Carolyn Hunnicutt and Kent Dykes at the Commons.
Currently a very active 90 year old resident of the Commons in Easley, Carolyn Hunnicutt served from 1948 until 1961 as the executive secretary of the Easley Chamber of Commerce. She was hired in 1948 and followed John McCravy who was volunteering in the chamber. Carolyn Hunnicutt is credited with holding the chamber together during its formative year in the 1950’s.
During a recent interview, Carolyn related that the Easley Chamber had many locations during the 50’s. The first chamber office was in the upstairs part of the current Frierson’s Drug Store building on Main Street. Other locations included: an upstairs office near Robinson’s Department Store, in the building next to Lu Bagwell Interiors on Pendleton Street, in an office in the old Colony Theatre.
One of the more challenging locations was the old one-room police station adjacent to the railroad tracks at the intersection of N. 1st Street and Main Street. When a train passed the whole building shook. Often, when on the phone, she would have to say “there’s a train coming. I’ll call you back”. That office did have the only electric water cooler in the city which was popular.
Some of the accomplishments of the chamber directors in the 50’s were:
- Recruited Swirl Inc. – (currently the building of the 900 block offices) to Easley in 1953. Mr. G.B. Nalley constructed the building in record time and received a pink Cadillac from Swirl for his efforts.
- Brought Saco Lowell to Easley in 1956.
- Raised money to complete the shell of a building Easley Baptist Hospital in 1956.
In 1954, the Easley Chamber’s annual banquet had two honored guests – Congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn and Senator Strom Thurmond.
Congressman William J.B. Dorn, Carolyn Hunnicutt, Senator Strom Thurmond
Carolyn Hunnicutt would be paid $40 every two weeks during much of that decade. Chamber funds were tight and a chamber director, Mr. E.S. McKissick would stop in and ask if the chamber needed money. Often he would pay Carolyn Hunnicutt’s salary.
In 1961 Carolyn Hunnicutt left the chamber of commerce to begin a 25 year career at the Pickens County Courthouse and then went on to be a social service case working for Pickens County. We are fortunate to have had Ms. Hunnicutt’s leadership in the early years of the Easley Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber has a long history dating from the Easley Business League early days in 1935 until the present. Mr. Edwin L. Bolt was the first president of the business league and was followed by president Harold Armistead of the newly named Easley Chamber of Commerce in 1937. In 1948, Mr. Jack Ragsdale became the president of the South Carolina chartered Easley Chamber of Commerce. Jack Ragsdale still advises our Chamber of Commerce.
