Little Mountain, South Carolina

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Little Mountain, South Carolina
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Little Mountain, South Carolina


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = South Carolina
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Newberry

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
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established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 2.7
area_land_km2 = 2.7
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.1
area_land_sq_mi = 1.1
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 255
population_density_km2 = 93.2
population_density_sq_mi = 241.3

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 187
elevation_ft = 614
latd = 34 |latm = 11 |lats = 43 |latNS = N
longd = 81 |longm = 24 |longs = 50 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 29075
area_code = 803
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 45-41965GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1231486GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Little Mountain is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 255 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Buddy Johnson.

Geography

Little Mountain is located at coor dms|34|11|43|N|81|24|50|W|city (34.195161, -81.413946)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.7 km²), all of it land.

Little Mountain is located on Interstate 26 at Exit 85, its approximately convert|2|mi|km|0 to the heart of downtown.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 255 people, 121 households, and 75 families residing in the town. The population density was 241.3 people per square mile (92.9/km²). There were 132 housing units at an average density of 124.9/sq mi (48.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 86.67% White, 12.94% African American, 0.39% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population.

There were 121 households out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.67.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $34,063, and the median income for a family was $49,107. Males had a median income of $30,865 versus $25,833 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,159. None of the families and 2.2% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 6.9% of those over 64.

History & Culture

The mountain is a monadnock which is an isolated mountain or rock that has resisted the process of erosion and stands alone in an otherwise flat area.

Early History

The mountain was referred to as Ruff's Mountain until sometime in the 1800s. It was part of Lexington County until 1917, when the current border was established. Property in this area was not recorded in the Newberry County tax records until some time in the 1920s. The Eastern side of the mountain was once owned by Sam Birge, and later Arthur Kohn. It would change hands between the two several times before coming into the possession of the Derrick family in the 1930s. The other side, including what became the town of Little Mountain, was owned by Abraham N. Boland.

The Town

Frederick H. Dominick was appointed as postmaster in May 1852. Abraham Noah Boland was appointed as postmaster of the Little Mountain Post Office in 1888. Boland's farm became the site of the depot when the C. N. & L Railroad (Columbia, Newberry, & Laurens Railroad Company) began operation. The town was incorporated and Boland became the first mayor of the town. Today, Boland is considered the "Father of Little Mountain."

Education

In 1892, a school was opened in a tenant house and taught by the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Rev. S. L. Nease. Later a one-room school building was built on an acre of land donated by Noah Boland. Increased enrollment brought a two-room building and finally, in 1908 the plans were made to build the present Little Mountain Elementary School. Several additions and modifications have been made to the building since the original construction.

Little Mountain Town Reunion

Every year, the town of Little Mountain hosts the "Little Mountain Town Reunion" during the month of August. The Little Mountain Reunion is one of South Carolina’s oldest folk festivals. It began in 1882, as an effort by a person connected to Newberry College for encouraging local class reunions, the hope being that it would generate interest in the new college. The college experienced a number of set-backs since its organization; misused by Federal troops during the Civil War, moved to Walhalla in the upper part of South Carolina, and finally back to Newberry, the county seat of Newberry County. Because most people traveled either on two or four feet due to the lack of trains and automobiles, meeting places were selected mainly on the convenience of their location The Newberry Observer documents that in 1882 this group met first at Corinth Lutheran Church across the Saluda River. It was probably in the next year, or possibly the following year, that the officials decided to try the site at Little Mountain. The event was so successful that it was decided by those present that each year a Newberry College Reunion would be held at the foot of Little Mountain. The even took place on property recently purchased by A. N. Boland from Frederick Henry Dominick. He was quite agreeable to this plan and for many years prepared and sold barbecue, rice and hash, lemonade, and ice-cream to those who attended. For those who wished to bring along their own picnic, tables were erected between trees. Every year, people came riding in on horseback or in buggies, wagons, carts, etc. Then in 1890 when the first train came through Little Mountain, old-timers recall how more coaches were added at reunion time to bring people from Irmo, Ballentine, White Rock, Hilton, Chapin, Clinton, Goldville, Kinards, Prosperity, Newberry and Slighs

A typical Little Mountain Reunion afforded not only a time to renew friendships made at school but the time to catch up on political thinking and the state of politics in the Dutch Fork. A welcoming address by the president of Newberry College made everyone feel at home and gave a pretty good idea of the state of the college.

These reunions became a traditional part of the community, situated in the heart of the Dutch Fork area, and were eagerly anticipated by everybody in the area. The simple pleasures afforded here along with the community spirit helped maintain the reunion until the eve of WWII.

In 1976, the Town of Little Mountain and the Ruritan Club decided to renew the reunion as a bicentennial project. The idea generated a great deal of enthusiasm in the town. The festival was such a success that the Little Mountain Association was formed and the Little Mountain Reunion again became an annual affair.

References

External links

* [http://www.littlemountainsc.info Town of Little Mountain]