The school was named Marion Graded School, and it served students for 90 years before closing in 1976. The old school bell still hangs in the cupola, and the rope that rings it drops down to the main level of the museum!

The Marion County Museum opened in 1981 and houses a variety of exhibits ranging from local interest to traveling exhibits. Their permanent collection includes antiques from the Aiken-Rhett House in Charleston, an old classroom, a farm room, and lots of Marion County history and artifacts.

For more information, please visit the museum’s website.

The part of the river shown above is called Fork Retch and is located near Mullins off SC 76.

There are many ways to enjoy the Little Pee Dee River. Many folks just grab a beer, hop on a float, and enjoy a lazy cruise downstream. Fishing, camping, canoeing, and kayaking are also great ways to experience this scenic river. Several parts of the Little Pee Dee have received State Scenic River designations, so make sure to take a moment to appreciate its quiet beauty while you’re traveling downstream!

If you aren’t interested in getting in the water, you can always visit Galivants Ferry – best known for its political rally the “Galivants Ferry Stump” – which is located along the river. For those seeking solitude, the Little Pee Dee has many retreats, like this beautiful old train trestle.

SCIWAY contributor Warren Bennett says in his opinion the Little Pee Dee River “not only exemplifies the beauty of the Pee Dee region, but offers a stark contrast to the economic hardships the area has faced in the past decade.”

The trestle crosses the Little Pee Dee River between Mullins and Nichols at an old swimming hole. Summer after summer, before swimming pools scattered the neighborhoods of today, local kids would swing from ropes and dive from the sides of the old trestle into the Little Pee Dee River after a long day in the tobacco fields.

George Smith of Mullins, who took this picture and provided the historical information, writes, “I can remember my dad telling me stories of how they would go to the trestle to swim, and I can also remember the first time I went to the old trestle to swim. In this day in time those days have almost long been forgotten.”

The house is representative of a typical Marion County family farmhouse built during the years between 1900 and 1950. At maturity, willow oaks reach or exceed heights of over 100 feet.

SCIWAY thanks BJ Thurman of Conway for submitting this picture and historical information.

View more pictures of Marion County.

There is also tobacco farming equipment, a reconstructed pole barn, a 15-minute informative movie, and other special exhibits. The museum is housed in the restored Mullins depot.

Visit the museum’s website for hours and admission information.

Many thanks to George Smith of Mullins for providing this picture.

This barn is on a farm near the Smithboro community about five miles outside of Mullins. Many of the old tobacco barns have been left to rot away slowly or have been torn down, but some have been saved and converted into usable buildings and even into homes.

Many thanks to George Smith of Mullins for providing this picture and historical information.

In 1975, the Florence Morning News detailed the history of the brick building shown at left, writing ‘If you need a collar for your mule, a cast iron frying pan, a pair of blue jeans, or a pack of potato chips, the Davis Brothers store at Centenary is where you can find it.’

The weather-beaten brick building is one of the last of a vanishing breed, the country general merchandise store.
Marion County’s oldest continuously operated business, the Davis family store has been supplying their friends and neighbors with groceries, clothing, hardware, and farm supplies since 1867.

SCIWAY thanks Jerri White of Marion for providing this picture and historical information.

The original wood-framed depot was built in 1901 and was remodeled in 1931. This is the building that is still standing today.Mullins area has always been a farming community. In the late 1800s, the city of Mullins consisted of only a few business. One of the early businesses was the turpentine industry until the introduction of tobacco in 1894.

The Mullins Depot also houses the present-day SC Tobacco Museum.

SCIWAY thanks George Smith of Mullins for providing this picture and great historical information.

When it started in 1876, it was an opportunity for locals to hear candidates speak, which they did while standing on a tree stump so they could be seen and heard by the crowd. This practice is the origin of what everyone knows today to be a “stump speech.”

Candidates still come to Galivants Ferry and the local community still gathers along with prominent Democrats from the state and nation. In 2006, Joe Biden was the keynote speaker for the event. Candidates now make their speeches from the porch of a country store.

Bucking the trend in which political events strive to employ the most up-to-the-minute media technology, the decidedly low-tech atmosphere at the Galivants Ferry Stump remains a blend of carnival and church picnic, complete with plenty of food, music, and balloons – plus lots of hand-shakin’, back-slappin’, and baby kissin’.

Special thanks to photographer Ben Lawson of Aynor for submitting this handsome shot!