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heartland towns
Aiken, SC
Bennettsville, SC
Camden, SC
Cary, NC
Chapel
Hill, NC
Charlotte, NC
Cheraw, SC
Columbia, SC
Durham, NC
Florence, SC
Greensboro, NC
Greenwood, SC
Hartsville, SC
Hickory, NC
High
Point, NC
Lincolnton, NC
Marion
County, SC
Newberry, SC
North
Augusta, SC
Orangeburg, SC
Pinehurst, NC
Raleigh, NC
Research
Triangle, NC
Santee, SC
Sumter, SC
Vance
County, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Books About The
Carolinas
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Third Sunday in November.
Horse lovers know to mark that date for a true "day" in the country. Celebrating 34 years,
the Colonial Cup in Camden features premier steeplechase racing, Jack Russell Terrier races, a wine-tasting
and chef cook-off.
Photo by Tom Haynes, Courtesy of Carolina Cup Racing Association, Camden SC |
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Every house has
a story.
Tanglewood, above, is an example of a classic Carolina farmhouse. It was built
in 1831 as a wedding present for Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Alexander, early residents
of Camden. During the War Between the states, Federal troops used well water
from the yard, while camping in the adjoining square.”
Photo by Jane Faircloth/
Transparencies Inc. |
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| Camden |
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im McIntyre, a retired colonel with the Air Force, who with his wife, Julie, has purchased the Greenleaf Inn of Camden, and are now entertaining folks from around the U.S. and beyond. “We really enjoy Camden because it has a level of sophistication and diversity that you normally don’t see in a town this size.”
“We’ve had people here from France, England and Germany,” he explained, noting that they usually stop over on their way to another destination, then discover how much Camden has to offer in terms of history, shopping, antiques, fine architecture and, of course, equestrian activities.
As they neared retirement, the couple went in search of a B&B in the Southeast, and fell in love with the history and design of the Greenleaf, as well as the friendliness of the town.
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ounded in 1732, Camden is the oldest inland town in South Carolina, shaded by ancient live oaks and tinged with a richly-colored history. Gen. George Cornwallis headquartered here during the Revolution, and visitors to the Revolutionary War Park are invited to “spend a few peaceful hours where the British spent a rough year.”
Mary Boykin Chesnut recorded the Civil War in her famous Diary from Dixie, written on a Camden plantation. Later, wealthy equestrians discovered the area was perfect for horse training during mild winters. Opulent inns were built in the late 1800s to provide accommodations. Those inns are gone now, but you can learn about them at the local Camden Museum and Archives, one of a very few in the state with a full-time, paid historian.
The horse industry is probably Camden’s largest employer now. It takes 1.1 people to care for each of the 2,000 horses, most of them thoroughbreds, that winter in Camden or live there full time. That puts the horse industry running neck and neck with Invista, formerly DuPont, in terms of jobs it provides. Every spring, the town of fewer than 7,000 people welcomes 70,000 to the famous Carolina Cup horse meet, followed in fall by the Colonial Cup, one of the nation’s richest steeplechase races.
The events are as well known for fashions as for horses, and picnics range from fried chicken to elegant hors d’oeuvres on silver trays. It’s a tradition for thousands of South Carolinians and others, many of whom spend extra time in Camden on Cup weekends just to stroll through the downtown, where stately mansions link the town’s past to its present. More than 20 shops and malls dedicated to antiques and arts are known the length of the East Coast. The $1.5 million renovation of the 1827 courthouse designed by Robert Mills has protected the building, which now houses the Kershaw County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.
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Camden is two hours from beaches, two hours from mountains, two
hours from Charleston
and one and a half from Charlotte.
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Camden has revived the polo matches that wealthy winter residents inaugurated 80 or so years ago.
The National Steeplechase Museum is located on the grounds of the Springdale Race Course and offers a glimpse into the world of the steeplechase.
The “winter people” love Camden, and have supported it financially in numerous ways. Chief among these is the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. With an annual budget in excess of $600,000 and a $2 million endowment, the center offers classes in visual arts, dance, theater, music, photography and pottery. Charles Wadsworth, the irrepressible chamber music director who presents concerts throughout the Southeast, features four of those events in Camden each year.
The Antique and Arts District includes six malls and numerous individual shops for visitors to browse for original artwork, fine antiques, 18th Century furniture reproductions and specialty gifts. Camden is home to four classic woodworkers who specialize in fine reproductions and unique original-design furniture.
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For one Saturday, this town of less than 7,000
welcomes 70,000 people to watch horses and each other - many wearing their garden-party
best, and enjoying exquisite picnics.
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“Because annexation laws are so stringent, Camden hasn’t grown much inside town limits,” says Buddy Clark, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce and husband of Camden’s mayor, who generally goes by her first name, Mary. Still, three new schools have opened, and a fourth industrial park is in the works.
The local hospital also has expanded. The $15.5 million project includes a cardiology and vascular center, new surgical rooms, a larger intensive care unit, and 24 new private rooms.
The McIntyres have lived all over, including Hawaii and Germany. They wanted to be away from traffic, but close to a large metropolitan area (Columbia is a short drive away). They hoped for an active arts scene and sense of history. They found it all in Camden.
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Katherine O. Pettit has worked as a writer, magazine editor, printer and
public relations consultant. The Columbia resident has published more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers.
Her writing explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles, business and management.
Margaret N. O'Shea is a retired journalist who now investigates
legal cases for lawyers. She was a newspaper reporter for 37 years, nominated
four times for a Pulitzer Prize and three times named South Carolina Journalist of the
Year by the Society of Professional Journalists. She lives in Columbia and continues to write.
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