Union County Attractions & Historic Sites Big Buck Racing http://bigbuckracing.com 150 Red Barn Road, Enoree, SC. Please note: This is NOT a mailing address. (864) 457-7377 or cell (864) 680-8589 or henry@bigbuckracing.com Offers ATV & motorcycle off road racing & special events. A family owned private property which is open to the public for racing events only. In addition to the sanctioned racing events, the property can be leased for special events. The Kawasaki V Force ATV was introduced at the Big Buck Racing facility and was quite successful. Blackstock’s Battlefield State Historic Site From SC 49 (between Cross Anchor and Cross Keys): turn North onto SR 51 (Blackstock Rd.) for 1.3 miles. Veer right onto Monument Rd and turn left onto Battlefield Rd. (864) 938-0100 or (803) 771-1870 This is the site where Gen. Sumter defeated the hated Col. Banastre Tarleton. This large battle was important for lifting backcountry morale and for encouraging Gen. Greene to send Continentals into the region, who two months later turned the tide of the Revolutionary War at Cowpens. Situated along the Tyger River in Union County, this beautiful property is home to a four-mile segment of the Palmetto Trail that provides tremendous recreation potential along the river. Boogaloo Broadcasting Company. http://www.boogaloobroadcasting.com Lakeside Drive Theatre, Union. (864) 429-2817 Folk Life Productions of some of the best in community theater, featuring local talent and local stories. Buffalo Mill Community Located on SC 215, west of Union. Just after the turn of the century the advent of textiles in South Carolina resulted in the development of mill villages. This picturesque village surrounds the old Buffalo Mill. The "Flat" features the old company store, offices and mode theater. Corinth Baptist Church 302 North Herndon Street, Union, SC Corinth Baptist Church was constructed in 1894 as the first separate building to house the first black congregation in Union. The congregation was established around 1883 and first held services in the former Old Union Methodist Church. The owner of the mill that stood on an adjacent lot purchased the lot and building from the congregation for $600 in 1893. The congregation purchased the lot on which the Corinth Baptist Church now stands in January 1894, and the building was completed by the end of the year. The church which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a late 19th-century vernacular interpretation of architectural styles common to religious buildings in the region. View from outside; open on Sundays. Downtown Union National Historic District Hwy. 49 (Main St.) Downtown Union has existed for over 225 years. A nice collection of architecturally diverse buildings and over 150 businesses are surrounded by magnificent public buildings, and a branch of the University of South Carolina. East Main Street and South Street Historic Districts East Main St. is Bus. SC Hwy. 49, South St. is located 1 block south of Main St. These National Register of Historic Places Districts feature some of the finest homes in Union County. Stately homes of over 8000 square feet share these streets with beautiful southern bungalows. Johns Creek Lake Complex, Sumter National Forest Southeast of Cross Keys on Forest Service Road 347 off Highway 18. (864)427-9858 or (803) 561-4000. Four lakes are open for recreational fishing and three are open to boats. Lakes are managed for bass, bluegill, and shell crackers. Johns Creek Lake is handicap accessible. Judge Thomas Dawkins House c. 1845 Dawkins Street, Campus of USC-Union (401 East Main Street), Union The Union/Laurens Commission for Higher Education (864) 429 8728 or 1-800-768 5566 This home housed state papers and records when Sherman's advance on Columbia looked inevitable. Lockhart Canal 11 miles east of Union at the intersection of SC 49 and SC 9. Originally built as part of a plan to connect Upstate South Carolina to Charleston via canals. Musgrove Mill State Historic Site Nearly 360 acres, the park is located off State Highway 56, approximately 7 miles northeast of I- 26, exit 52, Clinton. Open year round, Thur.-Mon, 9:00 am-6:00 pm. (864) 938-0100. The Battle of Musgrove Mill was fought on this site near the Enoree River on August 19, 1780. A detachment of American militia engaged and defeated a superior British force composed almost entirely of loyalist troops. Occurring at a time when American prospects for winning the Revolution seemed to grow dimmer by the day, the success at Musgrove Mill bolstered patriot morale in the Carolina backcountry. Padgett’s Creek Baptist Church (864) 427-6908 Founded on November 22, 1784, this church, first called “the Church of Christ on Tyger River,” was renamed Padgett Creek Baptist Church by 1800. The present building was built 1844-48, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The present sanctuary still has the wide hand planed boards, a gallery that was used by slaves, and the twelve columns are original. The baptistery is located below the floor of the pulpit, which was built in September 1924. Before the baptistery was built inside, a concrete pool, located about three hundred yards North of the church, was used. This pool was filled with water from a nearby spring. Several church meeting places were established as arms or branches of Padgett’s Creek Baptist Church; three of which developed into thriving churches: Union Meeting House (now Putman Baptist Church), New Hope Baptist Church at Cross Anchor, Tinker Creek (now Hebron Baptist Church), and the Lower Fairforest Baptist Church. Location: 843 Old Buncombe Rd., (Cross Keys Community). Union. Rose Hill Mansion 2677 Sardis Road, 8 miles South of Union Park Ranger (864) 427-5966 Park hours are 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Thur.-Mon. Mansion tour hours: Thur.-Mon. 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Admission fee. Shelter can be reserved for a fee. Erected 1828-32, by South Carolina Secessionist Governor, William Henry Gist, Rose Hill was named for its landscaped rose garden. It became a state park in 1960 and is noted for its beautiful gardens, historic trees, Federal-style architectural features, and period furnishings. The site is also an ideal place to explore the prosperous Antebellum lifestyle of upcountry planter families and the role of cotton, slaves and tenant farmers in South Carolina's history. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Programs include living history demonstrations, a Christmas open house, and lectures pertaining to the antebellum period. Rose Hill Mansion Cemetery The graves of William Henry Gist, South Carolina's Secessionist Governor, his wife, and many of his children including William Muraena Gist who was killed at Fort Loudon, Nov 18, 1863 during the siege of Knoxville are located there. Sumter National Forest. 3557 Whitmire Hwyl (5 miles south of Union on US Highway 176). (864) 427-9858 or (803) 561-4000 The Enoree Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest totals approximately 160,000 acres covering parts of Union, Fairfield, Chester, Newberry and Laurens counties. The surrounding forest environment provides and opportunity for many recreation experiences, such as boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, motorcycle riding, wildlife and plant observation, camping and picnicking. No matter where your interest lie, the Sumter National Forest is a place for you to enjoy. The Inn at Merridun http://www.merridun.com 100 Merridun Pl., Union. 1-888-892-6020 or (864) 427-7052 or info@merridun.com This 1855 Greek revival mansion has 5 guest rooms with private baths (two with whirlpool tubs for 2) and many interesting architectural details. Located on 9 wooded acres, the Inn is only a 5- minute walk to downtown Union. Evening dessert and a full country gourmet breakfast are included in the rates; dinners available most evenings by prior appointment. The Inn was featured in Southern Living 1998 and was chosen by the Atlanta Journal & Constitution in 1999 as one of 10 great inns in the Southeast. Miss Fannie's, A Yesteryear Tea Room is on the premises. Miss Fannie's, A Yesteryear Tea Room Located at The Inn at Merridun, a Union Antebellum Country Inn, the tea room and gift shop are open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. -5 p.m.; reservations preferred. Other days may be reserved for private parties, themed teas and etiquette classes. Join us for an afternoon that might magically transport you back to a more tranquil time. Union Carnegie Library http://www.unionlibrary.org/ 300 East South St., 1 block south of Downtown Union. (864) 427-7140 Built in 1905 this is the first library funded in South Carolina with a grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. The building features a copper dome and beautiful stained glass. Union Community Hospital Building Between Main and Enterprise Streets, Union, SC Mrs. Julia Long, (864) 427-6171. After receiving his degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN, Dr. Lawrence W. Long opened a medical office in Union. When several of his critically ill African-American patients were not allowed admittance to white hospitals, Dr. Long realized the need for a hospital that would admit his patients. Subsequently, in November of 1932, he founded the Union County Hospital in a rented two-story frame building in Downtown Union. It was the first in the state to be headed by a black physician. Preventive medical services and mass immunizations were also provided at the Union Community Hospital. Its immunization program was so successful that other health care facilities throughout the county adopted its procedures. Around 1934, Dr. Long began to sponsor annual medical clinics in Union which attracted doctors of all races from many southern states. These clinics provided many African-American doctors with the opportunity to upgrade their skills in the face of segregation. Among the many guest physicians who attended the conferences was Charles Drew, M.D., the inventor of blood plasma. Dr. Long was named “Doctor of the Year” in 1957 by the National Medical Association. Not only was Dr. Long an innovator in the medical profession, he also advocated integration in the community in the 1930s. This idea was as unpopular with many of his African-American colleagues as it was with most white southerners. Dr. Long died in 1985. Though no longer used as a hospital, the building still stands and efforts are under way to turn it into the L. W. Long Resource Center in honor of Dr. Long and his legacy. Union County Jail On W. Main St., Union. Built in 1823, the jail was designed by Robert Mills during his tenure as State Engineer for Public Works. Union County Museum http://www.Union-County-SC-Museum.org 127 West Main St. in historic downtown Union. (864) 429-5081 Housed in a beautifully restored 1923 building, the Union County Museum contains a broad collection of the county’s history. Amassed over a period of more than one hundred years, artifacts include furniture, farm and textile equipment, pictures, portraits, personal items, several hundred photographs, pottery, glass, textiles, books and extensive archival materials. Every period of the county’s history is represented. Included in the Military Exhibit are two of the three Civil War battle flags which survived the war as well as the table upon which the Ordinance of Secession was drawn up and signed. Gift Shop on premises where books, maps and other items of historical interest are available. An extensive land grant map book can be purchased as well as artwork by local artisans. Many of these items are one-of-a-kind and are not available at any other location. Historic Union County: For more information (864) 427-6908 Fairforest Meeting House: located on Hwy. 49 W and Police Club Rd., Union. A marker commemorates the historical significance of this Tory-controlled area during the Revolutionary War. Battle of Blackstock: Revolutionary War battle that took place on November 20, 1780 during which General Sumter was injured. Hwy. 49 W and Blackstock Rd. Old Courthouse: located on Main St. in Union; Confederate Monument on the Courthouse grounds. Pinckneyville: Kelton, where Union got its origins. Episcopal Church of the Nativity: begun in 1856, located on South Church St., Union: A replica of Islesworth Chapel, Sussex, England, the first stone church in the county and the sole example gothic architecture. It was occupied in 1859. General William Henry Wallace Home E. Main St. A granite marker commemorates the historical significance. Jefferson Davis ate a noon meal there in April 1865.