISH SITES
Highly acclaimed Jewish sculptor Allan Sindler has brought artistic stature to a number of public and private locations in the Carolinas. Those you can enjoy without special permission include the double Star of David in front of the Camden temple, a metal sculpture in the garden at the Bishopville Cotton Museum, Mother Without Rocking Chair and a Holocaust piece at his Camden home, a Star of David at the Tree of Life synagogue in Columbia, and a piece at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.
The Sindler home in situated at 2006 North Brailsford Road in Camden.
FORT JACKSON HONORS GENERAL ROBERT SOLOMON WITH NEW CENTER
Robert K. Solomon was 3rd Armored Division Information Officer, served with VII Corps in Stuttgart and Chief of Policy and Plans Division of CINFO. He became commander of Fort Jackson and was active leader of Synagogue Beth Shalom in Columbia.
The Army has honored his memory there by naming its new rec center the MG Robert K. Solomon Center. Get directions at the gate.