Fountain Inn in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates
10/11/07 - 12/6/98
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 5, 2008
1. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates Marker - Southwest
[Southwest]:
"Life means, do the best that you can with what you have, with all your mind and heart. One can do anything in this world if one wants to do it badly enough." -- Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates
[Southeast]:
Ralph Hendricks
Greenville Metropolitan Art Council
American Legion Post #3
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Samuel N. Madden, Pastor
Mount Carmel A.M.E. Church
Phillip C. Anderson, Pastor
Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church
Robert E. Dennis, Pastor
Melvin and Dollie Younts
Marilyn Fuller Perry
[Northeast]:
Fountain Inn Development Corporation
Dorothy A. Berry Chapman
Ruby B. Parks
Rosa S. Epps
[Northwest]:
Wayne Davis, Mayor
Fountain Inn, SC
Robert E. Dennis, President
Emma Stewart, Mother
Alice Bates, Wife
Melodye
this page online
James T., Annie C. Bates
John W., Vivian D. Bates
Drs. Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr.
John Fowler
DeEthel Hicks
Pastor Henry and Evelyn Berry, Jr.
The Reverend Dr. James Moone
The Reverend Dr. Ruby Moone
Willie E. Byrd, Jr.
Richard Dawkins
Beasley Funeral Home, Inc.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church series list.
Location. 34° 41.677′ N, 82° 12.015′ W. Marker is in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, in Greenville County. Marker is at the intersection of North Main Street (State Highway 14) and East Fairview Street on North Main Street. The statue is located in a park dedicated to famed newspaperman Robert Quillen, who also called Fountain Inn home. The park was once part of the gardens owned by Quillen. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 North Main Street, Fountain Inn SC 29644, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Mrs. Emmie Fulmer (a few steps from this marker); Eve (within shouting distance of this marker); Snow Campaign Chapter Marker (within
2. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates (1907-1998)
Also see . . .
1. Peg Leg Bates. Wikipedia entry:
Clayton 'Peg Leg' Bates (1907 – 1998) was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina. (Submitted on May 20, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. Peg Leg Bates, One-Legged Dancer, Dies at 91. New York Times obituary (12/08/1998) (Submitted on September 9, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Additional commentary.
1. Peg Leg Bates still dancing and going strong at 87
Jet
November 14, 1994
Famed
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 17, 2009
3. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates Marker - Southeast
He recently celebrated his 87th birthday at a gala salute at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, sponsored by the New York Committee To Celebrate National Tap Dance Day.
Though he uses crutches today to help him stand, he danced a little bit for the audience.
The birthday salute included performances by other veteran tap dancers and screenings of rare video footage of Bates' dance career.
After watching the video footage from his hey-day in the late 40s to the mid 60s, a New York Times critic raved: "His rhythmic dexterity was amazing. So were sequences in which, after a leap into the air, he landed on his peg and then, maintaining his balance, hopped forward with arms outspread."
After the birthday salute Bates told JET in a telephone interview, "I feel great. I'm thankful that I'm still around and I'm still active," he exclaimed.
Bates retired in 1989 but remains quite popular. Today, he gets applause as a motivational speaker who uses his own career as an example to inspire people to excel despite the odds.
He sold his famed Peg Leg Bates Country Club in the Catskill Mountain resort area in New York in 1989 soon after his wife, Alice died. "She was the brains of the business," he recalls
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 17, 2009
4. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates Marker - Northeast
He and his wife created one of the few resorts for Blacks in then-segregated America, when they opened their country club in 1951.
Bates was born Clayton Bates in Fountain Inn, SC. He lost his left leg in a cotton gin accident when he was 12. An uncle made him a "peg leg," and he became known as Peg Leg Bates.
Today, Bates tells his fans and youngsters that they can beat the odds and turn "a tragedy into an asset."
— Submitted October 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
2. Performer Clayton 'Peg Leg' Bates Dies At 91 In South Carolina
Jet
December 21, 1998
Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates, the world renowned performer who tap danced his way into the hearts of millions with his famous wooden peg leg, recently died at his cousin's house in Fountain Inn, SC. He was 91.
His cousin, Vivian Bates, at press time, told JET that the cause of death had not yet been determined.
A day prior to his death, Bates had been honored in his home state of South Carolina where he received the state's highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto. Said Vivian Bates, "He told the audience that was the happiest moment of his life."
Dancing since the age of 8,
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 17, 2009
5. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates Marker - Northwest
In spite of the tragedy, Bates kept his dream of becoming a dancer. When his uncle made him a peg leg, Bates developed his own tap style.
He won admiration throughout America and Europe--he gave two command performances before the King and Queen of England. Bates, who appeared on many TV variety shows, including "The Ed Sullivan Show" more than 20 times, had a peg leg to match each of his many suits when entertaining. It was nothing for Bates, whose career spanned more than five decades, to wear out no less than eight wooden legs a year.
"I thank God I lost this leg," he once said. "This might sound strange for you to hear me say, so I think I'd better explain why I feel this way. This leg brought me fortune and fame. As a matter of fact, that's how I got my name. With this peg I do not have to beg, so I thank God I lost this leg."
Though Bates relied on crutches later in life, he continued to dance well into the age of 80, using his crutches.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Alice Bates, in 1989. Survivors include their daughter, Melodye Bates-Holden.
— 
Submitted October 18, 2010, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Photographed By Brian Scott, May 17, 2009
6. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates (1907-1998)
Photographed By Brian Scott, July 5, 2008
7. Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 8,524 times since then and 123 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 9, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 2. submitted on May 20, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on May 23, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 7. submitted on July 9, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.
