About Us
John Taylor brought his family from Virginia in 1749 and made their home on Back Swamp near the present Bluff Road. Acquiring a great deal of property, the Taylor family became very prominent in the area.
One of the Taylor sons, Thomas, was born in Amelia County, Virginia, September 10, 1743. As a young boy and man he grew to know the land in the central region of South Carolina well. He met Ann Wyche who also was born in Virginia, and they were married January 2, 1767. Thomas Taylor fought in the Revolution and attained the rank of colonel. He was wounded and captured by the British at Fishing Creek and escaped with his brother John while they were being taken to Camden. He served under General Thomas Sumter and at one time commanded Fort Granby.
While he was away, his wife, Ann, managed their lands and took care of their young children under very difficult circumstances. The British took her slaves; all of her provisions and stock were stolen; and smallpox was rampant.
Col. Thomas Taylor was a civic minded individual. Among many other duties, he was a member of the convention which adopted the Constitution of the United States, and he frequently served in the State Legislature.
The state offered land at ten dollars for a hundred acres in 1785, and in that year Thomas Taylor, Wade Hampton and Timothy Rives bought 18,500 acres on both sides of Gill Creek. Wade Hampton took the land on the side of the creek extending to Millwood. Col. Taylor's portion lay on the side toward Columbia. With this purchase, Thomas Taylor became the owner of all of the land on which present day Forest Acres lies. The land was made up of various areas, some of which would later be called Edgehill, Bethel Church, Quinine Hill and Dent's Pond (Forest Lake).
Thomas Taylor was a man of great wealth who had owned much property prior to purchasing the land bordering on Gill Creek. In 1786 he and his brother James sold land to the state of South Carolina for a new capital, Columbia, to be built. He must have had a sense of humor, for he is quoted as saying he spoiled a mighty good plantation to make a mighty poor town. His later deeds showed that he did have respect for the city. He helped lay out Columbia and served as a city commissioner for a number of years.
In 1791 President George Washington made a tour of the South. Col. Taylor was a member of the small delegation which escorted him from Augusta to Columbia. Washington traveled in a chariot made from a totally overhauled coach painted white and sporting beautiful designs with gilded framework and springs. It was in this carriage that the first President of the United States traveled from Columbia to Camden on a road called the Camden Road. The portion of that road which now runs through Forest Acres is Forest Drive.
Col. Taylor built a mill on Gill Creek in 1796. The ruins stand near the present Old Mill Circle off Lakeview Circle off Trenholm Road. One of the original millstones lies within the walls of the ruins. Cotton goods were woven at the mill for Col. Taylor's plantation use. The mill was called Taylor's Mill. Later John and Edward Fisher operated it as a cotton spinning mill, and it became known as Fisher's Mill.
After a very full and productive life, Thomas Taylor died November 16, 1833, and was laid to rest in the Taylor cemetery on the grounds of his home at the corner of Richland and Barnwell in Columbia. The inscription on his tombstone reads: "His Noble person & majestic figure, Patriarchal age & venerable appearance, Mild, Affectionate, Simple & dignified Manner won for him, Living, the love & respect of all who knew him. His spotless character and irreproachable life have made his example, Dead, an inheritance of inestimable value to his Posterity." Eight months later his wife, Ann Wyche Taylor, died. Her inscription states: "The companion of Him By whose side she is laid and whose pilgrimage through life she shared for 67 years. To her Savior she dedicated her early youth, and reaped the rich rewards of his Grace by a pious and well-spent life.
LANDRUM - STORK PROPERTIES Dr. Abner Landrum published a newspaper, The Hive, in Pottersville near Edgefield. The newspaper was sympathetic to Northern views. A committee of the Union Party enticed him to Columbia around 1830 where he published The Columbia Free Press and Hive for a short time.
Bringing with him pottery making skills, he moved to the present Bethel Church Road area. He established the Landrum Brick and Pottery Company which operated from 1832 until 1911. He introduced alkaline glaze pottery to the area. Fire bricks which could withstand intensive heat that made them suitable as liners for stoves, fireplaces, boilers and heaters were made at his brickyard. Landrum built a house which is located at 4712 Bethel Church Road. The house has undergone various additions and renovations. His daughter, Julia Abner, married into the Stork family. The Landrum industry became the R.M. Stork Brickyard which operated from 1911 until 1970.
The original chimney from the 1800s stands encased within another chimney built in 1935 on the grounds of the Brickyard Condominiums on Bethel Church Road.
EDGEHILL Upon the death of his father, Thomas Taylor, Benjamin Franklin Taylor inherited at least 400 acres of land. Benjamin Franklin Taylor was born at the home of his parents in Columbia July 10, 1791, and graduated from Mt. Zion Institute and Princeton. He married Sally Webb Coles September 25,1822. He built a plantation house at the present corner of Cherry Laurel and Verner and named his home Edgehill. The name was at times written as Edge Hill. Edgehill and other homes are mentioned on the historical marker at the comer of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard. Part of the brick foundation of the house at 4125 Verner is original to Benjamin Franklin Taylor's Edgehill home. One theory holds that Edgehill was named after Edgehill, England where the first battle between the Cavaliers of Charles I and the Roundheads was fought in which Oliver Cromwell was a captain of the horse. Benjamin Franklin Taylor served a term in the state legislature and was a successful planter on a large scale. He won numerous prizes at state fairs for the products of his plantations. His horse won the prestigious South Carolina Jockey Club stake. Benjamin Franklin and Sally Taylor had five children: Virginia, Thomas, Sally Coles, Anne Wyche and Benjamin Walter. Benjamin Walter Taylor, who was born at Edgehill, became a physician. He was present at the bombardment upon Fort Sumter and at the first battle of Manassas. Serving under Gen. Wade Hampton, he cared for the sick and wounded of the Confederacy but also tended to the needs of Union soldiers when called upon. He advanced in position and was present at many more battles including Gettysburg. After the war, he resumed his medical practice and became an eminent surgeon. Upon Benjamin Franklin Taylor's death May 12, 1852 at Edgehill, the land passed to his wife, Sally. His will reads: "To my wife Sally W. Taylor I give, devise and bequeath in fee simple forever my residence called Edgehill and the four hundred acres of land thereunto attached." An 1863 deed of conveyance of land from Sally W. Taylor to William Shepherd shows the sale of a portion of her land for $13,000. The deed states that she sold 255 and two-fifths acres which "was formerly the residence of B.F. Taylor who devised the same to me." The land passed from William Shepherd to Jackson Taylor, and in 1885, became the property of Adelaide Plumer (pronounced plume-er). When she acquired the property, it was called "Quinine Tract" on the deede3 Adelaide Plumer was a descendent of John Francis Dalloz who was born in St. Guade, France in 1788. He served as a soldier under Napoleon and was seriously injured at the Battle of Waterloo. It is believed that John Francis Dalloz came to this country shortly after the fall of Napoleon in 18 15. He purchased a few acres of land on the Camden Road (Forest Drive) and established vineyards and made wine. He is thought to have been a florist. Mrs. Wade Hampton employed him to beautify the gardens at her home, the Hampton-Preston Mansion bounded by Blanding, Henderson, Laurel and Pickens Streets. His son, John Francis Dalloz, was born in 1832 and died in 1898. Some of the women of the Dalloz family were skillful seamstresses who made beautiful clothes for the fashionable women of Columbia. There are conflicting accounts of the fate of Edgehill during the Civil War. One neighborhood tradition states that Sherman's troops spared the home because of the French names in the area. A family tradition holds that, because someone associated with the home manufactured gunpowder for the Confederacy, Sherman's army destroyed the house intentionally, and the present house was built shortly after the war on part of the foundations of the old house. Adelaide Dalloz Plumer was the wife of Robert E. Plumer. Their daughter Sara, called "Sally" or "Miss Sally," lived in the house from her birth in 1893 until her death in 1978. She was married later in her life to John Roof. Upon her death, the house was left to Elizabeth Plumer Elizabeth Plumer deeded the house to Robert Jackson "Jack" Plumer and his three sons.
BETHEL CHURCH Religion played a large part in the lives of those residing in the sparsely populated area now known as Forest Acres. By 1832, a minister began preaching in the area. He was one of the early Methodist ministers called circuit riders who would travel by horseback over long, difficult and dangerous roads and fields, through thick woods fording rivers and streams with or without bridges in all types of weather to preach the gospel. Tradition holds that Thomas Taylor gave the land and lumber for a church, and in 1835 Bethel Church was officially organized by a few faithful people. The small frame church stood at the comer of present Daniel Street and Willingham Drive. At the time the church was organized, Willingham was a small dirt road that was part of Satchel Ford Road. Satchel Ford Road connected the Camden Road (Forest Drive) and Two Notch Road. The Rev. John Tarrant and the Rev. Payton G. Bowman were preachers for the Columbia Circuit of which Bethel was one of possibly fifteen places of worship over a three county area. A plat prepared by Samuel G. Henry in 1860 shows Bethel Church property as one acre surrounded by Taylor property on three sides and land owned by Samuel Dent on the fourth. Landrum is shown as owning land adjacent to Taylor property, and B.T. Dent owned land adjacent to the Taylor and Samuel Dent properties. Samuel G. Henry referred to the present Forest Drive as the Columbia Road to Camden. Across that road lay property owned by J.P. Richbourg. Bethel United Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as it was officially known, burned in a terrible forest fire in 1867 and was rebuilt the next year. The new church was a small wooden building located in the area of the present Bethel United Methodist Church's parking lot facing Willingham. In their history of the church, Nettie S. Allen and 0. Holt Allen describe the church as a one-room structure having "two steps leading to the double doors on the little porch, and three windows on each side. Surrounded by woods, it reminded one of the 'little church in the wildwood.' Church goers came either on foot or by buggy. Church fellowship was enlivened by an occasional 'dinner on the grounds' event." "Inside, rows of wooden benches were separated by a center aisle leading to the slightly raised pulpit area. Behind the table at the front which held the wicker offering baskets was the pulpit and a larger wooden pulpit chair with arms flanked by two smaller, armless chairs. To the right was the reed pump organ and near the center of the room was the wood-burning pot-bellied stove which had to be fired early on cold Sunday mornings. A hanging fixture of oil lamps provided light for an occasional night meeting and the fall revival held by visiting minister~."~ The Dent family played a major role in the histories of Bethel Church and Forest Acres. Samuel Dent (1810-1878) and his wife, Alice Wages Dent (1816-1884)' were faithful, active church members. Alice's family was probably Methodist. Alice joined the Methodist Church at the age of 14, and Samuel became a member when they married. Samuel led in cutting the timber for and building the first church. Visiting ministers always stayed in their home. Samuel was the son of Hezekiah Dent who was of Scotch-Irish descent. Before 1800, the Dents farmed and engaged in lumbering in the present Dentsville area. Samuel Dent knew Col. Thomas Taylor and worked with him. He managed much of Col. Taylor's land and purchased 1800 acres from him. He ran a grist mill on Dent's Pond which is now Forest Lake and also ran a saw mill. His rope factory was burned by Sherman's troops. Besides being active in his church, he was also a school trustee. Alice Wages Dent's father, William Wages, was the owner of a grist mill and a planter on the Camden Road. She and Samuel had twelve or more children. Three of their children fought in the Confederate Army. By 1850, there were a number of Dents in the area, and their land ownership became extensive. They were involved in farming, raising livestock, the turpentine and timber industries and the operation of saw mills. Their holdings ranged from the present Sesquicentennial Park into Forest Acres. Columbia Mall and Richland Mall stand on land once owned by the Dents. Much of the present Forest Acres became the property of members of the Dent family. At the end of the 1800's, Samuel Henry Dent represented Bethel Church at the Columbia Methodist District Conference. His report for the church in 1900 read, "Outlook hopeful." The names of individuals and families who worshipped at Bethel in the 1800's reflect the makeup of the church as well as a partial make-up of the community. Those names are Cooper, Cunningham, Dalloz, Dent, Eleazor, Elders, Ellisor, Evans, Fetner, Geiger, Harrison, Heidt, Horsnby, Jones, Kelly, LaGrande, Landrum, Lee, Nelson, Onley, Plurner, Richbourg, Ryals, Romanstine, Stork, Wages and Waite.
QUININE HILL Ownership of the western section of the present Forest Acres (the present Beltline Boulevard side) passed from Col. Thomas Taylor to his son, Thomas Taylor, Jr. The property was quickly transferred to Maj. Taylor's son, Dr. James Madison Taylor, who named it Quinine Hill because of its freedom from malaria. Malaria was a serious threat in the summer in Columbia and lowland areas. Mosquitoes transmitted the disease. Because of its high elevation and sandy soil which absorbed water quickly, Dr. Taylor's land and the lands surrounding his property were not good breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The area of Quinine Hill is the highest point in the vicinity at 357 feet above sea level. Forest Acres lies within the state's Sandhills geographic zone which brackets the fall line and marks the ancient coastline. Quinine was thought to be a preventative or cure for malaria. A spring flowed on Dr. Taylor's property, and he and others believed that the water of the spring contained quinine. Drinking the water from the spring was said to protect people from the illness. Quinine (pronounced by the early families as rhyming with pin nine) Hill is mentioned on the historical marker at the corner of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard. All of the other homes named on the marker did not fall within the present Forest Acres city limits, but members of the Taylor family socialized with the notable South Carolinians who built antebellum homes in the malaria-free section. Hilltop was the home of W. J. Taylor. Laurel Hill belonged to DJ. McCord. Cooper's Hill belonged to Thomas Cooper. Langdon Cheves owned Windy Hill. Rose Hill belonged to Arthur Middleton, and Diamond Hill was in the Singleton, McDuffie and Hampton families. It lay within the present Forest Hills and was destroyed by Sherman who intentionally burned the homes of Wade Hampton 111. When Columbia residents went out to visit friends in the present Forest Acres area, they traveled on the dirt road where Taylor Street and Forest Drive now exist. Then it was called Taylor's lane from the corner of Marion and Taylor Streets on out past Quinine Hill and Edgehill because so many Taylors, all related, lived on it. Dr. James Madison Taylor moved to Alabama, and Quinine Hill passed to Dr. James Davis about 1834. Dr. Davis, an eminent physician, played a major role in the success of the Lunatic Asylum (the present State Hospital) which opened in 1828. The hospital was a leader in humane treatment of the mentally ill. Quinine Hill changed ownership and, in the 19207s, was purchased by John Hughes Cooper who then sold it to Senator James H. Harnrnond.
JOHN HUGHES COOPER John Hughes Cooper (pronounced as rhyming with cooker) was born April 18, 1885, in the Indiantown Community of Williarnsburg County. His parents were William and Esther Agnes Daniel Cooper. He spent his childhood on Moss Grove, the family plantation inherited from his great-grandfather, Col. William Cooper. John Hughes Cooper had eight brothers and sisters. He attended grammar school at Indiantown. He then went to high school in Kingstree. His family had been wealthy in past generations, but hard times had fallen upon the aristocracy who inherited the land in South Carolina. It was not possible at the time to make money by farming Moss Grove. In 1905, John Hughes Cooper began working his way through the University of South Carolina. He sharpened his public speaking skills in the Euphradian Literary Society in which he served as president. He entered law school and graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Law in 19 10, the same year that he was admitted to the South Carolina Bar. He took a post graduate course at Columbia University. He decided long before never to return to farming. He practiced law in Spartanburg one year and then went back to Columbia to establish his practice. He brought his family to Columbia and largely supported them. He set about providing an education for the younger members of the family, eventually helping with the education of his brothers' and sisters' children. John Hughes Cooper remained a bachelor, and his family was extremely dear to him throughout his life. He had his law office at 12 15 Washington Street. His living quarters were originally upstairs. He was usually called by his double name, John Hughes, and many referred to him as "The Lawyer." Later his nephews7 friends who worked for him would call him by the name his nieces and nephews used, "Uncle John." John Hughes Cooper was a brilliant attorney. He was a great trial lawyer and often held the jury spellbound. Many of his clients were too poor to pay, as was the case with other attorneys. If a client had the money, John Hughes Cooper would get a good fee, but if they had no money, The Lawyer gladly gave his services. He treated all of his clients alike-rich or poor, black or white, young or old, brilliant or ignorant. His nephew, Edwin Cooper, Sr., who later practiced law with his uncle, stated "Clients in trouble loved him. Nobody, I don't care how guilty or how poor, ever had any doubt, if he took their case, that he was on their side.77H6 e was a fighter. The Lawyer had a great wit. His friend, John Gregg McMaster, explained, "Unlike other interesting and entertaining people, his humor and wit were entirely original. He never told jokes; his statements and observations were always more keen than any story going the round^.'^ Life for his friends and other lawyers was made more interesting by the humorous sayings of John Hughes Cooper. The police liked to tell about the day The Lawyer interviewed a client in jail. There was a small room for interviews with seats along the side of the steps. While John Hughes Cooper and his client were talking, the client suddenly died, fell off his seat and rolled down the steps. The police asked what happened, and The Lawyer replied, "Why, I just told him what my fee was, and he dropped dead." John Gregg McMaster related another incident. "The Lawyer," he said, "represented a man charged with safecracking. While in jail and awaiting trial, the defendant wrote a letter to his wife that clearly established his guilt. The jail authorities intercepted the letter and turned it over to the Solicitor. The interception was not known to the defendant, and he failed to tell his lawyer, Mr. Cooper, about his letter writing. "At the trial, the Solicitor produced varying proof of the defendant's guilt and wound up by introducing the intercepted letter. Over the vehement objections of Lawyer Cooper, the presiding judge permitted the Solicitor to read the letter to the jury. Mr. Cooper's objections were long and vigorous, but fruitless. He finally took his seat and listened to the reading of the fateful letter. The defendant who expected all kinds of miracles from his lawyer then turned to him and said, 'Whatcha gonna do now, Mr. Cooper? Whatcha gonna do?' To which the Lawyer replied, 'Nothing, but you're gonna do about thirty years.' " In 1912 Lee Lorick and Ben Abney and others purchased Dent's Pond and the land about it from Samuel Dent and his brother, William Dent, naming the area and their organization Lakeview. They built a concrete spillway in the middle of the old dam. Below this, they built a large oval pond. Concrete sides and walks were placed around it. Next to the concrete areas lay twelve or more bath houses where swimmers could dress. There are only two words to adequately describe Columbia, South Carolina in the summer: hot and humid. And, of course, there was no air conditioning at the time. People would make the long trip over the rutted, sandy Old Camden Road, or, as the present Forest Drive was alternately called, the Old Wire Road, to swim in the cool, refreshing waters of Lakeview. The road was described as being as rough as an old washboard, and Model T Fords were said to have danced across it. It was not an easy dance. Around the end of World War I, the original owners of Lakeview decided not to operate it any longer, and they sold it to John Hughes Cooper. In 1920, he established Forest Land Company, and the area around Lakeview became the first property that the company would develop. John Hughes Cooper organized the Lakeview Club which included expanded swimming facilities and a dance pavilion. It was run for profit, but he also enjoyed being with the people who came. Membership fees were twenty dollars per season for families and ten dollars for individuals. Uncle John's nephews and their friends helped run it during their summer vacations. The Dent house which still stands at 104 Country Club Drive now belonged to John Hughes Cooper. It had a large two-story back porch at the time where many of the summer workers would stay. A view of the original Lakeview grounds is visible from the back of the house. Between 1923 and 1925, John Hughes Cooper sold, through the Forest Land Company, part of his property for Forest Lake Club. He and his brother, Paul Cooper, were instrumental in the start of the club. An agreement was worked out where John Hughes Cooper would receive an amount of money for each Forest Lake Club member to offset his loss of revenue when his old Lakeview members began swimming up-lake at Forest Lake rather than down-lake at lake vie^.^ Forest Lake Club was organized primarily for golf, and fashionable golfers in 1925 wore caps and knee length knickers. Later tennis was added to the club. Most of Forest Lake Club presently lies outside of Forest Acres, but eleven acres on Trenholm Road lie within the city. The Lawyer continued to acquire more land from the Dents as well as some Cook property (no known relationship to the writer of this history). His holdings ran across the present Trenholrn Road area north of Eight Mile Branch. He purchased a great deal of property in the present Forest Acres including the Dent land adjacent to Bethel Church. John Hughes Cooper had a vision. He planned to develop the property for an up-scale residential area. This was a true vision, for the land out the Old Camden Wire Road, the present Forest Drive, was considered to be "the country." By this time, it was also considered poor land because people thought in terms of farming and the sandy soil was not rich. The land was said to be so poor that a rabbit had to pack his lunch to cross it. But John Hughes Cooper wasn't thinking about rabbits or farming. He told his friends that he would sell farm land at city prices, and people would live on it. Few others could begin to imagine the land as a fashionable area where people would wish to make their homes. It was difficult to sell the idea to bankers in order to obtain a mortgage, but he managed to do so, and he was very grateful to Samuel Dent, called "Sam," for holding the mortgage on much of the land. Before and during the Depression it became harder and harder to keep his holdings. Even more of The Lawyer's clients could not pay their legal fees. Over the future years he would relate that while he was operating Lakeview, a bank began to pressure him about his mortgage. He prepared a deed conveying the property to the bank. He walked into the bank and asked, "Where's your swimming department?" After being told that the bank did not have a swimming department, he presented the deed and said, "Well, you do now." He was granted an extension. His nephew, Edwin Cooper Sr., would later write that practically the rest of John Hughes Cooper's life "this project was a stone around his neck, but with the help of those (legal) fees and that fine old gentleman, Sam Dent, who held the mortgage, he kept it going and improving." In looking back the investment seemed logical, but "it is hard to imagine the foresight, the bullishness, the sacrifice and the constant battle that Uncle John put into his projects." John Hughes Cooper liked to say that when he left the old family plantation in 1905, he had vowed, "I'll never tell a mule to get up again unless he is sitting in my lap." However, The Lawyer would later appreciate a mule, and it wasn't a "he." It was a "she" named Ida. John Hughes Cooper engaged Ida to pull the logs to clear what is now North Trenholm Road. In naming his properties, John Hughes Cooper began the names with the word, "Forest." It was a good name, for forests made up most of the area. Many beautiful trees were on his and the surrounding lands. Some of the long leaf pines still bore the scars where they had been boxed for turpentine. Loblolly pines were plentiful. Tall poplars, hickories and sweetgums grew along with scattered oaks. Short scrub oaks, setting the autumns ablaze with their flame red foliage, filled in the areas beneath. He gave his address at the old Dent house as Forest Lake Gardens and saw to it that the Old Camden Road was named Forest Drive. Some wanted to call it Forest Road, but he believed Forest Drive was more suitable for the area as he envisioned it. For people to purchase land for the beautiful development he planned, The Lawyer knew that they would have to have running water, and wells with pumps weren't convenient. Water lines running out from Columbia would help his land development. John Hughes Cooper's friend, Senator James H. H m o n d , had purchased ten acres of land from Cooper on the western side of the present Forest Acres. With that purchase, Hamrnond had become the principal owner of Quinine Hill. He, too, wanted water lines as did the people living in the area between them.
SENATOR JAMES H. HAMMOND Both sides of the soon to be Forest Acres were now owned by colorful characters: Senator Hammond and John Hughes Cooper. They were characters in the very best sense of the word, and they were friends. Senator Hammond worked with John Hughes Cooper in naming Forest Drive. They had long before become friends in the practice of law. Attorney W.D. Simpson related, "As a law student, I well remember that when Mr. Cooper was on one side of a case and Senator Hammond on the other, almost the entire law school student body would attend, learning far more from the brilliant display of skill, knowledge and wit than we ever did from our more scholastic law teachers." James Henry Hammond was the son of Edward Spann Harnmond and Laura Hanson Dunbar. He was born February 3, 1885, in Blackville. He attended school in Blackville and Aiken and at Porter Military Academy. He received a bachelor of science degree from The Citadel in 1907 and a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 19 10. He was the captain of The Citadel football teams in 1905 and 1906. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1910 and established a practice in Columbia. He helped organize Security Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1923 and served as president from 1935 until 1955. He was president of the Columbia Savings and Loan League, South Carolina Savings and Loan League, and Southeastern Conference Savings and Loan League. On December 2, 1914, he married Janie Marshall, daughter of John Quitrnan and Jane Adams Brooks Marshall whose home was the DeBruhI-Marshall House on the northeastern corner of Laurel and Marion streets in Columbia. Jim and Janie Hamrnond had four children: Edward Spann, called Spann; James Henry Harnrnond, Jr. who died in infancy; Quitman Marshall, called Quitman; and Laura Hanson. James H. Hammond was a politician and a statesman. He represented Richland County in the House of Representatives from 19 15 through 1918 where he served on various committees. He was a member of the state Senate from 1927 until 1934 where he chaired the committees on penal and charitable institutions and served on a number of others. He chaired the board of directors of the state ports authority and the state public service authority. He was a strong advocate of Santee-Cooper from its beginnings by promoting it and its lakes as major industrial assets as well as outstanding recreational areas. He was originally a member of the Democratic Party and served on the state executive committee as well as in other party roles. After World War 11, he supported Dwight D. Eisenhower for President. Eisenhower acknowledged the great help that Hammond provided in the election. Senator Hamrnond served as a presidential elector for George Wallace in 1968. He served on and headed numerous civic cornrnittees. He was president of the Town Theater in 1932 and the Columbia Stage Society from 1936 until 1940. He was a member of the sesquicentennial commission in 1936 and was a life member of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. The Citadel bestowed upon him a doctor of law degree in 1960. He donated the valuable papers of the Hammond family to the South Caroliniana Library at the University and served as president of the university's South Caroliniana Society from 1960 until 1963. Senator Hammond7s colleagues recognized that he was a genius. He was also an eccentric. He always dressed in a very dignified manner when the occasion called for it, but in the office, he liked to wear his riding breeches and boots. Being a true pack rat, he loved to collect things. He reveled in what others would consider clutter and chaos. One attorney remarked on the disarray of the Senator's office, desk piled high with papers and books strewn about, that one would think that Jim Harnmond would never find anything. But Senator Harnrnond worked effectively and lived happily in the clutter. Rooms of his house were filled with items that he collected. He collected old millstones which can still be seen at Millpond off Troy Road. These likely came from the Old Fisher's Mill. The acreage that Senator Hammond purchased north of Forest Drive consisted primarily of trees with a few winding, sandy, dirt roads. Several small houses that had been used as summer retreats were on the land. These were not at all fine houses, and, in fact, some were referred to as shacks, but they had provided shelter for summer visits to the country. The Hammonds eventually moved into one of these houses which stands with renovations at 3716 John Francis Court off Valley Road near the intersection of Beltline and Forest Drive. Senator Hammond had wealth, but a fancy house was not his dream. He and his wife, Janie, added to the original house as the need arose. A kitchen from a house built in Camden before the Revolutionary War was brought to Quinine Hill and added to the Harnmond home. The house became a very interesting place. It grew to include around eighteen rooms, some big and some small, with all sorts of nooks and crannies and a big porch. The house had a working chimney over the front door. A water tower which supplied water for the Hammonds and later for their neighbors was added to the property. The Hammonds always referred to the area and their home as Quinine Hill. The old spring continued to flow and held an honored place as it bubbled up near the northwestern corner of the present intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard. Senator Hammond had a small brick or stone structure placed near the spring to define it. Many people continued to believe that the cool flowing waters contained quinine and would fill small containers and take a drink for medicinal purposes or to quench their thirst. Senator Hammond also owned a small, old house in the present Millpond area off Troy Road. There were various buildings about the house and two ponds. One was a small ornamental fish pond and the other pond was large enough for swimming. The swimming pond was humorously referred to as "Belly Acres." Cows, goats, at least one donkey and a swayback horse known as White Cloud were kept near the pond. The esteemed Senator was a child at heart, and children adored him. He had as much fun as they did when he helped them ride the donkey and play with the other animals. He was very interested in horticulture. He grew 700 to 800 scuppernongs, Concords, Niagras, Moore's Early and Thomas grapes. Dogwood and holly trees were added and over 1000 pecan trees were planted, some of which still stand at Millpond. The land around the present intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline became a pecan grove. Senator James H. Hammond was the principal developer of Beltline Boulevard. He had cedars brought from Broad Acres, a farm near Springfield, South Carolina, that was in his family. The cedars were planted along Beltline. These were later cut down when Beltline was widened. Senator Hammond's dream for his property was to provide good homes at a reasonable price for young professional people and their families. He wanted to be surrounded by friends. His main interests were not in making a profit. William Y. "Bill" and Valeria Hazelhurst were a pioneering young couple who moved out to Quinine Hill in 1934. They became the first to live on Valley Road. Bill Hazelhurst was a civil engineer who was acquainted with Senator Hamrnond, and they eventually became fast friends. He surveyed much of the land in the Quinine Hill area and laid out Beltline Boulevard. As a private contractor, he laid out the runways at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. He worked for three years with Santee-Cooper and was chief of construction for the Veterans Administration. The Hazelhursts bought a little house and two acres of land for eight hundred dollars. The house was eventually expanded, and after World War 11, they built their home which stands at 3621 Valley Road. Quinine Hill was a good place to raise their daughter, Elizabeth whom they called "Liz," and their son, Yates. Many of their friends came out to the area after the Hazelhursts moved to Valley Road. On Saturday nights they would gather in each other's homes for dinner and often roll back the rugs and dance. At times they would all go out to what they called "The Acres Club," an abandoned building at Fort Jackson. Fort Jackson had been demobilized as a full time base in 1918 and was left for use by the National Guard. The friends, carrying a half pint of corn whiskey, would also go to Senator Hammond's pond where they would dance to a piccolo. Streets were laid out in Quinine Hill. They were originally numbered with avenues running east to west and streets running north to south. The present Hanson Avenue was 2ndAvenue; Madison Road was 2nd Street and Dalloz Road was 3rd Street. They were not yet paved. Some of the streets reflect Harnmond family names as well as the names of others who lived on them. Dalloz Road and John Francis Court bear the names of a resident from the 1800's, John Francis Dalloz. While Senator Hammond sold lots in Quinine Hill, he also retained much of his land. He later established a park in the area. Quinine Hill Park lies near Valley Road on Beltline Boulevard. On Christmas day in 1934, residents of Quinine Hill elected officials for their neighborhood. William J. Taylor was named mayor, and J. Foster Marshall and Edward H. Talbert were named to the council. Harry Taylor was elected game warden with police powers, though it was said that police powers were never needed.
FIRST FAMILIES There were at least two schools to educate the children in the vicinity. Bethel School was located on Forest Drive on the western side of Landmark Drive across from Dalloz Road. The other was on the eastern comer of the present Willingham Drive and Forest Drive. The Dent family remained prominent in the area. Benjamin T. Dent's land lay on the southern side of Eight Mile Branch up to and, at times, crossing the present Forest Drive. This included property extending on both sides of Willingham Drive over toward North Trenholm Road. His land was passed down to his children. His son Archie (actual name, Arthur) Gamewell Dent's home was in the area of the present 4700 block of Forest Drive, to the north, where Forest Park is located. A.G. Dent was married to Ethel Smith Dent. Their children, Arthur Gamewell "Bubba" and Bernice, liked the location close to the Old Camden road. Long after Forest Drive was paved, Bernice recalled the wagons traveling from the country to Columbia hauling kindling wood to sell in the city. Boykin Thomas Davis purchased an acre of land and a house at the present 4400 block of Forest Drive across from the Laureate. He and his bride, Fannie Cline Davis, moved into the house on their wedding day, June 1, 1904. They had two children, Alva Louise Davis and Hugh Gilbert Davis. Boykin Thomas Davis worked at S.W. Dent's store near the present location of Cardinal Newman High School. Around 1909, he built his own store, the B.T. Davis Grocery Store, next to their house. The store later had the first gas pump between Columbia and Camden. The Davis store played an important role in the history of Forest Acres. George D. Huiet and his wife, Maude Etheridge Huiet, and their six children lived on Forest Drive across from the present Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church in a large, lovely farmhouse. They watched as Forest Drive changed before them into a modem, paved thoroughfare. The Huiets owned 15 acres which ran from the present Falcon Drive down near Dalloz Road and south near Chateau Drive. They operated a dairy and were said to have the best buttermilk in the area. The Huiets were given the choice of having the present Dalloz Road named after them but declined. Hattie (pronounced Hettie) Evans (pronounced as rhyming with give ins), known as "Miss Hattie," lived in a pretty, two-story white house in the vicinity of the present Chateau de Ville Condominiums on Chateau Drive. Surrounded by woods, the house had a winding road leading to it. Her property lay around the Huiet's land and Bethel School on the southern side of Forest Drive and ran from A.C. Flora High School on Falcon Drive down to Buchanan. It also ran across the present Beltline Boulevard where Richland Mall stands and beyond. Her brother, Whiteford English Evans, called "White," owned property on both sides of Brentwood, but he did not live in the area. He built two houses at the corner of the present Dalloz Road and John Francis Court and planned to move into one but never did. He rented them to others. Jesse Evans, called "Uncle Jesse" by the local children, owned property on the present Forest Drive near Sunnyside Drive. Burley Evans' house stood between the present Brentwood Drive and Forest Drive Baptist Church. Her home was similar to the house which stands at 2850 Devine Street in Columbia. Emrnette Groover was born in 1903 in Atlanta, Georgia, and was the youngest of three children. His mother taught music, and all of the children were musical. He played in a small dance band while going to school. One of his brothers played for a while with the nationally famous Paul Whiteman Band. Emmette Groover was an entrepreneur and an outstanding banker. He started the Congaree Bank in West Columbia which, over the years, went through several mergers and became part of NationsBank. As a hobby, he enjoyed horticulture. He purchased 35 acres of land in the present Forest Acres for thirtyfive hundred dollars and sold lots in the 1930's for one hundred dollars each with the stipulation that a house be built on the lot. He developed Idalia Drive, named after his wife, Ida, and Greenhill Road over to Converse Street. A lake near the present Hillside Road and Converse Steet was drained and filled in with dirt from the excavation for the University of South Carolina football stadium. He had no children of his own but was a good stepfather to Ida's children. After her death, he married Rose Ellis and became stepfather to her children. Foster Marshall was the brother of Janie Marshall Hamrnond. He was a home builder and purchased land in order to build houses in the area. The eastern half of the block between Madison Road and Dalloz Road belonged to him and his wife, and their house stood where the present Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church now stands. They later moved to 373 1 Forest Drive. He was married to Walton Richardson Marshall. Her mother, Evelyn Smith Richardson, Mrs. Henry Warren Richardson, moved with her family to 3869 Forest Drive at the western corner of Dalloz Road in 1935. Her property was made up of parcels of Hamrnond and Evans land. Three of her children, Walton, William and Warren, made the area their lifelong home. The western half of the block between Madison Road and Dalloz Road belonged to William Henry Rose. He and his wife, Callie, had a home on their property. After World War I, he went into business with Jack Talbert and established Rose-Talbert Paint Company manufacturing and selling paint. Soon afterwards, he bought Jack Talbert's share of the business. William H. Rose was a true Southern gentleman. He and his wife had no children, and they treated his employees like members of their family. His employees had great love and respect for the Roses.
THE TOWN OF FOREST ACRES Towns and cities are founded for numerous reasons. Often location on a waterway, railroad line or highway has been the cause of a town's origin. Towns have been established because of gold in the vicinity. Forest Acres was founded because of the need for water. The residents had obtained their water from Senator Hammond's water tank or wells with pumps. These were not always reliable. In 1935, the Depression was greatly affecting the country, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs were in progress. Through the Works Project Administration (WPA), an incorporated area could obtain a grant or loan to put down water lines. Members of the community gathered together to plan for incorporation. The first organizational meeting was held at the Huiet's home with young Alice Huiet sitting at the top of the stairs eavesdropping on the gathering. Other organizational meetings and the election were held at the Davis store. James Hammond, A.G. Dent, Fannie L. Davis and William Rose were in charge of the registration of voters and the election. Maude Huiet was one of those who helped with the voting. The incorporation petition listed two possible names for the community: Forest Acres and Quinine Hill. Forest Acres was selected, and on September 24, 1935, the Town of Forest Acres was established. John Hughes Cooper became the first mayor with James H. Hammond, William Rose, A.G. Dent and G.D. Huiet elected to council. By 1939, the water lines were in place. The town bought water from Columbia and sold it to the residents. The town limits formed an irregular rectangle that paralleled Forest Drive. The original area of incorporation was two square miles with the northern and southern boundaries lying one half mile on each side of the road. The eastern boundary ran north to south a thousand feet to the east of Gill Creek. The western boundary lay two miles to the west paralleling the eastern boundary. The boundaries did not change right away, but over the years the city grew to the east and primarily to the north. Forest Acres was planned to be a residential area. Existing businesses were grandfathered in, but new businesses were not to be opened. Because of loopholes in the laws, this was not enforceable. To the chagrin of the local residents, the old Bethel School at the comer of Forest Drive and Landmark Drive (3830 Forest Drive) had closed, and the Hi Hatt (pronounced High Hat) Club had opened in the building. The Hi Hatt Club, an early form of nightclub, was in the area in 1935. The city founders would have liked to have seen it close, but it managed to stay open. Over the years, especially in the 19603, the Hi Hatt Club was rumored to be a place of prostitution, or a "whore house," as such operations were called. Mothers shielded their children from it, but the Hi Hatt Club's reputation made it a big source of interest and a hot topic of conversation for teenage boys. Frowns and concern could never close it, but a good financial offer to purchase the land to construct office buildings finally brought it to an end. The city officials, from the beginning on, wanted only wholesome businesses in the area with protection and privacy for the nearby residential properties. The city council worked hard over the years to determine and to maintain the proper proportion of residential and business space. The southeastern side of the intersection of Forest Drive and Trenholm Road was a nine hole golf course. This was located on the Monckton property where the present Trenholm Plaza is located. In 1938 the Davis store stopped operating, but the building continued to serve as the Lakeview voting precinct. It also became a court for traffic violators. The city council met in the mayor's home. There were a few other stores in the vicinity. Small's store was located at 3324 Forest Drive in the present Richland Mall area. Tragedy occurred in the Small family when a drunken Leo Small killed his son in a fight. The store later was operated by William Grainger and was a busy place in the community. In 1935, Bethel Methodist Church celebrated its 100th anniversary. Although it had good, strong members such as A.G. and Ethel Dent, its membership was down to 30, and the church was struggling. Things were about to change.
FORMATION OF A CITY The 1940's started with a bang in Forest Acres--literally. On April 5, 1940, W.H. "Bill" Rose's three-year-old paint manufacturing plant burned. The factory, valued at three thousand dollars, stood next to his house on Dalloz Road where the Williamsburg Condominiums are presently located. The fire started when chemicals ignited. A 50 gallon tin of oil exploded, sending flames 100 feet into the air. A chemist was burned, but, fortunately, he was not seriously injured. Blazes spread to nearby grass and woods, and the fire department was able to extinguish them before other property was destroyed. The new plant was built on Elmwood Avenue in Columbia. The advent of World War I1 and the reactivation of Fort Jackson spurred increased use of Forest Drive. Military vehicles traveled the road, and military personnel from all over the country were introduced into the town. William Y. "Bill" Hazelhurst was the town's second mayor, holding the position even while serving in the Navy in the Pacific. He designated someone to sign checks in his absence. Forest Acres remained sparsely populated through World War 11, but a housing boom occurred after the war. Woods gave way to more roads and single family residences. The population figure of 323 in 1940 grew over the decade to 3,240 by 1950. John Hughes Cooper's vision of people building homes in Forest Acres was coming true, but, sadly, he did not get to see it. He died March 24, 1945. His friend, John Gregg McMaster, observed of The Lawyer and his land, "It was after his death that his real estate holdings came into full bloom as a result of postwar inflation, population increase, and expert management by his heirs, the same nephews who once ran Lakeview for him." Edwin Cooper, Sr. and his wife, Margaret Watson Cooper, moved into their Uncle John's house overlooking Lakeview. They planted live oaks in the yard and lovingly restored the old Dent home, making it a fine place to rear their children. They eventually cleared the land around Fisher's Mill and made the historical area a place of beauty. With Edwin Cooper, Sr. assuming the role of leadership, the Forest Land Company went on to develop Forest Lake. The Satchel Ford area was also developed by the company as were other areas outside of Forest Acres. Charles, James and Frank Cooper assisted in the purchase of more property to develop. Among the newcomers to Forest Acres were Lonnie E. Garrick, Jr., who became a member of the town council, and his wife, Frankie Leverette Garrick. In 1946 they moved to 3907 Verner Street on the corner of Dalloz Road overlooking a pasture with cows and mules. Except for the Hi Hatt Club, the setting was still a rural one. Their recently built house had a pot bellied stove in the kitchen to heat water and one in the hall to heat the house. Plenty of scrub oaks, coloring autumns with the beautiful red of their leaves, were still in the area. The Garricks were aware of the great amount of sand in the roads, and when a neighbor put in a basement and had to dig down through seven feet of sand, they realized that they truly lived in the sandhills. But the sand did not impede the Garrick's son, Tom, joined by other neighborhood children, as he later took his handmade go-cart with an old television antenna for a mast and a bedspread for a sail and raced down Verner. This was a time when most married women were full time housewives and businessmen came home for lunch, or dinner, as the midday meal was then called. There were three meals a day: breakfast, dinner, and supper, and families ate together around a table. The town began to see the establishment of other churches. Forest Drive Baptist Church, which was started as a mission in 1943, became a church in 1948, and construction of the original sanctuary was begun on the corner of Brentwood Drive the next year. Bethel Methodist Church was growing along with the town. It would soon be large enough to be taken off a four point charge with Edgewood, Epworth Orphanage and Rehoboth Methodist churches and to become a single church charge with a preacher appointed to it alone. Adjacent property that had belonged to John Hughes Cooper was given to Bethel and, in 1948, the church's first brick sanctuary was built. "Miss Mae" Dent, wife of Benjamin McDonald "D~nnieD'~e nt, led the women of the church in a fund-raising project that earned five thousand dollars, one fourth of the cost of the building. The basement of the new sanctuary was dug by the county chain gang, a group of prisoners who were incarcerated but were taken out together in the day, under guard, to work on government and civic projects. The chain gang was located on the southern side of Bethel Church Road near Covenant Road and Trenholm Park. Covenant Road was previously called Alms House Road because a home for the indigent elderly was located near it on the northern side of Bethel Church Road near the corner of Willingham Drive. James Thomas Seay served the country during the war by working as a builder in a shipyard in California. While there, he and his wife, Nell Drake Seay, were impressed by the names of some of the places they visited, such as "Atascadero." When returning to South Carolina and searching for an area he could develop, he found land in Forest Acres and named the main road Atascadero Drive. Other streets running off it were given names of places in California. At their October 26, 1949 meeting, the town council discussed the need for a traffic light at the intersection of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard. A study by a traffic engineer showed that there was not a need for one at the time, but he believed that one would soon be needed. He was correct. The Jackson Heights community was developed in the late 1940's with many streets such as Citadel, Clemson, Coker, Converse, Furman and Winthrop named after South Carolina Colleges. The local garden club beautified Citadel Park at the intersection of Citadel and Wofford Avenues, and it became a favorite place for children. Over the years, various neighborhoods, each with a story of its own, continued to be developed in Forest Acres. In 1951 Jackson Heights Elementary School opened at 5000 Clemson Avenue, and the next year the name was changed to Crayton Elementary School to honor Lizzie and Nan Crayton, former Richland District I teachers. June H. Timmerman founded Tirnrnerrnan School, a private school, starting in 1954 with one room of preschool children. It would grow to occupy a nine acre campus off Atascadero Drive. In the 19509s, other churches started in Forest Acres and areas that would later become part of the city. These were Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran, St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Episcopal, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal, Forest Lake Bible Church and St. James Methodist Church. Tabernacle Baptist Church, begun in Columbia in 191 1, moved to 6515 North Trenholm Road and changed its name to Trenholm Road Baptist Church. More businesses opened. The Forest Land Company developed the northeastern corner of Forest Drive and Trenholm Road. Campbell's Drug Store, run by John Campbell, was the first store. Soon others joined to become Forest Lake Shopping Center. Forest Lake Esso Service Center, run by Ira B. Sowell, opened on the northwestern corner. A.G. Dent, Jr., known as "Bubba," and his wife, Margie Yvonne Bouknight Dent, ran Dent's Open Air Market at 4718 Forest Drive. They eventually added connecting stores rented out to other proprietors. Property west of Dent's Open Air Market had served in the past as a slaughter house, providing meat for Fort Jackson. Bubba Dent served as a very active member of the town council. He believed in hands on work, and if a police car broke down, he fixed it. When something needed to be done, he did it himself, whenever possible. Senator James H. Hammond constructed buildings for commercial use at the northwestern corner of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard and rented them to others. Jim Scoggins established a drug store which bore his name. It contained a fountain serving ice cream, milk shakes, soft drinks and other treats. A Jewish community had existed in Columbia since the early 19Ih century. The synagogue built by these German Jewish settlers was burned by Gen. Sherman's army. In 1907 Orthodox services were conducted in a house on Park Street and Lady Street. This small "minyan" became Beth Shalom, the House of Peace. They later moved to Marion Street. On April 22, 1955, the congregation approved the purchase of land on Trenholm Road where a Jewish community center and education building were erected. Later, the Jewish Community Center became a separate organization, and a new center was built at the same site, 4540 Trenholm Road. After serving the town for eight years as mayor, Emmette Groover ended his term in 1957 and was followed by W.J. Stubbs, Jr., the husband of Bernice Dent Stubbs. Mayor Stubbs held the office until 1965. W.J. Stubbs, Jr. was a certified public accountant and a founding partner of the firm of Derrick, Stubbs and Stith. The audit report for the year ending June 30, 1957 stated: "The progress of Forest Acres since it was incorporated in 1935 and the water system was installed in 1939 has been very interesting to me. The $10,000 bond issue necessary to establish the water system was paid in full about 1947. Water lines added to the system from time to time have increased the facilities to the point that it would require an investment in excess of $175,000 to replace them. Since Forest Acres levies no taxes yet furnishes garbage service at a cost of a little over $1000 per month and pays the Columbia Fire Department for answering all calls ($300 each) in the town, I think it is in a class by itself. It would be interesting to know what municipalities, if any, in the United States own a valuable water system free of debt and enjoy reasonable services without taxes. A moderate license fee is collected from all places of business; however, there has never been any tax whatever levied by the town." CPA Carl M. Derrick reported: "Financial affairs of the town are handled very capably and this is especially commendable since town officials serve without compensation. The town does not levy property taxes of any kind and none the less provides usual municipal services such as garbage service and fire protection, and water at rates less than those of some other communities that levy taxes. Extensions and improvements are continually made to the water works distribution system and at June 30, 1957 there were no bonds or notes o~tstanding."~ Traffic in Forest Acres continued to increase. In 1958, Forest Drive was widened to four lanes and sidewalks were added. While, in retrospect, family life seemed much calmer and more peaceful in the 1950's, everyone lived under the threat of the Cold War, and there was great fear that the Russians might attack the United States at any time. On October 28, 1959, the need for a bomb shelter for the town was discussed by the town council. James Hamrnond offered Forest Acres property worth $25,000 to be leased at one dollar a year for the building of such a shelter. After discussion, the council members decided not to pursue the matter. Satchel Ford Elementary opened as a neighborhood school at 5901 Satchel Ford Road. Ann Hampton was the school's first principal. A.C. Flora High School, a modern, campus type facility opened in 1959 on Falcon Drive, a street sharing the name of the school mascot. Electric bells were not yet connected, and principal J.K. Blum began the first day of classes by ceremoniously ringing an old school bell by hand. In the next decade, Flora became recognized statewide as a leading high school. Bell's Hamburger Drive-in opened in the next few years at 4734 Forest Drive and became a favorite spot for many students at A.C. Flora to socialize. Students would "bop by Bell's," as they put it, and purchase hamburgers for 19 cents and milkshakes. Pop's A&W Rootbeer served rootbeer in chilled mugs. Located at 4721 Forest Drive, it became the favorite spot for students at Cardinal Newrnan High School. Cardinal Newman Preparatory School had its beginnings on December 10, 1834, when a group of Ursuline Sisters from Ireland came to Charleston. They opened Ursuline High School for young ladies in Columbia on Blanding Street. Sherman's army burned the school on February 17, 1865. It was reopened as St. Peter's School on Park Street. After more moves and a name change to Catholic High School, a campus at 4701 Forest Drive was erected. The school moved in 1961, and the name was changed to Cardinal Newman High School. A convent was built behind the school on Gamewell Drive. An elementary school opened in the 1960's at 2245 Montclair Drive. Originally called Montclair Elementary School, the school was soon named for W. Clark Brockman. It later became a special education school serving profoundly mentally disabled and medically fragile students. A town population of 3,842 and easy access for others living outside the town limits provided stores in Forest Acres with a good number of shoppers. Trenholm Plaza opened in 1960 on the southeastern corner of Trenholm Road and Forest Drive replacing the Monckton golf course. The plaza boasted such stores as Edisto Farms Dairy, Trenholm Plaza Beauty Salon, Calvert-Brodie School of Dance, Plaza Card and Party Shop, Roses 5-10-25 Cents Store, Standard Building and Loan Association, A&P Food Stores and other shops and offices as well as a Post Office. Across Forest Drive, Forest Lake Shopping Center had grown to 31 stores and offices including the Town Office for Forest Acres where Mary R. Stricklin worked as town clerk. In 196 1, Richland Mall opened on 3 1.5 acres of land at the southwestern comer of Forest Drive and Beltline and was hailed as the first shopping mall in South Carolina. It included White's Department Store, Sylvan Brothers Jewelers, Meri's Record Shop, Berry's on Main women's clothing store, Winn-Dixie Grocery Store, Eckerd Drugs, Colonial Store, F.W. Woolworth Co. and the Redwood Cafeteria. Shortly after the mall was built, a single screen movie theater opened near it. The area was swampy and had to be filled in before anything could be built upon it. The property belonged to Hattie Evans and, upon her death in 1946, it, with other land, was left to sixteen heirs. The majority of these formed a corporation, and James Manning Evans, Sr., known as "Manning" or "Pop," was the head. The corporation worked through the zoning procedures and signed the leases for the businesses. It then sold the land and leases to another corporation, U.K. American Properties, Inc., which built the 27 store mall. Manning Evans owned the extreme comer alone where a gasoline service station was operated. Mayor William J. Stubbs, Jr. and his wife, Bernice Dent Stubbs, represented Forest Acres at the ribbon cutting for Richland Mall. Mayor Stubbs and the town council carried on the tradition of working hard to improve life in Forest Acres. He was especially interested in having street lights installed to make the town brighter and safer. By 1961, street lights were installed throughout the municipality. Mayor Stubbs and Albert H. Burts, Jack Horton, C.D. Hill and Lonnie E. Garrick, members of the council, were primary leaders in the development of the Jackson-Gill Creek Public Service District, a sewer district of which Forest Acres was a part. It later became the East Richland County Public Service District. On March 2, 1962, the John Hughes Cooper Branch of the Richland County Public Library opened on North Trenholm Road between Forest Drive and Academy Way. The land and the original 3000 square foot building were given as a memorial to John Hughes Cooper by the Cooper family. Senator James H. Hammond contacted friends of John Hughes Cooper and asked each to write about "The Lawyer or "Uncle John." These testimonials and photographs were put into a scrapbook which was placed in the library. Senator Harnmond stated, 'Nothing could be more fitting as a memorial than a library." John Hughes Cooper had provided an education for many people in his lifetime. The library would provide education for residents of Forest Acres and beyond. In 1962, Forest Acres established a police department, hiring John R. Dodenhoff, Jr. as Chief of Police. The police department over the years established and maintained an excellent reputation. The police station was located in the rear of the Forest Lake Shopping Center and next moved to 4453 Bethel Church Road, set back behind other buildings, not far from Trenholm Park. The address of the building was later changed to 3737 Covenant Road. New churches in the 1960's in Forest Acres were St. James Methodist, Kathwood Baptist and First C