Did you miss me at your house election night? Do you remember when the radio told you how many votes Frank McGill got at Mt. Vernon, V.G. Arnett got at Indiantown, how many Leonard Mishoe got in Greeleyville and LaNue Floyd received in Hemingway?

For over half a century of county elections WDKD-WWKT reported the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

Two generations of candidates, some of whom those who voted June 10, never, ever heard of; John J. Snow, Buford Boyd, Pearless Lambert, Winnie Jones, E.W. Cantwell, Henry Stuckey, Hugh McCutchen, Cleo Fennell, Robert Rowell, Cecil Robinson, Delos McKenzie, P.K. Cozma, Isadora Goldstein, J.P. Askins, Tommy Grier.

I wonder how many of you who voted for Dr. Harry Floyd when he ran for coroner, voted in this election?

In 1950 all we had was WDKD and The County Record. Today, we are bombarded with information 24/7.

But in spite of all the modern technology, many in Williamsburg County went to bed on a election night not knowing whether Williamsburg County had a new senator, sheriff, coroner, probate judge, or a new house member.

Williamsburg County is in no man’s land. The Post and Courier stop at the Berkeley and Georgetown County lines. In Columbia, it’s front-page news when Steve Spurrier grunts. But the only coverage from Williamsburg County in the state is on the obituary page. Channels 2, 4, 5 & 13 claim they cover eastern South Carolina like pine trees, but we still didn’t know how many votes Yancey McGill received at Sandy Bay, how many votes Kelvin Washington got in Hemingway, or Ken Kennedy received in Trio.

The first election WDKD covered was in 1950. The County Record reported Dick Blakely was selling lots at Hylands for a $195. Jake Hydrick Motor Company was the dealer for Kaiser Automobiles. You could buy a brand new Pontiac from D.C. Brown for $1,799. At the annual Santee Electric Cooperative meeting, Basil Ward reported the Co-op now served 9,000 customers.

In 1950 you didn’t have to drive to Charleston, Florence or Sumter to see a movie. Along with the Anderson Theater, we had drive-in movies at Salters Depot and Kingstree.

In 1950 The County Record reported Kingstree needed a new grammar school. Proponents of the new school claimed the old grammar school built in 1904 was not large enough for current enrollment and the present school was a firetrap.

In December 1950, Santa Claus had his own program on WDKD and The County Record printed letters to Santa from Wynn Horton, Fred Herbert, Jr., and Tommy Rogers.

In July 1950 Strom Thurmond and Olin D. Johnson clashed in a debate at the courthouse in Kingstree. E.W. Cantwell defeated Laurie Rogerson for the senate seat in Williamsburg County. Lester Bate was running for governor. Lane had a Coca-Cola plant.

Kingstree and Hemingway were in the Palmetto League. There was only one bank in Kingstree. The Greeleyville Tigers lost the state football championship to Jefferson. Santee Electric held its annual meeting under a tent on Hwy. 52. Mrs. Betsy Britton drove a Studebaker, and Mrs. Harriett Scott drove a Packard. Even Williamsburg, Hebron, and Indiantown had high schools. The draft board and Dr. Brice’s office was on Jackson Street. Nesmith, Trio, Lane, Greeleyville, Cades, Salter’s Depot, Hemingway and Cooper Bros., all had cotton gins. And the Indiantown BBQ drew crowds as large as the BBQ Shag Festival.

From a blackboard behind the courthouse to paper ballots to voting machines, WDKD was there. If the walls of that old courthouse could talk, it would make Desperate Housewives sound like Mary Poppins. Try to imagine how many marriage licenses have been issued, how many marriages performed, the amount of taxes collected, and the number of people who served on juries. Thorntree gets the glory, but the courthouse is our history book.

Greeleyville and I would rage an ongoing battle on election night. I couldn’t understand why Greeleyville, only 13 miles from Kingstree, how they could be the last ones to bring their results to the courthouse.

I accused them of getting lost on Hwy. 52 and winding up in Omaha, Nebraska.
Election night 2008; there was a lot at stake in Williamsburg County. I wonder if anyone other than Linda Bell McGill looked at the radio and remembered the way it used to be.