Moving On!
By Bill Shepard
Mill village to mill village! I had been in Ware Shoals longer than any place I had lived since coming home from the Army. Leaving Ware Shoals was the hardest decision I had faced yet. The die had been cast; there could be no turning back. It was time to move on! We would be back, so we said, so we thought. The road ahead is always filled with surprises.
Bill Shepard
In 1959, Piedmont South Carolina was a busy bustling mill town! Like all the others, it reminded me of the ones I had left behind. Two large textile mills were in full operation. The large J.P. Stevens plants were built along the banks of the Saluda River that flows through the town, on its way to where it is going. The river divides this town, leaving part of it in Greenville County and the rest in Anderson County. The sprawling mill villages were built along both sides of the river. A company owned store where mill workers could buy just about anything they needed and could afford was in keeping with all mill towns! A post office, a bank and a school, and here and there a small privately owned grocery store.
Today, all that remains of the Piedmont that once was, are two tall smokestacks spiraling toward the sky – reminders that this was once a textile town! The mills were demolished years ago, and why the smoke stacks remain is unknown to this writer. This is Piedmont.
We moved into the parsonage just a few days before the new school year was to begin. My wife had secured a position at the elementary school that was located a short distance from where we were living. I would not be teaching while serving as pastor of the church here. I had mixed emotions about that. The day the school opened, and I watched my wife and children leave for school was one of my saddest. It had been years since my family had left for school without my being along. I went inside and wept.
A few days later, in the midst of one of my morning “pity parties,” my phone rang. The caller was the principal at the high school in Piedmont. We had talked before and he knew that I was a teacher. He was calling to say he needed a teacher and wondered if I could help until he could find one. He needed a librarian who could teach Spanish. No, I was not qualified for either of those two positions and he knew that, but could I help until he could find a teacher? I agreed to come in. I could handle the library part of the assignment for a few days and assign research work for those taking Spanish. That was the bridge that I crossed to get me over my “pity parties.” When on the other side, I was glad!
The church at Piedmont was my strongest challenge yet. I missed being in the classroom, but being a full time pastor was rewarding, as well as challenging. I grew in my ministry more in the three years at Piedmont than ever before.
The third year that I was in Piedmont, I was asked to teach at a small rural school nearby. I knew that some at my church would not be pleased, but I accepted anyway. I was back in the classroom and teaching a 6th and 7th grade combination. This was indeed a learning experience for me! At the end of that year, this school was closed forever.
I had decided to move to Florida. No, I would not be going back to Ware Shoals! My son graduated from high school at Piedmont and was considering college. We needed to get situated some place where we could remain for at least four years, so I thought. During some of my military time, I was stationed at Drew Field, just outside of Tampa. We gave thought to moving to Tampa. Our son applied and was accepted to the University of Tampa. My wife and I applied for teaching positions in Tampa or nearby. We were granted positions near the small town of Brandon, Florida. At the end of the school year in Piedmont, in 1962, we were on the move again! Leaving Piedmont was just as hard as leaving Ware Shoals had been! I suppose I am a little sentimental about all of the places I have lived. I think I could go back to any place and live again.
Brandon, Florida was some long ways from anyone that we knew in South Carolina. I would not seek a church to pastor. I had decided to devote full time to teaching. We had heard of our church in Tampa and decided we would make that our home church after moving to Florida. Brandon was only a few miles from Tampa.
We purchased a new and lovely home in Brandon and moved in. We began school at the beginning of the school year, 1962!
Next time: My school years in Florida ended there. All my previous experiences climaxed in Florida. My story was told to hundreds, perhaps thousands. If I did it, they could also!
Editors note: Please join us in wishing our favorite Mill Village Boy a Happy Birthday! He is now 94 years young, and makes our paper special each week with his wonderful writing. Jana Banana loves you, Bill!
Mr. Shepard is a native of Darlington, S.C., and a current resident of Piedmont, S.C. He is the author of “Mill Town Boy” and “Bruised”. He has been sharing his tales of growing up in Darlington for decades, and we are delighted to share them each week.