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MEETING TONIGHTTHE HOTEL PROJECT TO BE CONSIDERED.Let’s Have a Modern' Palace ; tfrfrgtt Iby all Means.To the Editor of 1 he Times:The columns of your paper have from time to time contained editorials and correspondence regarding the necessity of a first class, modernly equipped tourist hotel in Georgetown. The many advantages of this place for hunting, fishing and spending a pleasant winter, enjoying our salubrious climate, have been often and truthfully told, yet no hotel has sprung up, and notwithstanding offers of outside assistance,apparently no effort is being made on the part of our people to fill this great want. It is true Georgetown has three or four hotels at present, and while they possiblr answer the necessities of the travelling man, they are not supplied with those modern conveniences that the wealthy northerner are accustomed to, and while they are seeking our sunny clime in the winter, they are also seeking for comforts such as most of them are accustomed to at home. Until we can supply their wants in every respect, we cant expect to reap the rich harvest of their coming, as Aiken, Camden, Summerville and other places in our State, Georgia and Florida, are doing. There has been too much talk and too little work done towards the building of a hotel here- It is no new question. It has been agitated here for the last ten years, so far without results. Wind mills are very good things in their place, but they have never been known to build a hotel. The trouble is we have had too much wind, now let us shut up the wind mill and go to work. If there is one argument yet unused to prove the advantages to a place, by the location among us of a wealthy and respectable class of visitors, I think I can supply that argument, and ask you, Mr Editor, to republish the following correspondence from Aiken B. C. to the News and Courier. It speaks for itself, and it is to my mind the most convincing agument that can be used;Aiken’s Bright Prospects.Aikks, April 15—Northern visitors are leaving rapidly for their homes, and by the 1st ot May nearly all will be gone. Aiken will miss them, for they made business in all lines lively, furnished their own sports and amusements and made themselves agreeable generally. The sporting element brought their horses, dogs, lighting cocks and guns down with them, and spent the greater part of their time outdoors. Golf was the great attraction, and some of the visitors did little else than play that game. Rain or shine, warm or cold, they would play golf. It is one of the rules of golf that weather conditions are not to interfere with the game, and some of the playen lived up to that rule religiously the past winter, even when the mercury was down in the teens. While most everybody else was hugging the Hres Leeds, Appleton and few others were playing coif in their ghirt sleeves,There were others that varied their amusements—Mr. Hitchcock, for instance. He would go fox hunting In the morning, play golf in the middle of the day and go gunning in the afternoon. In order to sup-ply the woods with game he has brought hundreds of quail from abroad and turned them loose in the fields around Aiken. He has also brought hundreds of foxes and a few jack rabbits and turned them loose.The livery stable men and the butchers had a fine season, and If they have not made money it is not because they did not get the business.The season just closing has been the best In the history of Aiken, so the “oldest inhabitant” says. Aiken has not only had more visitors tlian ever belore, but she has had a wealthier seU There were a number of millionaires here, nearly all of whom have arranged to come back next winter. There also appeared to be fewer sick people here than formerly.The outlook for next season is good, and contractors and builders will have their hands full during the coming summer. Quite a numbar of houses have already been taken, while options have been secured from others. Besides these quite a number of tine houses will be built during the coming summer for Northerners who purchased lots while here the past winter.The following is a partial list of houses rented tor next season:Mr. H. B. Duryea, of New York, has taken Capt. G. w. Croft’s house.Mr. C. F- Ilavemeyer, of New York, has taken Dr. Teague’s house.Mr. Royal Phelps Carroll, of New York has taken the Edmondston cottage, owned by Miss Eustls.Mr. N. S. Simpkins, of New York, has rented Mrs. Carrie Lamar’s house.Mr. Sheffield Phelps, of New Jersey, has taken the Ford cottage.Mr. Butler Duncan, Jr., of New York, has leased Orange Grove house for three years, with the option of buying at the end of the first year.Prices for furnished houses range from |250 up to $1,300 for the season.The fallowing is a Hat of the Northerners who invested during the past winter in Aikenreal estate:The Hon. William C. Whitney, of New York, bought the Joye house, including furniture, for $9,000. He also bought the McCracken house, next door, for which he paid $3,500, unfurnished. He also bought several hundred acres of land lying about two miles west of Aiken, from Mr. C. F. Hucbet.Mr. C. Oliver Iselin, of New Rochelle, New York, the owner of the Defender, has bought the Charles Buckhnlter place, son taming fifteen acres, and proposes to erect a fine old colonial residence on it this summer.Mr. Wm. R. Travers, of New York, lias bought the adjoining lot, containing ten acres, and will also erect affine dwelling house on it.Mr. C. M. Hinkle, of Cincinnati, Ohio, has bought from Mr. John Laird the Coker Spring Hill lot, and will probably build on it this year.Mr. C. H. Sweeney,of Albany,has bought the Pardue cottage.Mr. E. II. Pellew, of New York, has bought the lot known as Matthew’s corner, and will tear down the old building on it now and erect a handsome two-story cot* tage.Miss Eustis has bought the Edmonds-ton cottage, which she is having thoroughly overhauled, and is also making extensive additions to it. She has also bought the Moseley cottage, and is having an addition built on to it.Miss Eustis bought the Scheutzenplatx winter before last, and has recently giveu out the contract to have the large pavilion on It converted into a dwelling house of twelve rooms.Dr. Valentine Mott, of New York, has bought the old Finley homestead.Mr. George Smith, of Balston Spa, N. Y., has bought a tract of about 125 acres of land, adjoining the Scheutrcnplatz. and wilt have two nice cottages built the coming summer. He has also sold off one or two lots of this land to a gentleman who will build.Mr. W. McPherson Wiltbank, of Philadelphia, has bonght a tract of ten acres lying to the south of Aiken, and will probably build this summer.Mr. L. H. Eastman, of Vermont, has bought and built him a pretty home in the northern part of the city.Col. George T. White, of Rutland, Vt. has bought a lot adjoining Mr. Eastman’s.Mr. Thomas Hitchcock, Jr. of New York, has bought a tract of over 100 acres of land lying south of Coker Spring.The Palmetto Golf Club also boughtsome land from the Rev. Dr. Lucius Coth-bert, to extend the golf links.It is currently rumored that the Highland Park Hotel Company proposes to make extensive improvements during the coming summer --expending something like twenty to twenty-five tnousanddollars. As to this rumor nothing definite will be learned until after the annual meeting of the stock-holders, which will he held soon.The boom or demand for real estate is confined mostly to that part of Aiken lying south of the South Carolina Railroad. The Eustises and the Hitchcocks live in that locality and the golf grounds and race track lie there. The prices so far paid for real estate are not extrava-iu a few instances, where certain pieces of property have been wanted badly, fancy figures have been offered. For instance, it is told of a colored man who owns a V-shaped lot in the fork of two road9, leading out of Aiken, that heretofore has been considered worthless, refuses $3,000 for it. In tins same locality a number of colored people own homes that, if they can be induced to sell, can get fancy figures for their property. But whether they will sell or not Is another question.Homo people are also making investments as will be seen by the following:Mr. Ilenry I^ahn has brought the vacant lot on Laurens street, known as Weasel's corner, and expects to erect two handsome brick stores.Mrs. Henry Schroder ha? bought the Blomberg house, on Richland avenue, the price paid being $3,500 or £3,GOO.Mrs. Dr. T. G. Croft has bought the North cottage, situated on the corner of Park avenue and Laurens street, for $4,500 cash.Mr. G. K. Chafee has bought the Walpole house, and Dame Rumor has it that it is to be occupied by Ex-Governor John Gary Evans after his marriage.The Aiken Improvement Society bought a tract of 125 acres in the northwestern portion of the city, known as the MitchellPark, for $2,500, and has given it to the city for ' * ......park. It is covered with original forests, and is valued for the pine trees that stand on it. The park has not yet been named.J. P. Berckmans, of Augusta, has leen employed to lay out the drives through this park.Mr. Lewis Brad well has bought a lot in front of the Cottages, (Sanitarium,) and will build him a commodious residence this summer.How do you like the picture of “ Aiken’s Bright Prospects?” Why cant Georgetown enjoy a similar painting? We can, if we will all get together, and in a public spirited, patriotic, and unselfish manner, show our faith in our town by our works. Georgetown has equally as good a winter climate as Aiken. Georgetown’s forests abound in deer, quail,woodcock and foxes; they don’t have to be bought, brought here and turned loose to afford the sportsmen sport. And our rivers, creeks and marshes abound in fine ducks, and our rivers and bay afford those fond of boating and excursions ample pleasure. Our drives through the all healing piues are as fine as can be found anywhere. Our old plantations, with their massive groves of oaks, tapestried with mos^, are a revelation to the northern visitors. Our people are hospitable, and their aoore are open to all good, intelligent and worthy visitors.Summed up, there is no place that off ere as many advantages to the northern visitors for health, pleasure or profit, than Georgetown. But one thing is lacking—a hotel equipped with electric lights, electric bells, baths, ana ail other modern conveniences, pleasantly siuat-ed and properly run. It has been suggested that such a house, costing probably $25,000, would not pay- Suppose theinvestment does not pay directedly, Indirectly we would all be benefited by the influx each year of a large number of wealthy visitors, spending theflr time and money here. As in Aiken, some would buy orsclscringamtinup'tallet1theablgrema
Newspaper Details
Georgetown Semi Weekly Times
Georgetown, South Carolina, US
Wed, May 19, 1897
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USA 26 May 2025
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