KellerW Cassette 1, Side 1
Media
Part of Interview: Keller, William B. "Judge"
Title
KellerW Cassette 1, Side 1
Source
William B. "Judge" Keller Interview
Date
1988-08-15
Description
Cassette 1
Side 1
00:40: Keller was born in Westminster, SC. His mother went to her parent's house for the delivery. Keller's parents lived in Calhoun, SC.
1:30: The family first lived in a house on the northeast intersection of Calhoun and Clemson Streets. After five years there, the family built a house on Hillcrest Avenue. Keller's father Isaac bought the lot from the Fort Hill Land Company in 1918. Fort Hill Land Company was made up of a group of professors from the college who got together and purchased land from the estate of Aaron Boggs around 1917 or 1918. Ben F. Robertson was president and Joe Hunter was the secretary of the group. Their names appear on the deed for the purchase.
3:52: Isaac Keller (the original "Judge" Keller) started his establishment in 1899. He was in the first class of cadets at Clemson. He attended two years before dropping out and starting his business. While he had still been attending school, he worked part-time with the tailoring operation which was located in his barracks. He was found to be exceptional at tailoring, and was soon offered with the ownership of the operation.
6:35: Megginson asks why a tailoring operation would be so important. Clemson was a military college where cadets wore West-Point style uniforms. Jacob Reed was the name of the uniform company. It was located on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, PA.
10:30: When Keller's father first started tailoring, the operation was still in the barracks. He had been provided two rooms--one living quarters, and one working quarters. In a couple of years, however, enrollment was up and the two rooms were needed. He was asked to move into a separate location near the college. Keller's father bought land from Aaron Boggs, and had the original building built in the summer of 1899. The original wooden building was located on the north side of College Avenue. It was occupied from 1899-1918.
17:00: Megginson asks what other stores were there in the old days. Martin's drugstore was across the street on College Avenue; it is now Tigertown Tavern. There was a community store there, although Mr. Keller cannot recall who ran it. The Sloan store was there as well. The original Sloan building burned in the 1920's.
20:21: In Calhoun itself, there was the Boggs store (Calhoun Corner's), and Megginson's father owned a store. They were both brick. It is believed that Mr. Cochran had them built. Mr. Cochran owned a brickyard in the area. Calhoun was a railway town even before the college was established. Mr. Keller notes that the streets in Calhoun are laid out perpendicular and square to one another like a normal city would, whereas the streets in Clemson are set up like "the cows laid them out." Megginson notes that this statement is true, since the area was originally pastured.
25:00: What did College Avenue look like in the early days? When Mr. Keller was a child, there were only dirt roads. On the southeast side was Martin's drugstore. Clinkscales livery stable was located between the Sloan and Keller establishments. Mr. Fendley owned a blacksmith shop that was located between the livery stable and the Keller store.
27:25: The livery stable was larger in size than the Keller's establishment. For a while, the livery stable carried the name "Clinkscales & Crowther." Crowther was Mr. Clinkscales brother-in-law.
27:53: Isaac Keller and Mr. Clinkscales were both from Abbeville and grew up together.
28:30: The original path of Main Street--it ran from the college to Keller's store just as it does today. The route is the same until you reach the Baptist Church, where it veered towards the left and ran in front of the Presbyterian Church. From there it would cross over two creeks and climb up a hill towards the depot. The two begin speaking of the Carlton House which no longer stands. Mr. Masters lived in it when Keller was a youth. It was across the street from the movie theater on the southeast side of College Avenue. It was a white, one story house. Megginson states that this is apparently the old Cold Springs plantation which had belonged to someone associated with the Calhoun Family.
31:48: Audio ends.
Side 1
00:40: Keller was born in Westminster, SC. His mother went to her parent's house for the delivery. Keller's parents lived in Calhoun, SC.
1:30: The family first lived in a house on the northeast intersection of Calhoun and Clemson Streets. After five years there, the family built a house on Hillcrest Avenue. Keller's father Isaac bought the lot from the Fort Hill Land Company in 1918. Fort Hill Land Company was made up of a group of professors from the college who got together and purchased land from the estate of Aaron Boggs around 1917 or 1918. Ben F. Robertson was president and Joe Hunter was the secretary of the group. Their names appear on the deed for the purchase.
3:52: Isaac Keller (the original "Judge" Keller) started his establishment in 1899. He was in the first class of cadets at Clemson. He attended two years before dropping out and starting his business. While he had still been attending school, he worked part-time with the tailoring operation which was located in his barracks. He was found to be exceptional at tailoring, and was soon offered with the ownership of the operation.
6:35: Megginson asks why a tailoring operation would be so important. Clemson was a military college where cadets wore West-Point style uniforms. Jacob Reed was the name of the uniform company. It was located on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, PA.
10:30: When Keller's father first started tailoring, the operation was still in the barracks. He had been provided two rooms--one living quarters, and one working quarters. In a couple of years, however, enrollment was up and the two rooms were needed. He was asked to move into a separate location near the college. Keller's father bought land from Aaron Boggs, and had the original building built in the summer of 1899. The original wooden building was located on the north side of College Avenue. It was occupied from 1899-1918.
17:00: Megginson asks what other stores were there in the old days. Martin's drugstore was across the street on College Avenue; it is now Tigertown Tavern. There was a community store there, although Mr. Keller cannot recall who ran it. The Sloan store was there as well. The original Sloan building burned in the 1920's.
20:21: In Calhoun itself, there was the Boggs store (Calhoun Corner's), and Megginson's father owned a store. They were both brick. It is believed that Mr. Cochran had them built. Mr. Cochran owned a brickyard in the area. Calhoun was a railway town even before the college was established. Mr. Keller notes that the streets in Calhoun are laid out perpendicular and square to one another like a normal city would, whereas the streets in Clemson are set up like "the cows laid them out." Megginson notes that this statement is true, since the area was originally pastured.
25:00: What did College Avenue look like in the early days? When Mr. Keller was a child, there were only dirt roads. On the southeast side was Martin's drugstore. Clinkscales livery stable was located between the Sloan and Keller establishments. Mr. Fendley owned a blacksmith shop that was located between the livery stable and the Keller store.
27:25: The livery stable was larger in size than the Keller's establishment. For a while, the livery stable carried the name "Clinkscales & Crowther." Crowther was Mr. Clinkscales brother-in-law.
27:53: Isaac Keller and Mr. Clinkscales were both from Abbeville and grew up together.
28:30: The original path of Main Street--it ran from the college to Keller's store just as it does today. The route is the same until you reach the Baptist Church, where it veered towards the left and ran in front of the Presbyterian Church. From there it would cross over two creeks and climb up a hill towards the depot. The two begin speaking of the Carlton House which no longer stands. Mr. Masters lived in it when Keller was a youth. It was across the street from the movie theater on the southeast side of College Avenue. It was a white, one story house. Megginson states that this is apparently the old Cold Springs plantation which had belonged to someone associated with the Calhoun Family.
31:48: 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.