HISTORIC OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA Subject: Selected Other Historic Sites in Oconee County Version 1.0, 5-Jan-2003, FCH-14.txt **************************************************************** REPRODUCING NOTICE: ------------------- These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format for profit, or presentation by any other organization, or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Paul M Kankula - nn8nn Seneca, SC, USA Oconee County SC GenWeb Coordinator Oconee County SC GenWeb Homestead http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/oconee.html Oconee County SC GenWeb Tombstone Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~scoconee/cemeteries.html http://www.rootsweb.com/~cemetery/southcarolina/oconee.html Contributor: Frederick C. Holder, Box 444, Pickens, SC 29671 **************************************************************** DATAFILE INPUT . : Paul M. Kankula at kankula1@innova.net in Jan-2003 DATAFILE LAYOUT : Paul M. Kankula at kankula1@innova.net in Jan-2003 HISTORY WRITE-UP : Frederick C. Holder in 1989 SELECTED OTHER HISTORIC SITES IN OCONEE COUNTY FORT MADISON VILLAGE 1873-1890 The Church dates to about 1905 Fort Madison derives its name from a small station (or fort) on the Tugaloo River in the 1780s. The village on the Tugaloo River now known as Fort Madison developed after the completion of the Air Line Railroad in 1873. Many of the residents of the small village were involved in the lumber industry. The railroad tracks were moved north of the village in the early twentieth century, and Toccoa Highway (Hwy. 123) at Fort Madison now follows the course of the old railroad bed. Only a few houses of the original village are still standing. The church dates from about 1905 and is said to be constructed with materials from an earlier church. Location: Along Toccoa Highway (Hwy. 123), only a short distance before crossing into Georgia, look for a large stone obelisk in the side yard of one of the houses along the right side of the road. This obelisk, a memorial to Col. Benjamin Cleveland, was erected by the Cleveland family in 1887 on the condition that the name of the village be changed to Cleveland. The village name remained Cleveland until about 1889, at which time the residents changed the name back to Fort Madison. A small number of structures connected with the village are on Harbert Park Circle, a road off Toccoa Highway (Hwy. 123) near the obelisk. BACHELOR'S RETREAT Three buildings standing in the Bachelor's Retreat Community have almost identical columns typical of those found on a number of buildings in South Carolina during the antebellum period. A church build around 1851, a house build around 1830, and a store/post office of an unknown date were the center of this community. Bachelor's Retreat was not a village or small town, although it is often mentioned in early deeds, newspapers, and on maps. A post office was estab- lished there in 1812 and continued until 1827, at which time it was moved to Claremont near present-day Westminster. The Bachelor's Retreat post office was the first recorded post office in the area of present-day Oconee County. Location: Take West Oak Highway (Hwy. 24) from Westminster going southeast. After going about three miles, turn right onto South Retreat Road (Road 49). The church is about two miles on the right hand side of the road, and the house and store are a short distance farther on the left. All buildings are on private property.