Indigo Blue

     The Waxhaw Settlement of North and South Carolina has always intrigued me. History and heroes have defined centuries of tradition here. The area known today as the Waxhaws is fairly large. The Waxhaws covers an area from the Catawba River in the west to Monroe, NC in the east. The northern boundary is south of Charlotte, while the southern boundary is the city of Lancaster. The Waxhaws are named for the proud Indian tribe of the same name. It’s said these Native Americans named themselves for the “waxy-looking leaves of the hawthorn bush”. The Waxhaw Tribe inhabited this land long before Europeans arrived. They unfortunately met their demise in the early 1700’s. Many members of the tribe perished in the Yemassee War of 1715-17, or from smallpox. Most survivors blended with the Catawba Tribe. The Catawba and Waxhaw shared similar cultures and language.

    The South Carolina side of the Waxhaws region lies in Lancaster County. Europeans permanently settled the area around 1750. Most of the settlers were Scots-Irish and German. The majority hailed from Lancaster, PA, while others came from Virginia and N. Carolina. They named the county for their previous home in Pennsylvania. Lancaster, SC and PA were named for England’s noted 15th Century House of Lancaster. The county was officially adopted in 1785. During the Civil War Generals William T. Sherman and H. Judson Kilpatrick looted the “Red Rose City” of Lancaster. Though they inflicted severe damage, Kilpatrick’s troops were unable to burn the beautiful courthouse designed by Robert Mills. The largest vein of gold discovered east of the Mississippi River was found at Haile’s Gold Mine. The mine, located two miles east of picturesque Kershaw, prospered in the late 1800’s. A tragic explosion in 1908 mostly ended the mine’s operation. Lancaster County has seen many changes over the years. Today the county balances history with progress, boasting a population of nearly 75,000 residents.

     Lancaster County hosted several battles and skirmishes during the Revolutionary War. The most notable of these was the Battle of Waxhaws, commonly called Buford’s Massacre. Banastre Tarleton was accused by Patriots of butchering Abraham Buford’s men after his troops surrendered. The British claimed that Patriots intentionally fired at Tarleton when a musket ball struck his horse. Regardless of the story’s accuracy, the event enraged locals hoping for independence. Patriots attributed their success at Kings Mountain to the remembrance of their fallen comrades at The Waxhaws. Clouds of controversy linger over this battle 230 years later. Another important revolutionary battle was fought in this region. It was the Battle of Hanging Rock. It is named for an actual rock formation which is located two miles south of Heath Springs. This intriguing natural rock formation is interesting enough in its own right. On August 6, 1780 General Thomas Sumter led a Patriot victory here that lasted three hours in the hot Carolina sun. One of the battle’s heroes was William Richardson Davie. Young Andrew Jackson, serving as a courier, witnessed Davie’s bravery. He later said he would have fought with Davie ”to the death”. 

   Lancaster County has had many famous natives and residents over the years. Recent notable residents of the county include Jim Hodges, Charles Duke and Shawn Crawford. Jim Hodges proudly served as Governor of South Carolina from 1999-2003. Astronaut Charlie Duke carries the title of being the youngest person to walk on the moon. Sprinter Shawn Crawford put his home town of Van Wyck on the map when he won gold and silver in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Crawford once competed in a race with a Phantom of the Opera mask on. Historically, noted Lancastrians have included Stephen Miller and William Richardson Davie. Miller, a strong state’s rights advocate, served as Governor from 1828-1830. Miller’s daughter was the well known Confederate Diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut. William Davie founded the University of North Carolina. I will speak of Davie often in this post. Lancaster County’s most famous resident is Andrew Jackson. Our nation’s seventh president was born in the heart of the Waxhaws in 1767. Jackson claims to have been born just inside the South Carolina line in his Uncle James Crawford’s cabin. “Old Hickory” remains the only South Carolina native to serve as Commander in Chief. Most of the focus of today’s post centers squarely on Andrew and his family. We will talk about Andrew Jackson State Park and the church of his youth, Old Waxhaw Presbyterian.

    Andrew Jackson State Park pays homage to the area where “Old Hickory” spent his first seventeen years. Located in the vast wilderness of northern Lancaster County, this State Park takes you back to a time when this part of South Carolina was truly “frontier”. The South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism department acquired this 360 acre park from Lancaster County in 1952.  The park is very cozy and easy to navigate in an afternoon. There are many activities here for those with varied interests. For history lovers there is a museum on site. This exhibit showcases the boyhood of our nation’s 7th president. Several rooms here depict Waxhaw life leading up to the American Revolution. The rooms here include a living room, textile room and a bedroom. Outside the museum the park’s signature piece stands guard over the Carolina frontier. Anna Hyatt Huntington’s “The Boy of the Waxhaws” shows Jackson as a young man of about 16 or 17 mounted on his farm horse. This statue is stunning in its entirety, yet those of us who know Huntington’s attention to detail should not be surprised. This striking sculpture hardly looks like the work of a 91 year old! Near the end of her life, Huntington received a request from a sixth grade class in Lancaster to create a boyhood statue of their local hero. Huntington and her late husband Archer were known as kind and selfless people. She gladly granted the request, making this her last major work.

     Andrew Jackson State Park accurately portrays the past. The park features a one room schoolhouse on the property. Kids will enjoy seeing the brand of education the 18th Century Waxhaw children received. They will quickly find that pioneer learning lacked the luxury and sophistication of today’s classrooms. Down the hill from the schoolhouse you’ll discover the park’s amphitheater. This 7,500 square foot outdoor venue showcases the rugged beauty of the Carolina backcountry. Concerts, weddings and plays are held here year round. Across a parking lot from the amphitheater is the Meeting House. The Meeting House is a replica of an 18th Century Scots-Irish church. The park has a pair of scenic one mile trails. We decided to take the Crawford Trail, starting at the Meeting House.

    The Crawford Trail reminds one of life deep in the heart of the Waxhaws. Once you enter this rural loop you are completely immersed in wilderness. The path was still wet from the snow that had melted the day before. The trail took us about 35 minutes to complete. Maxi stopped to take pictures of the raw nature that stood before us. We did not attempt the Garden of the Waxhaws Trail. This trail is surrounded by the park’s 18 acre lake. The Garden of the Waxhaws Trail can be occasionally very steep as it winds through a pine and hardwood forest. If hiking isn’t your favorite activity, Andrew Jackson State Park also offers relaxing camping opportunities. There are no cabins for lodging at this State Park, but RV & Tent Camping is encouraged. The park has several planned activities for the public throughout the year. The most notable of these is the birthday celebration of our nation’s seventh president. This year’s event will take place on March 20th from 10:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. No matter the occasion, Andrew Jackson State Park will amaze you with its rugged landscapes and subtle reflections of the man they called “Old Hickory”.

   We left Andrew Jackson State Park and headed south to visit the church of President Jackson’s youth, Old Waxhaw Presbyterian. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church is one of the Upcountry’s most significant churches. The congregation began as Waxhaw Meeting House in 1755. The church was formally organized as Waxhaw Presbyterian in March of 1758. Scottish-born minister and school teacher Robert Miller deeded about four and a half acres of land to the congregation for worship. William Richardson served as the first pastor of the church from 1759-71. Richardson was considered by many to be the most influential Presbyterian Minister of his time. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian is Upper South Carolina’s oldest church. The first church operated a military hospital during the Revolution until the British burned it in 1781. The church was rebuilt, but suffered the same fate during the Great Revival of 1802. The third church remained a staple of the community for nearly one hundred years. The current sanctuary was built in 1896 and renovated in the 1940’s. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian is located on a country road eight miles north of Lancaster. The church exterior is simple and charming. We were here on a Monday evening so we were not able to view the sanctuary in this historic church. We were, after all, here to see the church’s graveyard. This place of peace is the Upcountry’s most historical final resting place, containing the graves of many influential South Carolinians.

   The voices of great leaders from the past can be heard here whispering in the wind. Lancastrians have made this their final resting place for over 250 years. Many graves here have been worn by time. The dates of birth and death and names of the deceased are barely legible. Here at Old Waxhaw Presbyterian you could spend hours combing the churchyard for names that roll off the tongue with ease. The most recognizable site here is a large crypt surrounded by enormous cedars and pines. This is the final resting place of William Richardson Davie. Davie played an important role in the history of both North and South Carolina. William spent much of his youth in Lancaster County. He was adopted by his uncle, Waxhaw Presbyterian Minister Rev. William Richardson. Most of his adulthood was spent in North Carolina. A lawyer by trade, Davie is best known for founding the University of North Carolina. W.R. Davie also served as Governor of NC and Minister to France under President John Adams. In his later years he retired to his plantation Tivoli in Chester County. Davie died there in 1820. Buried next to Davie is his adopted father Rev. William Richardson. Several yards away from the Davie memorial you will find the grave of Andrew Jackson, Sr. The father of our seventh president never met his youngest son. He died in a tragic logging accident three weeks before Andrew’s birth. Mr. Jackson’s grave was an unmarked stone in the churchyard until 1931. The Catawba Chapter of the D.A.R. in Rock Hill kindly gave Andrew Jackson Sr. a fitting headstone.

   A mother’s love is unparalleled in this life. One of the most beautiful and inspiring tributes here is a striking statue of Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. The mother of Andrew Jackson is flanked by her brave sons Hugh and Robert Jackson. Hugh, the eldest of the Jackson boys, died of heat and exhaustion while fighting at the Battle of Stono Ferry. Robert and Andrew contracted smallpox while they were held as prisoners of war at Camden in 1781. Elizabeth Jackson arranged a prisoner transfer with the Redcoats to secure the release of her two remaining sons. It was a bitter 40 mile trek back to the Waxhaws. Andrew walked the entire way. Robert Jackson died of smallpox shortly after their return. Mrs. Jackson slowly nursed her bed ridden son Andrew back to health. Betty Jackson had already lost her husband and two of her sons, but her dedication to the cause and love for liberty never waned. She went to Charleston in late spring 1781 to nurse American soldiers back to health on British prisoner of war frigates. Her actions were full of patriotism and valor. Working tirelessly among filth and disease, Mrs. Jackson contracted cholera. She died in November of the same year. Andrew Jackson was orphaned at the age of 14. The sight of an angelic mother watching over her sons nearly brought us to tears in the shadows of the old churchyard.

    The sun had expired on our day in the Waxhaws. A fitting crescent moon loomed over a beautiful dark blue sky. Christmas was just four days away. We said goodbye to the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church, admiring the simplicity of her Christmas decorations. History and legend lives on here in Lancaster County. Footsteps of an old Indian Tribe and Scots-Irish settlers still echo here deep in the heart of the Waxhaws. If you close your eyes and listen with great intent, you just might hear Hugh, Robert and Andrew Jackson playing frontier games in the woods.

INDIGO BLUE NOTES: Elizabeth Jackson’s remains still lie in Charleston where she perished. Andrew Jackson always intended to bring his mother’s remains back to Old Waxhaw Presbyterian, but it never materialized. The statue of Mrs. Jackson was given by the Catawba Chapter of the D.A.R. in 1949. Another notable person buried at Old Waxhaw Presbyterian is Andrew Pickens, Sr., father of the famed “Wizard Owl” Andrew Pickens. Pickens brought his family to the Waxhaws in 1752 from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He was known as a wise and influential member of the community. I would also like to thank  Mary Long and Idella Bodie for their great insight on The Waxhaws. The late Mary Long hosted an incredible historical program about South Carolina on ETV called Mary Long’s Yesteryear. Idella Bodie has written award winning books about historical Sandlappers that I’ve enjoyed for many years. I have been inspired by them for their loyalty and love for the Palmetto State.

To see a photo gallery of our trip to Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church please click HERE

To see photos of our trip to Andrew Jackson State Park please view our gallery HERE

For more information on Andrew Jackson State Park please visit their website at www.southcarolinaparks.com, or call them directly at (803) 285-3344

Andrew Jackson State Park      196 Andrew Jackson Park Road      Lancaster, South Carolina 29720

Admission- Adults- $2.00      SC Seniors 65 & Up- $1.25      Youth 15 & Under-FREE

Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church      2814 Old Hickory Rd.      Lancaster, South Carolina 29720