AL Slade as an entrepreneur
As a lake in the city reminder
arthur lee slade He arrived in Edgefield in 1929, during the first years of the Great Depression. He was sent here by the company he worked for to manage a sawmill.
Born in 1885 In 1885, in Pike County, Georgia, Arthur was one of nine children. His father, Thomas J. Slade, was the sheriff of Pike County and was killed in the line of duty when Arthur was seven years old. When he came of age, he began working for lumber companies throughout the South, including Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
In 1929 or 1930, during the early days of the Great Depression, Edgefield went out of business. With help from a local bank, Mr. Slade bought the bankrupt factory from his previous company. He grew up in difficult times with his family losing his father, so that must have given him the courage to take on such a venture. Because during the first years of his ownership (and the bank) he often had to take out mortgages. His personal car was meant to cover the weekly salaries of his employees.
During World War II, in the early 1940s, governments were in high demand for wood for military base construction and other war activities. To meet this demand, he operated a sawmill 24 hours a day.
[ShortlyafterWorldWarIIendedinSeptember1945DuPontbeganconstructionofanuclearfacilityattheSavannahRiverSitenearAikenDemandfortimbercontinuedtobehighduetotheconstructionoftheSavannahRiverSiteandthehousingneedsofthepeoplewhomovedtheretoworkHissawmillALSladeLumberCompanyinAikenandEdgefieldsuppliedsomeofthelumberforthehouse[1945年9月に第二次世界大戦が終わった直後、デュポン社はエイケン近くのサバンナ・リバー・サイトに核施設の建設を開始した。サバンナ・リバー・サイトの建設やそこで働くために移住してくる人々の住宅の必要性のため、木材の高い需要が続いた。彼の製材所、エイケンとエッジフィールドにあるALSladeLumberCompanyが、その住宅用の木材の一部を供給しました。
Mr. Slade married in 1911 and brought his family to Edgefield from Forest, Mississippi. His wife had three children of her own, Sarah Mae Mitchell of Stamps, Arkansas; She was born in 1888 and died in 1942. Their children are: Arthur Leland Slade, who was 14 years old when he arrived at Edgefield. Mary Frances, 12 years old. Sam Mitchell Slade later married Mary Alene McKee and they became the parents of two grandchildren who made this article possible. They are attorneys Sam Mitchell Slade Jr. of Spartanburg and Gene Slade Covar of Edgefield.
Arthur Slade is the second son of Sam and Mary Aline Slade.
The Slade home on Columbia Road became a garden spot in the 50's as the family planted stunning rhododendrons in a sloping bed to the west of the house. A pond site was subsequently developed beneath these gardens, further enhancing the setting for Rhododendron to become the site of Edgefield's sunrise service. Later, after the town built a wharf, it was moved to the wharf side of Slade Loch for the community's Easter sunrise service. .
Sam Mitchell Slade, Jr. is the author of this article with assistance from his sister, Jean Slade Covar.
