Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The Bank of Trio




  Trio, South Carolina, is one of those wide spots in the road we often pass driving the backroads of our state. Once a small but thriving little town, all that is left of Trio is the bank/post office building, and across the road, a small store. 

  The town was named by a trio of brothers — William, Walter, and James Bryan — who came from North Carolina around 1880 to establish a turpentine business. The railroad came through the area in 1882 and the next year the three registered Trio as a town and anchored it with a large brick bank and post office. 

  Turpentine and tar were important and profitable products in the 1700s and 1800s and the great Longleaf Pine forests of South Carolina were a good source. In a laborious process, pitch from the tree was gathered by men who stripped swaths of the bark, allowing resin to ooze down the tree into containers at the foot of the tree. The resin was made into tar or turpentine.

  Tar and pitch were used here on the coast for a century in ship-building, repair, and maintenance. Turpentine was important in the manufacture of axle grease, lamp oil, medicine, paint, and other products. 

  The building later housed Rowell’s General Store until it closed in the early 2000s. Now Trio’s Zip Code has been retired and its only building sits empty, sagging, cracked, and nearly alone. 


  The only other structure left where a town once stood is a nameless store across the road. We’ve never noticed any customers when we were passing by, but the proprietor is always sitting out on a bench outside, just like in times gone by. The story of a trio of brothers who named a town for themselves is nearly lost as well. Now even the locals no longer say Trio. They pronounce it Try-Oh. 

12 comments:

  1. Sad - a "ghost town" from way back!
    Colin

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's when you know that a place is really deserted - not even enough people to cover an old building with graffiti. Only 6 points on the quiz just means you're English (most of those things we never had here).

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is sad to see buildings going to ruin. Probably a busy place once like so many other places now mostly all gone.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It would be interesting to stop and talk to the fellow at the "store" sometime. He might have interesting tales to tell. I only scored eight on the quiz!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It would be sad that the history of the town is forgotten. Interesting place to set up shop. Wonder if he makes much money from it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 18 for me, no name prefix and no milk bottle delivery. I wonder what is still for sale inside the store and how long has the fellow been there

    ReplyDelete
  7. Clever name for a town by the brothers, I'm sorry it is no longer thriving. I wonder too about the owner sitting there and if he'd be thrilled if you stopped, or not?
    Happy wanderings!
    Wren x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting story! Love those green doors at the post office...
    Titti

    ReplyDelete
  9. Tristeza de ver estos pueblos abandonados. Esa oficina guarda mucha historia del pasado. En España también hay muchos pueblos así. La gente se va a las ciudades más grandes.
    Buena semana Cinthia.
    Un abrazo.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I really like the artistic look of that old post office.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Guess I am "older than dirt"... remembered all of them ! Love seeing pictures from your jaunts!! We have "ghost" towns too...when railroads move, towns die even when on the Missouri River!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Old buildings are photogenic. Love the old green door and the leaning store. It is sad how old towns die.

    ReplyDelete