Alice Boykin welcomes the Explorers to Boykin. Boykin is a quaint little southern town between Camden and Sumter. Members of the Greater Piedmont Chapter of the Explorers Club stopped for lunch and a tour during the Wateree River Expedition. The town consists of nine rustic, antique buildings, a mill pond full of migratory birds and alligators, and tons of colorful history.

William Boykin II and his sons settled on the Swift Creek in 1755 and left their names for posterity. The youngest son, Burwell, built a pond and dam to power a grist mill and a cotton gin. By the time of the Revolutionary War, a tavern marked Boykin on the King's Highway between Charleston and Camden. Legend has it that Gen. Thomas Sumter and British Gen. Cornwallis had ale and shepherd's pie at the tavern before meeting on the battlefield.

During the Civil War, Union Gen. Edward Potter's troops were attacked by Kentucky militia at Boykin on April 18, 1865, nine days after Lee had surrendered. Lt. Stevens of the black 54th Massachusetts Infantry, a casualty of the Battle of Boykin, has the distinction of being the last Union officer killed in the Civil War. Fifteen- year- old Burwell Boykin was killed defending his home during the battle.

Susie Simpson, the broomlady of Boykin, binds another straw broom. Since then, Boykin has been relatively calm except for the Annual Boykin Christmas Parade where everyone is invited to participate, including farm animals, motorcycles, and faux beauty queens. The event begins with a Road Kill Cook- Off and ends with a gospel concert at the historic Swift River Baptist Church.

We were greeted by Alice Boykin, the village matriarch. As ageless as her town, she threw out a few facts before escorting us to lunch. Her late husband, Lemuel W. Boykin II, was a direct descendant of Boykin's founder. About 200 people live on 2,000 acres of the original Boykin land grant. The Boykin spaniel, the SC State Dog, resulted from a bird- chasing stray about 100 years ago.

The Mill Pond Restaurant, housed in three antebellum farm houses, is next to the mill pond at the site of the pre- Civil War post office and general store. During our special Southern meal, Alice and her granddaughter entertained us with charming stories of life in Boykin.

Explorer Ginny Newell relaxes in the window of the Boykin Mill. Susie Simpson welcomed us into her Broom Place, a one- woman factory of traditional straw brooms. As she bound Mexican straw to carefully selected handles, Susie said she wound up in Boykin with a century- old broom machine and a dislike of office jobs. For 20 years, she has been making brooms in the 1740s settler's home. Her dachshund, Penny, and country music on the radio keep her company as she works away on an 18- month backlog, one broom every 90 minutes.

A bell sounded, the Explorers gathered, and the mill run was opened. Water turned the driveshaft, and through a simple gear system 200- year- old grind stones began to turn. As corn was poured in the hopper, dust began to fly, and corn meal flowed into collector bins. The staple for Southern corn bread was ready to be packaged.

We concluded our Boykin tour at the Swift Creek Baptist Church. It was built in 1827 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been restored under the auspices of the SC Department of History and Archives. The double- columned Greek Revival structure has a raised chancel for pulpit and choir, a nave with two sets of pews, and a balcony. The only members of the congregation present at the time were two green lizards who scurried away when we entered.

The 200- year- old Boykin Mill contains a water- powered flour and grits mill, cotton gin, and saw mill. Alice waved goodbye as we bade farewell to Boykin and boarded the bus for more adventure on the Wateree River.

(Next week: Stateburg's

Borough Plantation)

Susie Simpson uses special Mexican straw to make her traditional brooms. She turns out one broom every 90 minutes.