Black Mingo Creek
Encyclopedia
Black Mingo Creek is a tributary to the Black River
in coastal South Carolina
. It derives its name from mingo or minko, the Chickasaw
word for chief. This area was a special hunting ground and a center of the eastern Chickasaw in colonial times.
It is a blackwater river
: the presence of tannin gives it the color of tea. The river is relatively untouched by modern development, and is mostly surrounded by wetlands of cypress
and tupelo
with the adjacent higher lands mostly used for conventional agriculture
or tree farming. The waters are a favorite fishing site for largemouth bass
and panfish
. Beaver
s are abundant, as well as great blue heron
s, songbird
s and crow
s. Occasionally a bald eagle
can be sighted. Alligators are also present.
The creek drains communities around Indiantown
(named in reference to the Chickasaw tribal headquarters), Nesmith
, and the communities of Rome and Rose Hill.
plant, which was grown in the area and exported to Britain for use as a dye. After the American Revolution
, the British market was closed to American exports, and the resulting loss of commerce led to the dwindling of the Willtown (AKA:Rhems) community. After the Georgetown District was split into Georgetown and Williamsburgh counties in 1804, Willtown (AKA:Rhems) was isolated on the outer edge of two counties.
The decision by the state in 1811 to build the creek bridge for the main north-south road about a mile downstream of Willtown (AKA:Rhems) accelerated the village's decline. Today, very little evidence is visible that there was ever a village there.
The area is part of the proposed Francis Marion
Trail as it has the site of the Battle of Black Mingo
of the American Revolution
, which routed the British from their attempt to fortify and hold the area.
He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1926, 1931 and 1934, and the National League Pennants in 1928 and 1930.
He finished 8th in voting for the 1926 National League MVP for having a 20-7 Win-Loss record, 34 Games, 34 Games Started, 20 Complete Games, 1 Shutout, 258 Innings Pitched, 241 Hits Allowed, 121 Runs Allowed, 92 Earned Runs Allowed, 12 Home Runs Allowed, 75 Walks Allowed, 72 Strikeouts, 1 Hit Batsmen, 5 Wild Pitches, 1,068 Batters Faced, 1 Balk and a 3.21 ERA.
In 12 seasons he had a 105-97 Win-Loss record, 294 Games, 229 Games Started, 91 Complete Games, 8 Shutouts, 41 Games Finished, 10 Saves, 1,725 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 1,958 Hits Allowed, 989 Runs Allowed, 805 Earned Runs Allowed, 113 Home Runs Allowed, 529 Walks Allowed, 534 Strikeouts, 20 Hit Batsmen, 33 Wild Pitches, 7,516 Batters Faced, 4 Balks and a 4.20 ERA.
He died in Columbia, South Carolina at the age of 68.
Black River (South Carolina)
The Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States....
in coastal South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It derives its name from mingo or minko, the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
word for chief. This area was a special hunting ground and a center of the eastern Chickasaw in colonial times.
It is a blackwater river
Blackwater river
A blackwater river is a river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Most major blackwater rivers are in...
: the presence of tannin gives it the color of tea. The river is relatively untouched by modern development, and is mostly surrounded by wetlands of cypress
Taxodium distichum
Taxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States.-Characteristics:...
and tupelo
Tupelo
The tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...
with the adjacent higher lands mostly used for conventional agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
or tree farming. The waters are a favorite fishing site for largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
. Beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
s are abundant, as well as great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s, songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s and crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s. Occasionally a bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
can be sighted. Alligators are also present.
The creek drains communities around Indiantown
Indiantown, South Carolina
Indiantown is an unincorporated community in rural Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. Prior to the arrival of Europeans to North America, it was the site of a Chickasaw village and the area was a favored hunting and fishing ground...
(named in reference to the Chickasaw tribal headquarters), Nesmith
Nesmith, South Carolina
Nesmith is an unincorporated community in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. It was a station on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad line which was built about 1912. Today it consists of a post office, fire station, and a country store, serving a large rural area which depends on...
, and the communities of Rome and Rose Hill.
History
The lower region is a deep tidal river, navigable by colonial-era ships to the former community of Willtown (AKA:Rhems), about halfway up the length of the creek. This village once did a thriving business exporting agricultural products such as the indigoIndigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
plant, which was grown in the area and exported to Britain for use as a dye. After the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the British market was closed to American exports, and the resulting loss of commerce led to the dwindling of the Willtown (AKA:Rhems) community. After the Georgetown District was split into Georgetown and Williamsburgh counties in 1804, Willtown (AKA:Rhems) was isolated on the outer edge of two counties.
The decision by the state in 1811 to build the creek bridge for the main north-south road about a mile downstream of Willtown (AKA:Rhems) accelerated the village's decline. Today, very little evidence is visible that there was ever a village there.
The area is part of the proposed Francis Marion
Francis Marion
Francis Marion was a military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Acting with Continental Army and South Carolina militia commissions, he was a persistent adversary of the British in their occupation of South Carolina in 1780 and 1781, even after the Continental Army was driven...
Trail as it has the site of the Battle of Black Mingo
Battle of Black Mingo
The Battle of Black Mingo was a skirmish during the American Revolution. It took place in September of 1780 in the vicinity of Dollard's Tavern near Black Mingo Creek not far from Willtown, South Carolina...
of the American Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, which routed the British from their attempt to fortify and hold the area.
Notable natives and residents
- Charles Flint Rhem (January 24, 1901 - July 30, 1969), born in Rhems, South Carolina, was a professional baseball player and pitcher for the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1924-28, 1930-32, 1934 and 1936), Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia PhilliesThe Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1932-33) and Boston BravesBoston BravesBoston Braves may refer to any of the following American professional sports teams:*Boston Braves , the Major League Baseball team now known as the Atlanta Braves...
(1934-35).
He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1926, 1931 and 1934, and the National League Pennants in 1928 and 1930.
He finished 8th in voting for the 1926 National League MVP for having a 20-7 Win-Loss record, 34 Games, 34 Games Started, 20 Complete Games, 1 Shutout, 258 Innings Pitched, 241 Hits Allowed, 121 Runs Allowed, 92 Earned Runs Allowed, 12 Home Runs Allowed, 75 Walks Allowed, 72 Strikeouts, 1 Hit Batsmen, 5 Wild Pitches, 1,068 Batters Faced, 1 Balk and a 3.21 ERA.
In 12 seasons he had a 105-97 Win-Loss record, 294 Games, 229 Games Started, 91 Complete Games, 8 Shutouts, 41 Games Finished, 10 Saves, 1,725 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 1,958 Hits Allowed, 989 Runs Allowed, 805 Earned Runs Allowed, 113 Home Runs Allowed, 529 Walks Allowed, 534 Strikeouts, 20 Hit Batsmen, 33 Wild Pitches, 7,516 Batters Faced, 4 Balks and a 4.20 ERA.
He died in Columbia, South Carolina at the age of 68.