Breeden's Quality Meats
Bennettville, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The old Breeden's Quality Meats storefront gives downtown Bennettsville a welcome bit of neighborhood character. Its familiar sign belongs to the days when shopping for supper included a visit to the local butcher. Here, that tradition has lasted considerably longer than most, with fresh-cut meats and house-made sausage keeping customers coming through the door. 01-08
Brothers Will and Gene Breeden established the business in 1926. It later passed through the Thompson family before Cam and Cindy Stone took over in 1988. The Stones continued its personal service while expanding production of Breeden's pork sausage, now recognized as a Certified South Carolina product.
UPDATE: Breeden's remains open and marked its centennial in 2026. A hundred years after its founding, the downtown butcher shop continues serving Bennettsville and the surrounding communities. 11-26
Variety Shop (Gone)
Tigerville, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The faded Variety Shop lettering gave this old Tigerville storefront the look of a business quietly left behind. Its substantial brick walls suggested something more important than a little crossroads shop, and the building's history bears that out. Long before the weathered lettering appeared, this was a major local mercantile supplying the surrounding countryside. 02-08
John Heiskell Roe built J.H. Roe & Son in 1904, using locally made bricks. Customers could buy groceries, clothing, hardware, and farm supplies, sometimes trading produce for merchandise. The building even appeared in the 1990 movie Coupe de Ville, dressed as a fictional feed and hardware store.
UPDATE: North Greenville University restored the building as the Eddie Runion Creative Arts Center. Later changes brought university marketing and PrintHub administration into the downstairs space, keeping the historic storefront in use. 11-26
Fewell Cotton Warehouse (Rem.)
Rock Hill, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The long brick Fewell Cotton Warehouse recalls the years when cotton storage and textile manufacturing helped keep Rock Hill busy. Its practical walls lack the ornament of a downtown storefront, but the building has plenty of industrial character. Places like this handled the raw material behind the mills, making them an essential part of the operation. 02-08
The warehouse dates to the late nineteenth century and was associated with the Crescent Cotton Mill. Cotton merchant Edward Fewell purchased it at auction in 1903 for $3,000. The neighboring mill later became part of Hamilton Carhartt's manufacturing operation, connecting this corner of Rock Hill with a nationally familiar workwear name.
UPDATE: The former warehouse survives through restoration and commercial reuse. Together with the neighboring historic mill buildings, it
Boger City Pawn
Boger City, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Boger City Pawn name leaves little doubt about where you've stopped. Sitting along East Main Street outside downtown Lincolnton, the shop belongs to the everyday roadside landscape of local businesses, repair shops, and stores serving the surrounding community. It's the sort of place where the merchandise inside can be as interesting as the storefront. 02-08
Tools, jewelry, electronics, and musical instruments are among the goods associated with the business. That changing assortment has always been part of a pawn shop's appeal: yesterday's trade-in might be something another customer has spent months trying to find. A quick look around can turn into a longer stop than expected.
UPDATE: Boger City Pawn remains in business serving the Lincolnton area. The familiar local name continues along East Main Street, carrying on another small-business chapter of the roadside. 11-26
McGill's Store (Closed)
Bethany, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
This little time capsule is located in Bethany, SC which is just South of Kings Mountain. It could be said that this is the town of Bethany, as other than a few homes there was nothing else in town. McGill's Store really was a general store in the truest sense of the word, just like in the days of old. Aside from gas, you could get groceries, hardware, boots and of course junk food. I opted for the later and purchased a bottle of Sun Drop. There was a newspaper article on the wall about the place, the clerk told me it was from about a year ago. Clearly this place has not changed in decades. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 02-08
James Leslie McGill established the store in 1888, beginning a family business that served the surrounding countryside for more than 130 years. It became a familiar gathering place as well as a practical stop for everyday supplies. The crossroads location helped make it part of local routines, whether customers needed work clothes, something for supper, or simply a cold drink.
McGill's Store (Closed)
Bethany, SC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The general store closed in February 2020, but the building's working life continued. Family members introduced cafe service and events, finding ways to keep people coming through the doors. Part of the old merchandise and fixtures was retained to show visitors what shopping here had once been like.
UPDATE: The historic building now houses Crossroads Cafe at McGill's, serving coffee, breakfast, and lunch. The merchandise has changed, but the old store remains a place for neighbors and travelers to stop, eat, and visit at the crossroads. 11-26
Old High Shoals River Bridge
High Shoals, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here is the Old High Shoals River Bridge in High Shoals, NC. The bridge was not in use, bypassed, replaced by the typical boring slab. But for some reason, the bridge was not demolished. It appeared to have been abandoned for quite some time. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 02-08
Built in 1931, the bridge carried highway traffic for more than fifty years before being bypassed in the early 1980s. Its narrow roadway belonged to an earlier generation of motoring, when crossings like this were common on state highways. The overhead steelwork gave drivers a much stronger sense of entering a bridge than most modern concrete spans do.
High Shoals River Bridge Sign
High Shoals, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
With the cars gone, the structure's details are easier to appreciate. Diagonal braces, upright posts, and rows of connections form a repeating pattern above the river. It's a practical design with an appearance all its own, and a reminder that even an ordinary highway crossing could become a memorable part of a drive.
UPDATE: The old bridge remains standing beside the newer river crossing, retired from vehicle traffic. Its surviving steel trusses preserve a recognizable piece of High Shoals' transportation history and the earlier highway route through town. 11-26
Breeden's Quality Meats
Variety Shop (Gone)
Boger City Pawn
McGill's Store (Closed)
McGill's Store (Closed)
Old High Shoals River Bridge
High Shoals River Bridge Sign
