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Town of Calhoun, South Carolina Oral History Collection

Fendley Cassette 1, Side 1

Media

Part of Interview: Fendley Brothers

Title

Fendley Cassette 1, Side 1

Source

Fendley Brothers Interview

Date

1988-08-28

Description

Cassette 1

Side 1

00:07: Brothers Jack (66), Claude (66), and Ray (64) Fendley have lived in the Calhoun/Clemson areas all their lives. They have lived in the same house since childhood; it was built in 1917.

1:24: Their parents were George and Margaret Fendley. George was born in 1890 and Margaret was born in 1891. George was from the Seneca area, while Margaret grew up in Anderson, SC. They moved to Calhoun after they were married. Before the family house was finished, they lived for about three years in apartments above the Smith store. The brothers cannot recall what the rent was.

4:40: Their father George worked for Captain Clinkscales. Clinkscales had two main businesses: livery service and the renting of farmland. George was the general overseer of both operations. Clinkscales owned farms near the Pendleton Highway (behind where National Guard Armory is located). The main crops were corn and cotton. He employed black tenant workers (three or four families). The livery service employed perhaps ten to twelve workers (mostly black).

10:40 – Mr. Clinkscales was mayor in the late 1930's. The town of Calhoun was incorporated into Clemson around 1943 under Mayor Leon Crawford. The brothers say that the name change was supported by the community.

12:22: Megginson asks where exactly Mr. Clinkscales lived. The brothers state that he lived out on The Seneca Highway--beyond the Methodist Church--the site is where the Frank Anderson house currently stands.

13:20: The interview briefly turns to politics. The brothers voted at the schoolhouse. There was no city council for the town of Calhoun, the area was too small.

16:50: Megginson is interested in what services were available to the family when it first moved into the new house in 1917. There was initially no plumbing in the house. Although memories are not clear, they believe electricity and water services were put into place around 1939. Telephone service was available to Calhoun for a good while before the family decided to make use of it.

19:00: Paved roads? Perhaps not until the WPA project. Several local roads ran on different routes around the Calhoun area in the old days, but the brothers can always remember the underpass.

23:00: There were no street lights in Calhoun until perhaps 1983.

23:40: The brothers pull out a photograph for Megginson to inspect. It apparently depicts a local baseball team. Most of the individuals depicted cannot be identified, though the faces of Doc Crawford, the Goodman and Gordon boys, and Clint Taylor are recognized.

27:00: Audio ends.

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.