From the President (by Steve Hurley): Some things never change. As long as there are civic association, there will always be the handful of people who always volunteered to help others, or to join the civic association board in an effort to improve the community. Sometimes people believe that we volunteer because we have nothing better to do. Well friends, like the other board members, I am swamped with things to do. With 4 young boys and a company of over 40 employees, believe me, I’m swamped! But we have worked so hard and come so far, it would be ashamed to let it go now. I did not seek re-election last month as a matter of fact, I wasn’t even at the meeting. But no one else came forward to do it, and Commander Lantry has his hands full also. He, by the way, has done an exceptional job this past year, and I for one truly appreciate it. I would like you all to know that I will take your calls and address your concerns only if you are current on your maintenance fund donation. It just does not seem fair to others who do pay to be given that same privilege. I look forward to your support in the coming year.

April Speaker: Jay Jamison of Clemson, will speak about the Great American Cleanup program. Jay is the County Extension agent as well as the coordinator of the Dorchester Recycling and Adopt-A-Highway programs. Please make plans to come to the meeting and hear Jay explain these wonderful programs.

Meet Your New Board Members: Hello, my name is Shelly Richardson. I am married to Cliff Richardson, and we jointly own AccuPrint, a full service printshop located in the Festival Center. We live in Archdale and have 2 daughters, ages 4 & 15. We literally work all the time! We have a dog, wild squirrels and a huge raccoon that loves my back porch. The main reason I joined the civic association (besides the fact that Steve threatened my life!) was to help keep Archdale a great place to live and be proud of.

Hi, I’m Joe Wagner. I’m a transplant from North Alabama, having arrived here about 4-1/2 years ago. My wife Stephanie * I have 5 children, ranging from 1st grade to freshman at Winthrop University. I work in the computer field and am very active in church, Cub Scouts and Oakbrook Little League. I’m very interested in establishing & maintaining a good quality of life in the Archdale area, and I want to encourage all residents to do the same.

Archdale Hall History: As part of a regular feature of this newsletter, we will be reporting on some of the more interesting aspects of the history surrounding Archdale Hall and it’s inhabitants. By now many of you are aware of the existence of the remnants of the plantation home near the corner of Mansfield and Knightsbridge Road. What you may not be aware of is that the home was one of only 2 known plantations that was not destroyed by union troops as they moved down the Ashley River, destroying everything in their path. The other plantation home left intact was Drayton Hall, located off of Highway 61 on the opposite side of the Ashley River. Why Archdale was spared is a mystery, but it surely had nothing to do with the family’s sentiments towards the Union. Several members of the Baker family served in the Confederate Army. What is known is that the home nearly shook to the ground in the great earthquake of 1886. Unlike today’s homes, Archdale Hall was built with sturdy brick and mortar walls, up to 36 inches across in many places. Walls such as these were ideal for repelling a British invasion, but not well suited for withstanding the tremendous vibration caused by an earthquake. Following the earthquake a t3 am on that muggy August night, the home’s lone inhabitant, Dr. Richard Baker, escaped from the home and sought refuge under a large oak in front of the home. That oak is thought to be the same tree that now sits in the front yard of 157 Mansfield. It was there that he reported seeing the ghosts of relatives gone before him as they paraded across the property. The next time you pass that old oak tree, take a minute to reflect on the history of our neighborhood and why preserving the remaining ruins is so important.

Plantation Clean-Up Progress: The clean-up of the plantation property was a huge success. A big thanks go to the following volunteers: Mark Mellinger, Don Emerson, Sherry Maugias, Don Christina, Len Christakos, Mike and Susie Hillery, Jeff Salata, Joe Wagner, Dale Gardner, and Pete Cosgrove. There were also quite a few kids who also helped out. Emily Tuddeu, Rowan and Cordy Armstrong, Stephanie and Jessica Kohl, Sean Pryor, Aaron Jefferson, Michael and Corey Boruff, Dakota Hillery, Ryan Jones, and Orry Howe. It was a good time had by all, and really satisfying to finally tame the “jungle” of vines and brush. One can now stand at the front of the property and look down the double avenue of oaks, as well as clearly see the brilliant 150+ year old azaleas. Soon the entire home and garden areas will be visible from the street for everyone to enjoy. As a reminder, if you have children who play in this area, please instruct them to staff off the bricks and foundation. This area has always been a dangerous place to play and remains so. Some of the activities that have gone on in these woods have been equally dangerous. The clean-up has discovered one homemade incendiary device as well as drug paraphernalia and hundreds of empty beer bottles. These are our kids who’ve been playing in these woods, so I implore parents to please watch your children closely. I’d like to also take a minute to thank the people at Ace Hardware on Dorchester Rd. They were the first local business to make a donation towards the state historical marker. Next time you’re in Ace, thank them for their generosity. If you have a business that might be interested in donating, please contact Jim Lantry at 552-8092.

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs: If you own a dog (or dogs), please be aware of the noise your dog may make during the day and especially at night. Nothing is more irritating than the constant, uninterrupted barking of a dog all day or night. Be considerate of your neighbors. If you own a dog who can’t control his/her barking, consider investing in a bark-controlling collar, available at any pet store.

Empty Homes: Unfortunately, due to foreclosures, deaths, and transfers, several homes in Archdale have remained vacant for extended periods of time. If you are aware of any such homes, please contact your neighbors to help you keep an eye on the home. Empty homes are an invitation to vandals. The civic association has been working on a few such empty and/or eyesore homes in the area, and we are slowly making progress. One resident of a poorly cared for property has move, and another absentee owner has been located and is planning to return to Archdale to clean-up his property in the near future.

Archdale Online: We have a new website address, thanks to Mr. Eric Kohl. The address is: www.geocities.com/archdale_civic. Please visit the site. It contains all sorts of good information regarding restrictive covenants, board members, pictures of the plantation (now and then), and other good stuff. Please check it out. We’d like to thank Eric for all his hard work, and wish him a speedy recovery from his recent illness.

Maintenance Fund: The maintenance fund drive is on again. Send your donation to: P.O. Box 41543, Charleston, SC 29423. Our thanks to the Bakers Landing Homeowners Association for their generous donation. Keep those checks coming so that we can maintain our lawn maintenance throughout the year. We’d like to wrap up collections as quickly as possible, but won’t do so until we far surpass last years level. If you don’t want to mail a check, a mailbox is located at the thermometer sign for your convenience. It is emptied nightly. We will also be holding periodic fund drives on the boulevard, so keep your eye out for those.

Signs, Go-carts, etc: For those of you who will be selling your homes this summer, a reminder that Dorchester County has sign ordinances that prohibit for sale signs on the boulevard. The exceptions would be weekend open houses. The same rules also apply to realtors. Illegal signs will be removed. Several of you have expressed concerns about go-carts on the streets. These are difficult to see, and are an accident waiting to happen. Please make your children’s safety your foremost concern.

What You’re Saying: As a new regular feature, we’d like to show you some of the comments we’ve been receiving: “Thanks for your time and everything you do for Archdale, we appreciate it.” “Thanks for the nice job that is done with the landscape maintenance. I know it’s hard work!”