Panoramic Journey Through Honea Path

Panoramic Journey Through Honea Path. . Depicted in this mural is the first true American - the Eastern Cherokee. The Cherokee were pushed out of their homeland by settlers of Scotch-Irish descent who arrived by Conestoga wagons crossing the Allegheny and Blue Ridge mountains., In 1852, the addition of a train station to Honea Path provided new economic opportunities that stimulated growth in the area., Granite stone from the Honea Path quarry was manually excavated to provide for foundations and steppingstones. The granite from the quarry also shored up railroad ties and bridge crossings throughout the Upstate., Built in 1902, Chiquola Textile Mill provided both jobs and housing for the residents and eventually resulted in the incorporation of the town in 1917. One of the most infamous events in American labor history was the Strike that occurred over the Chiquola Mill workers seeking better working conditions. This labor strike at the Mill in 1934 resulting in seven workers being killed and 34 workers wounded by armed guards. In this mural, the white dove weeping seven red drops represent those workers killed. News of these shootings resounded across the country. Although bringing painful attention to Honea Path, this event resulted in laws that established the 40-hour work week and kept children in school until at least their 16th birthday., Also pictured in the mural is "The Spirit of Honea Path" a World War II fighter plane bought with the money raised at a war bond rally in Honea Path., Honea Path's Carnegie Library depicted in the mural was built in 1908. At the time, Honea Path was the smallest town in the Unites States to have a Carnegie Library. The figure of the retired mill worker seated with a book and watching the mill workers march to and from the Mill represents the new educational opportunities offered to the citizens of the time. The Jennie Erwin Library still stands as an educational hub, as pictured by both a mother reading to her child and a young woman with her computer.