Volume 5, Issue 1 - Spring Edition | 2021 |
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Bobby Plair Was Asked to Start a Band...What He Created Was a Legend |
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When Bobby Simrill Plair walked into George Fish School in 1953, he was charged with creating a band. There was a problem, however, the school could spare very little money for the band, and there were few instruments and no uniforms. In the time which schools were called “Separate but Equal” things were a lot more separate than equal. The situation would discourage most people, but Bobby Plair had a love for music and a determined Marine Corps attitude that managed to bring music into the lives of the George Fish School students. |
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Many students were from families who could not easily afford the cost of a band instrument. The school budget would not allow for the purchase of new instruments so Mr. Plair searched pawn shops in Rock Hill and Charlotte for used instruments so that any student who wanted to be in the band would have an opportunity to play. He purchased the instruments with his own money and since money for uniforms was unavailable, he asked parents to provide black pants or skirts and white shirts. Mr. Plair created a band that would go on to be the pride of the school and the Fort Mill community until 1968 when the Fort Mill schools were integrated. Plair left the George Fish Band in good hands in 1961 when he moved on to direct the choral department at Clinton Junior College. |
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Any band director worth his salary knows that music instruction and marching skills are only part of the equation for success. Bobby Plair’s love for his students and his drive to make the world around him a better place created a band that the school and the community would be proud of for years.
This year, the Fort Mill School District will honor Mr. Plair by adding his name to its Hall of Fame. This is not the first recognition of Bobby Simrill Plair’s exceptional life. In 2012, he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal for his service as a United States Marine during WWII. For more info. click here.
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Mr. Plair, at 93 years of age, still performs on saxophone with his combo, “Plair” The combo was featured at the Strawberry Festival several years ago.
Mike & Cheryl Hill
Fort Mill History Museum Research Team
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As we Celebrate Black History month, Celebrate Bobby Plair and all the beautiful music he has brought to Fort Mill! |
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Thank you to the Fort Mill Garden Club!
The Fort Mill Garden Club came out on a cold Saturday morning to add a little spring to our front yard. The flowers look beautiful and will take us through the season. They have been planting, pulling, sowing, and keeping our flower beds in our front yard beautiful for many years.
Thanks Fort Mill Garden Club for the long time partnership with the museum.
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Fort Mill History Museum would like to recognize one of our outstanding volunteers, Rick Dammann.
Over the years FMHM has been blessed with enthusiastic, talented, and devoted volunteers. None less than Richard Dammann.
Richard C. Dammann is a long standing FMHM volunteer who takes, a very active role in the operation of the museum. If you have worked with Rick you know him to be hardworking, straight forward, unruffled, & always reliable.
Rick joined the museum as a volunteer in the Spring of 2012, after retiring from Pulcra Chemical where he had worked for 23 years. Born in New Jersey, Rick graduated from Monmouth University and then UNC Chapel Hill, where he met his wife Cheryl (a Georgia girl).
Rick’s first connection with FMHM came in 2012 when he walked into the museum & met Carol Dixon. Shortly after joining, Rick became a member of the Board of Directors, where he served as vice chair and then chair between 2013-2016. Rick helped the museum open a new facility on White Street in 2012 and then again in 2015 with the move to the current Wilson House location.
As chair, Rick understood the realities of running a museum. Being a “numbers guy,” Rick’s goals were to adhere to budget guidelines and increase memberships. His vision and commitment paid off, because by the end of 2016 the museum saw an increase in the attendance figures by more than 59% and a 20% increase in memberships.
Rick’s commitment to FMHM is evident. He continues to serve as Team Lead for the Grant Processing Team, a member of the Property and Facilities Team, a Front Desk Volunteer, & a member of the Sponsorship Team. He also travels to Charleston once a month where he volunteers for Friends of the Hunley, and somewhere in there he finds time to indulge in his love for golf. Alongside FMHM volunteers, Rick’s strong leadership and selfless commitment helped FMHM become a viable and intrinsic part of the Fort Mill community. Thank you Rick for all you do!
Ann Evans
Fort Mill History Museum Volunteer
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Thank you Elite Air & Heat!!
Elite Air & Heat continues to help us out with our AC needs. This year with the help of a Fort Mill Accommodations Tax Grant and Elite Air & Heat we were able to replace ductwork and our large AC unit. Jason Rawdon and his team have been our go to company for several years now and has done a super job.
An air purification system was also installed last year. This helps the museum offer another level of safety to our visitors, volunteers and staff.
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Fort Mill History Museum Research Team
Undertakes a Cemetery Listing Initiative
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This past summer, the Fort Mill History Museum Research Team undertook an initiative to identify and list the cemeteries in the Fort Mill and Tega Cay area. These cemeteries include both active and inactive burial grounds. Some have been abandoned and a few are unnamed and long forgotten. The initial research revealed a surprising number of cemeteries…21 at first estimate. COVID-19 has slowed some of the team’s research efforts, but progress is still being made. During preliminary research, it was found that most of the cemeteries have proper or family names, but a few are unnamed or have dual names. Several were merely referred to by geographic location. This research is surfacing some interesting historical facets of Fort Mill’s history, with a few cemeteries dating back to the Revolutionary War. Some fascinating family history stories are also emerging from those cemeteries that are privately, or family owned with generational burials. The research team is literally reaching back into the rich history of Fort Mill. There are four cemeteries in Fort Mill that are city maintained. The rest are private, or family owned.
This initiative will continue until the research team determines that all cemeteries have been properly located, identified, and listed. The final product will be a listing of each cemetery to include name, location, GPS coordinates, age, prominent burials, and a
brief history. The listing will not include the individual names of all the deceased burials. Upon completion, an on-line version of this listing will be available through the Fort Mill History Museum. In addition to being used for burial plot selections, it is anticipated this listing will be used for research, including academic, ancestral, legal, and general curiosity pursuits.
The cemetery listing research team consists of three volunteers who are working diligently on identifying, researching and listing Fort Mill’s cemeteries. Their efforts have taken them to remote and heavily wooden areas that are only sometimes or seldom explored. Although most of the cemeteries have been identified and listed, if anyone has information or knowledge of any remote, abandoned, or small family-owned cemetery, please contact the research team via mbrinton@fmhm.org.
Kevin Toevs
Fort Mill History Museum Research Team
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Meet Gracie Martin, Our New Intern
Gracie Martin comes to us this semester from Winthrop University. She is a sophomore, her major is History with a Minor in Anthropology and is from Bennettsville, SC.
After graduation she would like to become a Museum Curator. Please welcome Gracie and if you meet her share your favorite Fort Mill history story with her.
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Did you know -Two Presidents have traveled through Fort Mill on trains. On April 10, 1902, the train with President Theodore Roosevelt and party on their return trip from Charleston passed through Fort Mill at 8:05 pm. The train was made up of six Pullman cars and was undoubtedly the handsomest train that ever passed through Fort Mill. Then on March 19, 1911, the train bearing President William Howard Taft passed through Fort Mill on its return to Washington, D.C. from a rest of several days at his Augusta, Georgia winter home. Neither of the President’s trains stopped in Fort Mill.
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Hello and Happy New Year members and friends of the Fort Mill History Museum! My name is Steven Bivins, I currently serve as your Vice Chairman on the museum’s Board of Directors. It is an honor and privilege to greet you all as we kick off 2021! After several setbacks and many challenges last year, the FMHM Board is proud to march into 2021 with a plan and a purpose that will ensure the existence of our beautiful museum for years to come!
A little about myself; I had the good fortune of being born and raised in our beautiful town. Growing up I spent most of my evenings and weekends either riding my Huffy bicycle or roaming the streets of the Whiteville Park neighborhood or the old A&P Grocery Store parking lot. My friends and I would visit Don Sain at the Sport Shack on Main Street and stay there just long enough to get a free baseball card or two. Most of my family grew up on either one of the mill hills since several of them were either still working in the mill or recently retired. My Grandpa drove the Nazarene Church bus and you could set your watch by his arrival on Sunday mornings. Our schools were smaller with only a handful of computers in the whole building. Just about every one of my teachers had either also taught my parents or had grown up with them, so you couldn’t get away with anything! There were no CVS or Walgreens so if you needed cough syrup or a bandage, you went to Martin’s Drug Store on Main. It was a different time and one that I look back on with great fondness and appreciation.
Through my association with the museum I have found we all have a different kind of admiration or perspective on our Fort Mill experience. Isn’t that why we are all here? We seek to enjoy the memories of our own endeavors but bigger than that, we seek to spotlight and appreciate the lives, experiences, and memories of others. Through the dedication of our volunteers and the support of our members we can accomplish this goal. For 2021, I challenge you all to help us lead the way in preservation, curation, and fundraising. Thank you all so much for what you do and for being a part of the FMHM family. On behalf of the Board, we hope you all have a blessed year and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Steven Bivins
Fort Mill History Museum Board of Directors
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Thanks Catawba Ridge team for our Fort Mill Christmas Card!!
This past December, the Town of Fort Mill helped to stir the Holiday Spirit by allowing non-profits to paint a giant Christmas card representing their organization. The Fort Mill History Museum Christmas card was created by an enthusiastic and creative team from Catawba Ridge High School. Madison Martin and Jessica Calloway, two teachers at Catawba Ridge High School, met with Ann Evans (Springs Archivist) and decided to create one of the famous Springmaid ads. The students painted the design and displayed a sign with a QR code which provided the history of the Springmaid ad.
Fort Mill History Museum values the partnership with Catawba Ridge High School and looks forward to future endeavors.
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Nation Ford Chemical -10 Years of Sponsorship
The Fort Mill History Museum would like to give special thanks to Jay Dickson and Nation Ford Chemical for their continued financial support.
Beginning in 2012, Nation Ford Chemical has annually provided funds in support of museum programs, events, and operating expenses. Interested and involved corporate sponsors such as Nation Ford Chemical are essential components for the continued success of the Fort Mill History Museum.
Many thanks Jay for your support of local history.
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
We could not make it without you!
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Fort Mill History Museum
107 Clebourne Street, Fort Mill, SC 29715
p. 803-802-3646 | e. info@fmhm.org
Located in the Fort Mill Historic District
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The Fort Mill History Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Support for this project is provided by the Town of Fort Mill Accommodations Tax ,
York County Hospitality & Accommodations Tax , SCPRT TAG, & FMHM members and donors.
For visitors information including lodging, contact Visit York County at 803-329-5200.
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