PLUM BRANCH:  Heaven in South Carolina

• ISBN:  978-0-9913011-0-2
• 565 pages
• 144 photos
• 21 maps
• Coffee-table-size
• Hardbound
• Heirloom quality
• Retail:  $44.00

This large heirloom-quality hardcover 565-page book – 8½ x 11 inches in size – weighs six pounds. It chronicles the evolution of society in Plum Branch, a tiny rural community in South Carolina. The book features 144 photographs, 21 maps, and 43 scanned plats and documents. The author begins with a framework of regional and national events. Onto this backdrop he weaves the mesmerizing true story of a small rural village. With meticulous attention to detail he relates perils endured by early pioneers and subsistence farmers during the early- to mid-1700s. Readers witness the brutality and horrors of rural violence during the American Revolutionary War. After that bloody war a textual window allows readers to examine community life, newfound stability, and prosperity in the fabled Cotton Kingdom. The author paints a graphic picture of initial euphoria followed by privation and suffering during the War for Southern Independence in the mid-1800s. After the despised Reconstruction Era the community grew and flourished. Yet, tragedy struck in the early 1900s. The dreaded boll weevil, demise of the small farmer, death of King Cotton, and the Great Depression combined to crush the economic lifeblood out of the little town. In droves, residents and merchants moved away in search of a viable livelihood. Adults who remained faced many years of bitter economic struggles. Nevertheless, for children after daily chores were done, life in the community offered adventure and challenge in a rural paradise with unfettered freedoms and joys. Shared hardships forced families to bond together. Privation forged creativity and perseverance. Togetherness honed interpersonal skills and responsible citizenship, and community residents excelled when they ventured out into mainstream America. In the modern era the Plum Branch region has evolved into a retiree haven and a recreational wonderland. Many residents say they truly live in “Heaven in South Carolina.”

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