APPALACHIAN HONOR
This quilt of valor celebrates a long line of veterans that have both directly and indirectly impacted the lives of the people in this little Appalachian community called Holly Springs. According to statistics, Pickens County, South Carolina has more Medal of Honor recipients per capita than any other county in the United States of America, thus the name “Appalachian Honor”. Th
e fabric quilt, quilted by Paula Rivers with the assistance and expertise of Lucy Harward, is done in the log cabin pattern. Paula wanted to make a quilt that would honor the veterans of this area and their families. She found a picture of a quilt she liked but could not find a pattern for it. Lucy said “no problem”, and with her years of quilting experience quickly turned out a pattern and they went to work. War has touched the lives of almost everyone through the years, and the small community of Holly Springs is no exception. Ralph Chastain, who owned and operated the Holly Springs Store from the 1940’s to the late 1970’s, was a veteran of World War II. When he returned home from the war he found the little clapboard store, then located beside Highway 178 across from Holly Springs Baptist Church, closed. He quickly set about reopening it to serve the local population. Not that many years later, another call to service was sent and several of Holly Springs’ finest boys were drafted into the Vietnam War. Some never returned, including young Woody Chastain and Buddy Gilstrap. Hub Smith, a local native, remembers the day a military officer came into Holly Springs store to ask directions to the Chastain home. He had come to deliver the devastating news no parent ever wants to hear. There are others who are still frequent customers at the store that served their country honorably during various conflicts. One, Frank Sobin, is a veteran of three foreign wars. Major Bill Rivers bought Holly Springs Country Store in the early 1980’s. He was just retired from 22 years in the United States Air Force as a navigator on B-52’s. During his career, he flew more than 175 missions over Vietnam. This barn quilt is also dedicated to the unsung heroes of war, include those family members left here while their loved ones were away in service; mothers and fathers who spent sleepless nights worrying and praying for their sons and daughters, sometimes only to have their worst fear realized. Paula’s father, Verdell Aiken, was drafted into WWII along with his three brothers. She says, “I can’t imagine the anxiety my grandmother endured having all her sons in a war zone at the same time.”
Then there are the wives of servicemen who for months or years at a time essentially raised their children alone. And of course, we cannot forget the children who spent the most critical years of their lives anxiously wondering if daddy would ever come home. Cameron Rivers, son of Bill Rivers, and Paula’s husband, who is the current owner of Holly Springs Country Store, was one of those children. “When dad was away on missions, I remember being at elementary school on base and seeing the CNO (Casualty Notification Officer) coming down the hall”, he says. “I would keep my head down and try to be invisible, terrified it might be me who was getting the bad news this time.”
The “Appalachian Honor” barn quilt hangs at Holly Springs Country Store located at the intersection of Highways 11 & 178 in upper Pickens County. It will serve as a reminder to all those who view it that, “All gave some, but some gave all”.
