NOTE: This should have appeared after the post on Greenwood, SC, but got "lost". If you had ever ridden along with us you'd know we do that a lot - get lost. As when we are directed to "Turn left at the dollar store at the light" only to discover there is a left turn and a dollar store at every light for the next 25 miles.
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One of the Saanen "girls" at Emerald Farm. |
Everywhere the Good Girls go we encounter fascinating people and in Greenwood one of them was
Kathryn Zhan, owner
of
Emerald Farm. She's just about an expert
on everything. Kathryn raises organic chickens and goats and is a premier
breeder of Saanen goats, a Swiss breed. She develops formulas for soaps and
lotions, makes them and sells them, too. She uses no chemicals in her line of
health and beauty products.
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The herb garden |
Emerald Farm is located a bit off the beaten path, but once
you find it, it offers a full day's worth of activities. Families and seniors
are especially happy with the relaxed pace on the farm. Besides visiting and
feeding the farm animals, you could try fishing in the lake, explore the herb
garden or shop for a large variety of health foods and hobby items.
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Emerald Forest chapel |
I followed the tracks
and took a ride on a miniature railroad constructed by Kathryn's husband. It's
really cute. I hopped aboard and rode past ducks on the pond and all around the
Emerald Forest. There's a whole village of little structures like a chapel,
schoolhouse, general store and more, constructed by members of the family.
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The remarkable model train layout. |
Finally, I entered the huge Hobby Shop filled with craft
items for a variety of enthusiasts: sewing, knitting, model airplanes,
miniature car collectors and you name it! Then, I went upstairs and found a model
railroad museum.
What a surprise; it's an absolute wonder for anyone interested
in trains. The museum contains a vast system of tracks with a number of engines
pulling cars. One course is standard gauge, the other H.O. The layout is one of
the largest in the southeast and is totally captivating. Members of the Emerald
Farm Model Railroad Club may come and run their trains anytime they wish.
I didn't see, but Kathryn told me about an air strip for
model airplanes and a model remote control car dirt track. She gives tours to
hundreds of school children every year. Emerald Farm is a surprising, delightful
place and Kathryn Zahn and her family are truly special.
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Childhood home of Dr. Benjamin Mays. |
We moved along to another unexpected find; the
Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Museum Interpretive
Center. Dr. Mays was born in August, 1894, in a Greenwood farmhouse, later moved
to this location. The house contained only two bedrooms for the Mays family of
ten. An original outhouse and cedar post clothesline were brought along to add
authenticity to the site.
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Original outhouse and clothes line. |
Dr. Mays was an African American minister, educator,
sociologist, social activist and the president of Morehouse College in Atlanta,
Georgia, from 1940 to 1967. Mays was also a significant mentor to civil rights
leader Martin Luther King Jr. and he delivered the eulogy for King. Mays was
among the most articulate and outspoken critics of segregation before the rise
of the modern civil rights movement in the United States.
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Open the barn door to a modern museum. |
A faux barn is cleverly designed to serve as the
Interpretive Center and Museum. It contains photos, books, brochures, speeches,
films and personal items belonging to Dr. Mays. Our guide,
Loy Sartin, is a
passionate expert on Dr. Mays and explained how Dr. Mays became a presidential advisor
and man truly ahead of his time. "And to think he came from Greenwood,
South Carolina," said Sartin.
That's how we found Greenwood, surprisingly interesting.
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