In September of the year 1996, Mrs. Martha Kinard Taylor of Greenwood, South Carolina found this article as written by her mother, Mrs. Calvin Kinard.  Mrs. Taylor, a graduate of Erskine College was born in Epworth, South Carolina.  Until the time that she left home to enter college she was raised on the Kinard farm in Epworth.  She is one of two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Kinard.  A son (Calvin W. Kinard), ten years younger, still lives in Epworth today.

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Together, as bachelors they acquired the Moore house, at that time being designated as located in Phoenix,  Ed. Note:  “Phoenix is located in Greenwood County just a few miles from the Epworth Community,” and which in recent years has been added to the register of historic places.

Being enterprising and hard working the two Kinard young brothers added more land to their estate.  Each married lovely women and the two families lived in the house together and in due time bore their first children.

Being more aggressive and foresighted, realizing that no house could be large enough for the rearing of two families, W. P. B. Kinard suggested to his brother Mike that one or the other decide to leave their home, the Moore house, and build a new one for himself.  Lacking the courage and enterprise of his younger brother, Mike suggested that Pierce be the one to become the builder of the new home for his vivacious young wife and young daughter.  Thus came into being the second house of the Kinard brothers, built just across the road from the Moore House.  It was completed in 1894, a typical country home, popular in that day, but with two features insisted upon by Pierce Kinard, his own architect and construction engineer.  It must have seven gables and one bedroom totally private from the remainder of the house, outdating the idea of the guest house of today.

Shortly after the establishment of this second home here, Pierce Kinard forsook his early ambition to become a rich man and large land owner, because he had become converted to a servant of The Lord in the Methodist tradition.  He had the name of the community changed to Epworth in honor of Methodism founder, John Wesley, whose home was Epworth in England.

For the accommodation of the community, Mr. Kinard built a large store at his new Epworth.  It had all departments ranging from millinery to funeral hearse.  In one area of the store Pierce Kinard was instrumental in getting the U.S. Postal Service to make Epworth a post office with a Star route from Ninety-Six.  It remained so until the early 1930’s when it was discontinued.  Undaunted, Pierce Kinard then, through Congressman Butler Hare of Saluda, South Carolina was able to keep everyday pick up as well as a delivery service at his box for use of all the people at Epworth.  It remains so today, 50 years later.

He was also tireless in his effort for the good of the community and persevered until he was able to get the U.S. Highway 178 located advantageous to his beloved Epworth.  It was he who, for the good of the community, persuaded his father to give the land on which he, Pierce Kinard, engineered having built the Kinard Methodist Church.  Ed. Note:  “This church still stands and continues to serve the community.   Many of the former Kinard family members are buried here.”  He boasted that it was his privilege to work with hammer and saw, personally, for 52 days on that church building, the length of time Nehemiah worked on building the walls of Jerusalem.

He was a well known, highly respected evangelist of that time, owning his own big tent and equipment for the services which he held for weeks at a time in all the leading towns in this area of South Carolina.

Simultaneously he gave nine acres of his property, in a beautiful grove, on which to build and establish a Camp Meeting.  In 1907, a huge tabernacle was built there, according to his plans, specifications and funding plus execution.  It has operated continuously since 1907.  It still stands as a monument to his fulfilled dream; and at the entrance to the grounds is a monument to his memory.  Pierce Kinard was a lifetime member of the Oliver Gospel Mission Board in Columbia, South Carolina, which still serves a need in Columbia, and out of which has come the well known Alston Wilkes Society.

He was a personal friend of the late Dr. R. C. McQuilkin and enabled him to purchase property from the Oliver Gospel Mission on which he founded the Columbia Bible College.

His prime interest in life, which he supported by his own enterprise as a successful farmer and business man, was getting people to know, “the way, the truth and the light” and thereto he channeled the major portion of his time, talent and income.

I am a better person for having known him. 

His daughter-in-law, 

     Emmie Broadwater Kinard

Ed. Note:  The editor is simply the one who typed this historical paper.  “It would be interesting to know what happened to the hearse mentioned as property of the store.  The store which served the community for many years no longer stands.”

This article was typed on October 10, 1996 and is the property of Mrs. Martha Kinard Taylor. 

For reprint you may contact her at 227-2999 in Greenwood, South Carolina.