Published: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 / Updated: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 04:11 PM
Clover to visit ‘ghosts’ of its past Oct. 21
History tour, geocache among town’s 125th anniversary events
CLOVER --
The town of Clover will continue its 125th anniversary celebration festivities this weekend with a local history tour by the Clover Woman’s Club, called “The Ghost of Clover’s Past.”
Club member Windy Bartee said the Little Blue Choo from Cherryville, N.C., will take participants in Sunday’s tour on a two-block ride to visit spots of historic significance for the town.
During the tour, from 2-6 p.m. Sunday, Bartee said, the Larne Building in downtown Clover “will be set up like a mini museum of Clover,” with items that represent Clover’s past. The history exhibit probably will remain for several days, she said.
Rob Pursley of Washington, D.C., who grew up in Clover, will serve as the tour guide, she said. Pursley conducted a study of Clover’s original homes for a thesis several years ago, she said.
Bartee said resident Margaret Ann Smith, who has compiled historical information about the town from her husband’s family and has written two books, has helped the club create the tour.
Bartee said the idea for the tour came from the walking tours in Charleston; however, she said, the club enlisted the Little Blue Choo to carry visitors so everyone can participate.
The town was founded Dec. 24, 1887, around the site of a 5,000-gallon water tank built to support the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad. A town committee has, since early last spring, been planning a series of events that span a seven-month period to mark the anniversary.
Stops on Ghosts of Clover’s Past, Bartee said, include the site of the town’s first bank and the first house and school.
Some of the buildings no longer are standing, she said, although some of the town’s first homes remain.
“We have some people who are willing to dress up in period clothing who will be walking around for a little more atmosphere,” Bartee said.
The special anniversary events also include a Clover history tour via a geocache, which began last month, organized by Clover teacher Kimberly Cauble and the York County Geocaching Organization.
Cauble said the Clover history geocache, which has 10 caches, already has attracted people from around the state and the region.
“I’ve gotten lots of comments from folks talking about how they never knew Clover was such a cute little town,” Cauble said of the geocachers.
The Clover history geocache, which is completed using a GPS and clues, leads people to various historic sites around town, she said. “One of my geocaches is actually a puzzle cache that requires people to go to five different places downtown before they actually find the geocache, so they learn about some of the old buildings,” she said.
The first 200 geocachers to complete the tour will receive a free 125th anniversary commemorative coin. Visit www.geocaching.com for details.
Other events in the anniversary celebration include:
• The York County Culture and Heritage Museums will offer training on preserving family heirlooms. Free events begin at 10 a.m. at the Clover Community Center at 120 Bethel St.
Topics include preserving family papers, Oct. 19; family snapshots, Nov. 2; and preserving grandma’s quilt and grandpa’s uniform, Nov. 16. No registration is required.
• Contributors can help build a library of information to be preserved for future generations. Submit photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, documents and other memorabilia to be digitally scanned on collection days at the Clover Community Center, 120 Bethel St. Contributors will be limited to 12 items per collection day.
Each item must have identifying information. Collection dates are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 5, 2-8 p.m. Nov. 8 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 13.
• Veterans are invited to share stories about Clover and their experiences to be recorded for archival purposes. Contact Shannon Nix at 803-222-9495 to reserve a time.
A reservation is not required but is encouraged. Interviews will be at the Clover Community Center from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 5, 2-8 p.m. Nov. 8 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 13.
• A Hometown Holiday Celebration will be Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. Events will include the tree lighting, children’s activities and more. The celebration will end with the 42nd Annual Christmas Parade at 3 p.m. Dec. 2 on Main Street. More details will be announced.
• Anniversary tree planting will be 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at New Centre Park. In observance of Arbor Day, the town will be planting a special tree at its new park.
• Anniversary Premiere Party, 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Larne Building, 103 N. Main St. A new Clover 2012 movie will debut. The Clover Hall of Fame will be unveiled, as will the Clover Through the Years exhibit. Tickets are $20 and will go on sale Jan. 14 at Town Hall, 114 Bethel St.
• Time capsule dedication, 2 p.m. March 17, at New Centre Park. Attendees will bury the time capsule as a finale to the celebration. Attendees are encouraged to wear green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Want to go?
A Ghost of Clover’s Past historic tour will be 2-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, beginning at the Larne Building at 103 N. Main St. Participants can ride the Little Blue Choo for a guided tour of historical sites in Clover. An exhibit of Clover artifacts at the Larne Building will be open. Admission is $10 adults and $5 for children younger than 10. Tickets are available at Town Hall, 114 Bethel St., and on the day of the tour. The Clover Woman’s Club is helping with the event.
Lake Wylie Pilot is pleased to be able to offer its users the opportunity to make comments and hold conversations online. However, the interactive nature of the internet makes it impracticable for our staff to monitor each and every posting.
Since Lakewyliepilot.com does not control user submitted statements, we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted on our website. In addition, we remind anyone interested in making an online comment that responsibility for statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Lake Wylie Pilot.
If you find a comment offensive, clicking on exclamation icon will flag the comment for review by the administrators, we are counting on the good judgment of all our readers to help us.