To see all of my categories of posts go to the Home Page

Here’s an old schoolhouse in Gaffney, South Carolina that was for sale just recently. My Uncle and his business partners looked at purchasing it. We generally must agree on a purchase before a house, building, etc. can be purchased. We don’t generally look at commercial properties, at least not very often. On occasion we will purchase an old business like we did with an old mill in Georgia. Ultimately, my Uncle passed on the deal and one of the business partners decided to purchase it alone. It will still fall under my pervue where I will oversee remodeling, repairs, etc. but not for awhile. Not while I’m taking care of my aunt here in Memphis, Tennessee. Some time next year I will have to oversee this one along with several more properties. 

This old school was on former Old Georgia Road known as Beaverdam School. It closed in 1956 and the building remained empty until 1989 when the building was made into a restaurant. It was named after Colonel Ed Hope Decamp who made a major impact on the development of Cherokee county. It was fitting to pay homage to Colonel Decamp who was born in 1865, an orphan of the War between the States whose father fought for the confederacy and whose Mother died two months after his birth. He lived with a widowed aunt until he quit school in the fourth grade after a boyish grievance with a teacher. DeCamp worked various jobs, eventually arriving at the State Newspaper in Columbia. In the late 1800s, he had an offer to come to Gaffney to operate a proposed newspaper; he became the sole owner of the paper. He also founded the Grit & Steel, the world’s oldest game fowl magazine. Both are still published today in Gaffney. The magazine has approximately 5000 readers. DeCamp stood fast in his convictions, leading a successful campaign to form Cherokee County from Union, York and Spartanburg counties. The spacious, high-ceiling, multi-windowed classrooms then served as dining rooms and a parlor-sitting room, where diners waited for friends or to be seated. Originally the entire second floor was the school auditorium, complete with a stage. It was then renamed the Regency Room and had a lounge area. The stage remains. The property was zoned residential when one of the business partners purchased it but he plans on returning it back to a commercial property. It has 4 main rooms, 2 separate bathrooms on the lower level with a full bathroom on the 2nd level. The Kitchen is commercial size and has a walk in cooler. There is a commercial hood that was installed recently. It has an updated fire suppression system. It has over 7000 square feet.

I truly look forward to overseeing the remodeling project of this building. It needs a lot of work and I’m not sure what Valentino(the business partner) and his grandfather have in mind. I’m not particularly looking forward to working with Val, he’s not the easiest person to get along with and his grandfather is even worse but I rarely deal with him. Val is young, in his twenties but for the most part he knows his stuff from working with his Dad and grandfather since he was 16. Things can get tense when I work with him partly because he believes in no personal life and lives for work and thinks everyone else should too. I like more personal time than work but it will work out. It always does. First, I have to get a break from caring for my aunt and then I have a house in Georgia that I must oversee first.

I like Gaffney and used to go almost every week. Last year at Christmas(2021) I spent a couple of weeks, maybe more, here. I was still sick from Norovirus that I was hospitalized from. There were a couple of times I thought I was going to have to head to a motel rather than stay in the RV my work provided. Needless to say, I didn’t get much done. I was too sick. I ended up spending Christmas at the Flying J truck stop in Blacksburg(there was a house there I had to oversee the final touches but couldn’t stay in it because it was listed with a realtor and houses do better when empty). I didn’t mind, I prefer staying in the RV and even my car. During the day, I walked through downtown taking pictures and did a video which I haven’t posted yet because I have so many others that need to be posted. Last year wasn’t too cold. This year is going to be extremely cold in NC and SC over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

I didn’t go and stay with my husband(soon to be ex, I’m in the process of filing for divorce but so many other things have gotten in the way) because he was drinking and I can’t be around him when he’s drunk. I know from experience how many times I had to leave and go and sleep in my car somewhere. In fact, the police once told me to go and sleep in my car on one occasion when I had to call them when things escalated. I didn’t just leave because I’d been drinking heavily but this is a whole other story that has nothing to do with this old school.

Last year when I was in Blacksburg, I drove to Gaffney regularly when I wanted something from Walmart or Ingles Markets, I had Christmas dinner at Denny’s and thankfully there’s one right there at the truck stop. I can’t remember what I got but it was good and I got an extra biscuit and had some honey that I’d bought. I did that after going through the Bojangles drive thru’s a few times and they never had honey. On Christmas Eve, I wanted a biscuit but Bojangles closed early and Chick-fila wasn’t serving breakfast. I ended up getting a chicken sandwich. I’m not a big fan, their portions are too small.

So I went to Denny’s earlier, about 6 PM, to make sure I’d get a turkey dinner. I think they closed about 8 PM, if I remember correctly. 

I’ve spent many, many holidays(both Thanksgiving and Christmas) on the road at truck stops, Walmarts or rest areas. I can recount a few times that Thanksgiving dinner was a turkey sandwich from a truck stop. One time I went to Cracker Barrel but I’ve never been a big fan of chasing around trying to find a hot dinner. I generally just get a hot meal when I find a restaurant or deli I want to stop at. I prefer deli’s which aren’t open on Christmas Day so I just get a hot dinner the day before or day after. One year, a few years ago I spent Christmas Day at a 24 hour gas station in Swanboro NC and had a Big Mac from McDonald’s primarily because I was drinking very heavily and couldn’t drive anywhere although I drove to McDonald’s in the morning before I started drinking. It’s not far, less than a mile from the gas station. That night, I sobered up and drove back to the station and started drinking again.

Overall, last year at the Flying J truck stop was good except for not feeling well because of the stomach virus that hospitalized me. It took me three or four weeks to get over it. It was terrible. It was so bad I passed out at a rest area.

I’ve never been a big fan of abandoned/old schools probably because I’ve never found that many but when I do I will photograph them. I prefer abandoned or more importantly historic churches. There are many old, abandoned schools and churches throughout the United States and in other countries.

References and other good resources: Divine New York, Abandoned Iowa: Schools and Churches, Abandoned Detroit: Vacant Schools, Abandoned Ohio and Abandoned South Carolina.

Latest posts: Abandoned House in Raphine Virginia, Abandoned South Carolina, Old House in Indiana, Demon Dog Valle Crucis NC, Old Salem Road Cemetery Murray Kentucky and Old Abandoned House in Ohio.

This post contains affiliate links and I may make a commission from it at no cost to the reader. Visit my YouTube Channel Sassy After Sixty here: https://www.youtube.com/sassygrrl32 where I share my adventures on the road, https://instagram.com/sassygrrl32 where I talk about van life & road tripping, my business blog Rizzo REI Partners~Rachel Holbert Jones Page here: https://rachelholbertjones.wordpress.com/, Medium here: https://medium.com/@sassygrrl32a, articles at Hubpages here: https://hubpages.com/@sassygrrl32, Diverse & Wickedly Crazed Diary here: https://rachelholbertjonespage.com/, https://rachelholbertjones10.blogspot.com/ which is a collection of personal posts, haunted abandoned places, cemeteries, nature, photography, strange happenings, road tripping, camping, hiking and van life. Also https://hauntedabandonedcarolinas.blogspot.com.

#sassygrrl32 #sassyaftersixty #rachelholbertjones #rizzoreipartners #carcamping #roadtripping #boondocking #vanlife #nomadlifestyle #haunted #abandoned #diverseandwickedlycrazeddiary #nature #photography #Memphis #Tennessee #personalblogpage #cliftontnrvparkandmarina #thegreatoutdoors

By Rachel Holbert Jones aka Sassygrrl32 in Memphis Tennessee & Clifton RV Park & Marina TN

One of my favorite places to shop is Rakuten and earn cash back: https://www.rakuten.com/r/SASSYG1436?eeid=28187

I earn a little extra money with swagbucks and you can refer people and make more: https://www.swagbucks.com/p/register?rb=36506991

Subscribe to WordPress: https://wordpress.com/refer-a-friend/AyGmK2rtNBr3vkObKpyZ/

#old #vacant #empty #abandoned #school #gaffney #southcarolina

Until next time……..My story……..UPDATE: I’m moving to a marina on Lake Keowee, only in a smaller boat, a 1981 Yukon Delta 28 that needs a ton of work…………….I’m Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones Page and this is my story: living in Iva, South Carolina (Anderson County), part time in Hartwell, Georgia on my boyfriend’s boat, a 1986 Chris-Craft Catalina 381. I was at the Hartwell Marina which doesn’t allow liveaboards so I left. He purchased a 1996 Holiday Mansion 39 Barracuda, 1977 CHB Trawler 34 (I’m remodeling), 1986 Marine Trader 54 Sunliner that I’m updating, 2018 Sunseeker Manhattan 52, 2001 Nordic Tug 37 and a 1983 Fishcraft 28 (similar to the AdventureCraft 28 I lived on and still call home). I’m also camping at various places, mostly lake campgrounds. ****************I still care for my aunt in West Virginia sometimes and hoping not to have to return to Memphis, Tennessee. We are scheduled to move my aunt to Dead Women Crossing, Oklahoma but first it’s to Georgia for the winter & Michigan in the summer. I’m still traveling for work and have been to my Uncle’s ranch in Alpine, Texas to oversee it and the cattle he retitled in both of our names, Texas Longhorns, Scottish Highlands, Brangus and show horses. He’s also added Bison and Beefalo to his ranch. **************************************************************** For my work travels my uncle purchased a 1995 Ford E-150 Econoline GT Starquest Campervan. I wasn’t sure about an older van like this but the man that owned it had completely converted it with solar power and electrical, it was a good deal. It only has 112k miles. It only has a sealed portable toilet but it is okay because I prefer a public toilet and only use a camper toilet if I’m dispersed camping, at a Walmart or Cracker Barrel. I prefer rest areas and truck stops. For short trips, I drive a car or SUV. ***************************************************************** I have an avid love for photography and capturing the essence of old, abandoned houses, allegedly haunted places, classic, antique vehicles, lakes, rivers, nature, museums, art galleries, antique shops, car shows and historical places. I’m not a ghosthunter or paranormal investigator although I’ve had people request me to lead their groups, I’m a legend hunter. I love scary podcasts and spend more time on YouTube or Audible than Peacock or Tubi. I used to watch TV or movies when I stopped for the night but now I usually go right to sleep when I stop and prefer the podcasts of Darkness Prevails, What Lurks Beneath, Swamp Dweller or Red Owl. I like to listen to scary trucker stories too, occasionally grizzly/polar bear attacks, audiobooks & Dateline Podcasts. I like google scholar, casetext, medium, wordpress, livejournal, blogger, unsplash, pexels, pixabay, pinterest, instagram, facebook, X, tumblr, amazon, eBay, shadowlands (for places that are haunted), reading, greek mythology, animal shows, National Geographic, the metaphysical, food, camping, fitness, weightlifting, nutrition, health, gua sha, face rollers, beauty, fashion, tai chi, yoga, YouTube (listening to van lifers and people living in their vehicles), road tripping, computers, internet and creating videos. I also like long drives & deserted back roads. Work consists of scouting for investment properties and rehabbing/remodeling those properties for my employer. We also remodel old boats and restore classic cars. *****************************************************************Visit my blogs at https://rachelholbertjonespage.com, https://sassygrrl32x.blogspot.com and https://youtube.com/sassygrrl32 ……………………..By Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones Page AKA sassygrrl32 & Haunted Legendhunter & Bourbon Street Blogger **********************************************************Alot of people have asked me the story of my homeless situation and I’ve removed it for now and will discuss it in my blog posts. *****************************************************************#rachelxieqiholbertjonespage #sassygrrl32 #Iva #Keowee #SouthCarolina #Hartwell #Georgia #andersoncounty #Michigan #livinginacar #vanlife #nomadlifestyle #carcamping #roadtripping #boondocking #carlife #livingoffgrid #vandwelling #vanliving #legendhunter #haunted #abandoned #xieqi #sassyaftersixty #deadwomencrossing #oklahoma #westvirginia #memphis #tennessee #bourbonstreetblogger #bepositive #prayer #GodBless #rebranding #westernzhoudynasty #daxie #nanyang #mandarin #xiemei #lowbow #vitallifeforce #flowingvitalenergy #unseenenergy #taichi #davisislandersllc #rizzoreipartners