Oconee County SC Archives - Appalachian History

The Chain Gang and The Oconee County Cage

It wasn’t possible to return prisoners doing work in the most distant parts of Oconee County to the county jail at Walhalla every night.

He would boil roots + leaves, and would strain away the particles. This was diluted with whiskey, and given to the victim to drink.

The Keil Farm symbolizes the role that a German immigrant family played in the settlement & development of Walhalla and Oconee County in SC.

The textile industry grew quickly after 1880, and SC was one of the leading textile-producing states nationally for the next 40 years.

The SC men of CCC camps built Oconee State Park, Long Mountain Fire Tower, and Walhalla Fish Hatchery, and rebuilt Highway 107.