Interview: Greenlee, William "Uncle Bill"
Item
Identifier
Mss-0068, Disk 1
Title
Interview: Greenlee, William "Uncle Bill"
Type
Sound
Format
.mp3
Language
English
Source
L.C. Littlejohn Collection
Rights
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.
Date
Early 1950s
Description
William "Uncle Bill" Greenlee was born March 4, 1871 and was on the Clemson College payroll for 51 years.
00:12: A man named William talks with L.C. Littlejohn about going to Anderson to pick up his car, a Pontiac. This person does not seem to be William Greenlee.
1:25: Recording starts again William “Uncle Bill” Greenlee. Greenlee was raised in Clemson. Turned 79 years old last March 4th. He remembers Thomas Clemson and says Clemson looked like the monument out in front of the main building.
2:23: Greenlee remembers Thomas Clemson engaging in farming. Clemson grew corn, cotton, peas, potatoes, molasses cane, and rice. Clemson grew 4 acres of rice at the foot of the old mill. Thomas Fruster worked the rice.
3:23: People that worked for Thomas Clemson lived on the road next to the Seneca Rive, near the Goodman house.
3:45: Slave quarters used to be near the mule barn on either side of the hill. They were little houses cut into two and built in the ground. He helped tear them down. They were primarily made of wood and red clay. They had one door and one little window.
4:44: People who worked for Thomas Clemson did not live in the old slave quarters. They lived on the road to what is now the Seneca River Bridge.
5:10: The Seneca River Bridge used to be a toll bridge. It was 15 cents per day to cross on a wagon, and 5 cents per day to walk across. If you stayed overnight on the other side you had to pay the daily amount again, but if you crossed and came back in the same day you only had to pay the daily rate once.
5:43: There used to be a flat down at the Cherry’s place. This ferry was large enough to carry two wagons full of mules. The ferry operated by cable.
6:26: Ms. Cox was the toll bridge keeper. It was an old, wood covered bridge. It remained until the paved highway was built. It was built with wood, logs, cement and wooden pegs. He never saw a nail in it.
7:13: Greenlee used to live in Andrew Lewis’ place.
7:17: He used to work for Thomas Clemson. Mr. Andrews used to come over and stay all day with Thomas Clemson. Aaron Boggs, an overseer before the Civil War, used to visit Thomas Clemson a lot. Boggs told Greenlee that he was not an overseer but slave trader and that’s how he got rich. Boggs lived near the old overhead railroad bridge, where Mr. Tate lives now. He would see Clemson and Boggs counting money. Boggs had a mule and buggy and he’d ask Greenlee to take a sack and pick up all the compost and put it in the back of his wagon.
9:25: D.K. Norris’ father used to visit Thomas Clemson frequently. D.K. Norris was on the first Board of Trustees.
10:09: Greenlee lived in Andrew Lewis’ place. The Lewis place was between Mr. Cherry’s property and Clemson’s property. He was there before Clemson started.
10:50: Thomas Clemson used to salt his hogs in a nearby holler. He’d tell Greenlee to bring the salt and Clemson would go up to the house and get his gun. Clemson would kill a hog and ring a bell once and both white and black community would rush to get fresh meat.
12:07: He first heard about the college when Mr. Andrews and Ms. Sue were talking about it.
12:43: A man from Columbia, kin of Ben Tillman, came to facilitate the building of college. He got off the train at the depot in Pendleton and stayed with Andrew Lewis.
13:23: Greenlee could not remember when Dr. Sloan first arrived. Greenlee used to carry the payroll from Clemson and Dr. Sloan kept the money in Pendleton where he lived. Dr. Sloan ran the drug store in Pendleton.
13:58: Jim Hall was the brick mason that oversaw construction.
14:29: Gus Shanklin was the first man that worked at Clemson. Gus Shanklin left but came back to Clemson. Jules Shanklin, Virginia Shanklin’s father, also worked at Clemson.
15:23: Mr. Cochrane made the first bricks for the college. The bricks were made in a holler on the way to Calhoun. Rocks came from a holler where the first pump station on campus was located, on the road to the Lewis place. Rocks also came from between Keowee and Long’s place for about a year. On top of a hill by the river there was a rock quarry. Rocks were also brought in from the other side of the cemetery.
17:43: He was paid 50 cents a day to haul rocks in his wagon.
18:22: The first building on campus was a post office behind the powerhouse. They also built houses for people to live in.
19:07: The Cherry Club was the first big building he remembers.
19:34: He hauled the brick from Calhoun and Anderson to build the main building and the barracks. The first bricks were made by hand and not hard enough so Jim Hall removed them. Mr. Cochrane paid him 20 cents a day to grease the molds for the bricks. They took drag pans and wagons and hauled out the top soil. About 8 feet down they got the blue clay.
21:34: He worked for the college for 51 years. The college was not completed when he was first on the payroll.
22:19: Captain Doc (this is probably James Percival Lewis) stole every bit of his father’s money. Greenlee helped him put it in his carriage. He was over everything for five years. Greenlee used to eat at the old wooden hotel but he never saw Captain Doc eat.
24:07: Dr. Brackett, Mr. Dupree from Walhalla, and Mr. Newman from Atlanta were among the first students he remembers.
24:30: Captain Doc lived where the golf ground used to be. Doc was the first one to sell the college cows to start the Clemson Dairy.
24:50: Ms. Allen had two cows, Lady Baby and Daisey. Ben Tillman found out that Ms. Allen sold the cows for $200 apiece and said he wanted to see the cows even though he only had one good eye.
26:02: Littlejohn wants Greenlee to think about Captain Doc building the athletic field, Greenlee driving the trustees around in carriages, and other things of importance, so Littlejohn can record it and someone else can use it to write a history about Clemson.
26:50: Recording ends.
00:12: A man named William talks with L.C. Littlejohn about going to Anderson to pick up his car, a Pontiac. This person does not seem to be William Greenlee.
1:25: Recording starts again William “Uncle Bill” Greenlee. Greenlee was raised in Clemson. Turned 79 years old last March 4th. He remembers Thomas Clemson and says Clemson looked like the monument out in front of the main building.
2:23: Greenlee remembers Thomas Clemson engaging in farming. Clemson grew corn, cotton, peas, potatoes, molasses cane, and rice. Clemson grew 4 acres of rice at the foot of the old mill. Thomas Fruster worked the rice.
3:23: People that worked for Thomas Clemson lived on the road next to the Seneca Rive, near the Goodman house.
3:45: Slave quarters used to be near the mule barn on either side of the hill. They were little houses cut into two and built in the ground. He helped tear them down. They were primarily made of wood and red clay. They had one door and one little window.
4:44: People who worked for Thomas Clemson did not live in the old slave quarters. They lived on the road to what is now the Seneca River Bridge.
5:10: The Seneca River Bridge used to be a toll bridge. It was 15 cents per day to cross on a wagon, and 5 cents per day to walk across. If you stayed overnight on the other side you had to pay the daily amount again, but if you crossed and came back in the same day you only had to pay the daily rate once.
5:43: There used to be a flat down at the Cherry’s place. This ferry was large enough to carry two wagons full of mules. The ferry operated by cable.
6:26: Ms. Cox was the toll bridge keeper. It was an old, wood covered bridge. It remained until the paved highway was built. It was built with wood, logs, cement and wooden pegs. He never saw a nail in it.
7:13: Greenlee used to live in Andrew Lewis’ place.
7:17: He used to work for Thomas Clemson. Mr. Andrews used to come over and stay all day with Thomas Clemson. Aaron Boggs, an overseer before the Civil War, used to visit Thomas Clemson a lot. Boggs told Greenlee that he was not an overseer but slave trader and that’s how he got rich. Boggs lived near the old overhead railroad bridge, where Mr. Tate lives now. He would see Clemson and Boggs counting money. Boggs had a mule and buggy and he’d ask Greenlee to take a sack and pick up all the compost and put it in the back of his wagon.
9:25: D.K. Norris’ father used to visit Thomas Clemson frequently. D.K. Norris was on the first Board of Trustees.
10:09: Greenlee lived in Andrew Lewis’ place. The Lewis place was between Mr. Cherry’s property and Clemson’s property. He was there before Clemson started.
10:50: Thomas Clemson used to salt his hogs in a nearby holler. He’d tell Greenlee to bring the salt and Clemson would go up to the house and get his gun. Clemson would kill a hog and ring a bell once and both white and black community would rush to get fresh meat.
12:07: He first heard about the college when Mr. Andrews and Ms. Sue were talking about it.
12:43: A man from Columbia, kin of Ben Tillman, came to facilitate the building of college. He got off the train at the depot in Pendleton and stayed with Andrew Lewis.
13:23: Greenlee could not remember when Dr. Sloan first arrived. Greenlee used to carry the payroll from Clemson and Dr. Sloan kept the money in Pendleton where he lived. Dr. Sloan ran the drug store in Pendleton.
13:58: Jim Hall was the brick mason that oversaw construction.
14:29: Gus Shanklin was the first man that worked at Clemson. Gus Shanklin left but came back to Clemson. Jules Shanklin, Virginia Shanklin’s father, also worked at Clemson.
15:23: Mr. Cochrane made the first bricks for the college. The bricks were made in a holler on the way to Calhoun. Rocks came from a holler where the first pump station on campus was located, on the road to the Lewis place. Rocks also came from between Keowee and Long’s place for about a year. On top of a hill by the river there was a rock quarry. Rocks were also brought in from the other side of the cemetery.
17:43: He was paid 50 cents a day to haul rocks in his wagon.
18:22: The first building on campus was a post office behind the powerhouse. They also built houses for people to live in.
19:07: The Cherry Club was the first big building he remembers.
19:34: He hauled the brick from Calhoun and Anderson to build the main building and the barracks. The first bricks were made by hand and not hard enough so Jim Hall removed them. Mr. Cochrane paid him 20 cents a day to grease the molds for the bricks. They took drag pans and wagons and hauled out the top soil. About 8 feet down they got the blue clay.
21:34: He worked for the college for 51 years. The college was not completed when he was first on the payroll.
22:19: Captain Doc (this is probably James Percival Lewis) stole every bit of his father’s money. Greenlee helped him put it in his carriage. He was over everything for five years. Greenlee used to eat at the old wooden hotel but he never saw Captain Doc eat.
24:07: Dr. Brackett, Mr. Dupree from Walhalla, and Mr. Newman from Atlanta were among the first students he remembers.
24:30: Captain Doc lived where the golf ground used to be. Doc was the first one to sell the college cows to start the Clemson Dairy.
24:50: Ms. Allen had two cows, Lady Baby and Daisey. Ben Tillman found out that Ms. Allen sold the cows for $200 apiece and said he wanted to see the cows even though he only had one good eye.
26:02: Littlejohn wants Greenlee to think about Captain Doc building the athletic field, Greenlee driving the trustees around in carriages, and other things of importance, so Littlejohn can record it and someone else can use it to write a history about Clemson.
26:50: Recording ends.
Subject
South Carolina -- Pickens County
Interviewer
Littlejohn, L.C.
Interviewee
Greenlee, William
Publisher
Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository
