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Town of Calhoun, South Carolina Oral History Collection

MixonM Cassette 1, Side 2

Media

Part of Interview: Mixon, Mildred Cochran

Title

MixonM Cassette 1, Side 2

Source

Mildred Cochran Mixon Interview

Date

1988-08-31

Description

Cassette 1

Side 2

00:07: Mrs. Mixon is speaking mid-sentence. She states that people would gather on the benches outside a local establishment. It is unclear exactly which establishment she is speaking of. Mrs. Mixon says that after school kids would always stop and browse at items in the store. A prank bench at some point was placed inside the store that would give an electric shock to any unsuspecting individual that attempted to take a seat on it.

2:12: They speak of the Doyle home. It was "...beyond Ann Crawford's home." It was a large antebellum style mansion. Individuals could see Tillman Hall at Clemson College from this house.

3:45: Kids used to play around the train trestle. This made Mrs. Mixon's mom anxious and angry.

4:30: From the back door of the Doyle house looking north, one could see the Hal Boggs house.

6:21: Mrs. Mixon reflects on memories of the Hal Boggs home. She can remember listening to their son Jimmy play the piano, and admiring the view from the tower atop the house. The date of the house's construction is not known to her. It was an impressive house, with large columns on the porch.

11:30: The two discuss Jane Prince's connection to Hal Boggs. She was his mother-in-law. Her daughter Essie married Mr. Boggs.

11:50: A rumor regarding Essie Prince's father is discussed. Mrs. Mixon cannot verify the story, but relates that the father was either "Calhoun or Clemson." Megginson states that it is more likely to be Clemson because of the dates (the rumor may actually involves John Calhoun Clemson--Thomas G. Clemson's son--though he was killed in a train accident as a young man). Mrs. Prince was Thomas G. Clemson's longtime housekeeper and was never married. The story was well known in town, though neither Mrs. Prince nor Essie ever discussed it.

15:14: Megginson urges Mrs. Mixon to recall what she can about the local railroad. The depot has always been in its present location, she cannot remember it being at any other site. In her memory there has always been an overpass present. A couple of the station agents that can be recalled are Hal Boggs, Tom White, and a Mr. Ragsdale and McNeely.

18:01: The railroad foreman Mr. Vandiver lived near in proximity to the Mixon's. The two families were close friends.

21:00: As a child, Mrs. Mixon was impressed with her Uncle John, and Aunt Louis.

23:00: She recalls the residence portion of the Boggs store, and how it all has changed since becoming "Calhoun Corner's."

29:24: Her mother worked as a seamstress for the community. There was no place to buy women's cloths locally; they had to be hand made. Mrs. Mixon can remember clients coming over for fittings.

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.