The Crossroads of Camden (SC)

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."  ~ Heraclitus

On November 15th—roughly 90-minutes after departing Stone Mountain State Park, and a few moments before reaching the Oxford School Road exit on I-40 (West)—we crossed the Catawba River.  We barely noticed the unassuming forest-green procession of water, as it slowly meandered between the dense tree-laden embankments.  After traveling another 50-miles westward on I-40, we crossed it again just prior to Parker Padgett Road.  We were completely unaware of this river-crossing, as the much narrower upstream width was obscured by a lower and even more dense canopy.  The origin of this river is in Old Fort, North Carolina...about 25 crow-flying miles east of where we parked our rig in Candler (NC).

While the river of life glides along smoothly, it remains the same river; only the landscape on either bank seems to change.  ~ Max Muller

The Catawba River was important to the Native American population of the region, and it would later become an important inland trade route for the European settlers.  Originating in the mountain springs in Old Fort, the river flows east of the Eastern Continental Divide through a geological maze that snakes over 300-miles to its terminus at the Atlantic Ocean.  From it’s babbling beginnings, the river flows to Lake Hickory, a 4,233-acre hydroelectric impoundment area dating to 1927; then past the township of Catawba (NC); then onto Lake Norman, a monstrous 32,500-acre hydroelectric impoundment area.  Further downstream the river passes through  Lakes Mountain Island & Wylie, both bordering the western edges of the greater Charlotte metropolitan area.   The last leg of the river flows past Great Falls (SC), and loses it’s name at Wateree Lake.  From this point, it is only 75-miles to Charleston Harbor and the Atlantic by means of it’s new name, Wateree River.  The first town on the Wateree River is the historic community of Camden.

Camden, South Carolina has deep pre-Revolutionary War roots, and was a township created by order of King George II (by the name of Fredericksburg).  During the Revolutionary War, Lord Charles Cornwallis used Camden as the British supply post for the war’s Southern campaign and captured/occupied the Kershaw House for use as his headquarters.

Everything will change.  Everything has changed.”  ~ Lord Charles Cornwallis (character), The Patriot

The Battle of Camden was a rout, with Lord Cornwallis effectively stomping a new orifice into the untrained and undisciplined American troops led by Horatio Gates.  Although the American defeat by Lord Cornwallis provided a tactical and strategic positioning to the British, it would be short-lived.  1-year, 2-months, and 3-days after Lord Cornwallis defeated Gates at Camden, he would lay down his arms in surrender on the battlefield at Yorktown (VA)—5 crow-flying miles from where our trans-America journey began in Gloucester County, Virginia.

Camden was a pleasure to visit during the pre-Christmas season.  The antebellum homes gleaming with period-specific holiday lights enable one to momentarily step back in time.  Even the local funeral home proudly and perpetually displays a turn-of-the-century horse-drawn hearse.  The town of 6,000 has a close-knit, small-town feel.  There is a farmer’s market that actually has fresh produce from local farmers; a meat market that sells Prime cuts of beef, sliced to order on a traditional butcher’s block; and a corner music store, that partners with the pub across the street to showcase the local talent. 

I bet on a horse at ten-to-one.  It didn't come in until half-past five.   ~ Henny Youngman

The big event for the town is the Carolina Cup—an equestrian event that brings horse enthusiasts from all over the country, and swells the local census to over 70,000.  The Carolina Cup has been held every year since 1930—only missing two years (’43. ’45) due to The Great War.  The town is exceedingly horse-centric, with polo fields, steeple-chase courses, and boarding stables surrounding the official town limits.  The big irony in this event is that any betting on any horse competition is strictly forbidden by South Carolina law.

We again found the people to be warm and welcoming wherever we went.  The Southern architecture of yesteryear was accented by a community that still proudly embraced Southern Hospitality.

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