The Village I Remember

Many small towns have a river running through them, with boats coming and going. Timmonsville had a railroad running through it, with trains coming and going. The river town is born because of the river. Timmonsville was born because of the railroad.

In the early 1850s, the Wilmington-Manchester Railroad penetrated the thick pine forest, bringing forth a timber and turpentine industry that gave birth to the little community. John Morgan Timmons, a Baptist minister, was responsible for the railroad coming through the area and his efforts were rewarded by naming the town for him.

Dr. J. E. Byrd built the first store in the town, as well as a saw and grist mill. In honor of his founding works, Byrd Cemetery and Byrd Street bear his name. Dr. Byrd married a Keith girl from Darlington and soon other Keiths followed her to Timmonsville, as did McSweens, Brockingtons, McLendons, Smiths, Halfords, Traxlers, Rogsdales and others. These were the first and founding families of the village and their names appear on various streets and avenues.

The town prospered. People came, built homes and businesses, and stayed. The population swelled to over three thousand and Timmonsville was a good place to live and raise a family.

In time, the Wilmington-Manchester Railroad became the Atlantic Coastline Railroad. There was a station, a switch yard and a repair shop at Florence. This was the third largest shop on the rail line and there were trains running day and night, in all four directions.

Ten miles west of Florence, the tracks passed over Lake Swamp. Three miles further west, they crossed Sparrow Swamp. Almost midway between the two creeks, the little town of Timmonsville hugged tightly to both sides of the track for a distance of four blocks. Because of the tracks, the town had two main streets, one on the north, the other on the south side of the tracks. The four block area and the side streets made up the business district.

Beside the track, in the business district, was the passenger and railway express station, where trains stopped several times daily for passengers, express and mail. A short distance east was a depot, where freight trains stopped from time to time. From there, a track branched out to circle around town. A little further west, another track branched off. The two tracks encircled a part of town, like branches from a river, with little loading docks scattered about. The side tracks were for the grist mill, the saw mill, the cotton gin, coal yard, tobacco packing houses and the like.

Not to be out done, the Seaboard Railroad ran a branch line from Lamar to a depot and passenger station on Brockington Street. With the two railroads and a Greyhound bus station, the town had three means of transportation.

A few miles east of town, M. B. Huggins Jr. had an airport. It wasn’t a commercial airport for passengers, but it was always active with small planes.