Editing Theatre Exhibit (section)

=== '''ENTERTAINING EVENTS''' ===
We have records of all different kinds of community events through the years. This panel references:

'''The Good Roads Tour:''' in 1909, automobiles were becoming more common but good roads were not. Many “good roads” tours ran from 1900-1915; these were a sort of race, in which the challenge was just to complete the course! The 1909 race from New York to Atlanta came through Greer. It started with 61 cars, including one driven by a female: Joan Newton Cuneo. This particular tour garnered great interest because it featured celebrity drivers, including Ty Cobb (though this photo does not show him or his car). A couple other notes of interest from this photograph:

* The banner weighted down with baseball bats;
* The boys wearing dress hats — but no shoes;
* The '''Wood-Mendenhall building''' on the left, where it was located before it built a new store that is now Cartwright Food Hall;
* '''Charlie Drace’s photo studio''' and store, located where the Bennett Building is now (Barista Alley).
* To the left of Drace’s studio is the tiny '''Planter’s Bank''', which was also where the Bennett Building is now.
* '''Fairs and carnivals:''' there were many, and they were really big deals. City and county fairs were very popular. Carnivals were traveling groups that would move town-to-town across the area.
* '''Horse racing:''' held during fairs and other big events, the races were not like big-time horse racing today. These were relatively common horses often pulling a buggy, and driven by members of the community. W. W. Burgiss, first president of Victor Mill and founder of both Greer Mill and Franklin Mill, did well at horse racing; we have a photo of him with a winning horse.
* '''Circuses:''' small traveling circuses frequently came through Greer. We have an original advertising poster from one of these; I’m hoping to mount it in this room at some point.
* '''Church meetings:''' all kinds of meetings, from giant tent revivals to Sunday School class parties. Victoria Bailey’s letters constantly reference various church events.
* '''Harvest gatherings:''' we have a few newspaper stories about events celebrating harvest time; these were held outdoors with a great deal of food. There were a lot of small competitions and games, like sack races.
* '''Fourth of July celebrations:''' for a couple decades, each mill held its own Fourth celebration for its village and there seems to have been competition for each mill to outdo the rest. They were similar to harvest celebrations, with food and games.
* '''Chautauqua:''' The original Chautauqua event was held in Chautauqua, New York; it was so successful that it became a national phenomenon. Local Chautauqua events combined “celebrity” speakers from the area (such as a professor of Agriculture from Clemson speaking on new advances in technology) with traveling entertainers like musicians and magicians. Greer’s events were held in a giant tent put up just across the train track from the P&N Depot, about where the Greer Citizen building is. By the way, Chautauqua organized and still exists — and our own Cora Newcomb is preparing to speak in an upcoming event!

Finally, there is '''Victoria Bailey’s quotation.''' I’ve labeled it misleadingly, because this quotation comes from a letter she wrote in 1863 or 1864 — when she was Victoria Cunningham, before she married W. C. Bailey. Her full quotation is:

“I met the Westmorelands at Double Springs they was finer than ever had a table to themselves. When I see you I will give you a description of them. <u>They was so fine they hardly knew me</u>.”

The note that they had a table to themselves (at a church social) indicates that she perceived them as a bit stand-offish. But the underlining of the last sentence is particular emphasis; she rarely did this, and only to communicate the strongest of emotion. It seems that she felt as if they disapproved or looked down on her. Interesting to think that a decade later, Victoria would be their “first lady” as wife of their first mayor; Dr. Westmoreland would be on the first city council. Intriguingly, they were related: Emma Westmoreland was a Cunningham, and Victoria’s cousin.