The following is an excerpt from the Five Point News June 13, 1941. The Five Point News was published every Friday at 817 Harden Street. The editor was J.P. Gramling and the business manager was Jack C. DeWitt. Subscriptions were $2 a year.

Thomas E. Hair is affectionately called “the granddaddy of Five Points,” because way back in the years when The Points was mostly a cornfield and swamp, he had the vision to foresee its future as Columbia’s most important and was a pioneer in its development.

“When I first began operations at Five Points 20 years ago,” he said, “Miner’s old saw mill and two or three tin buildings were all there was on the west side of the Points. The east side was nothing but a corn field with the wild creek, Rocky Branch, running through it in a big ditch that frequently overflowed and left swampy land. The entire section from Edisto to Devine could have been bought for less than $10,000. Its value now is more than $150,000. for the land alone. It looked hopeless but I foresaw Columbia bound to grow in the southeastern direction. The river stopped it on the west, and the town of Eau Claire on the north so there was no other direction in which it could grow. Realizing the wonderful investment it was, I bought all I could afford, held it, and wouldn’t sell it now even at a premium.

“When I first began to buy Five Points land, there was only one channel through it—Harden and Devine Streets. Wheat Street was not yet developed. Blossom was a rambunctious creek. I secured about 200 feet in what is now the heart of Five Points, the 700 block of Harden and began building and renting. Bagnal’s Café was my first success. Then I put up stores, lunch stands, filling stations, etc.—and some day, I anticipate a big office building on a site I now hold.

“I started with one secretary. But Five Points business has grown like a mushroom and I now keep six employees busy. I predict for the future of Five Points that no other property in Columbia will enhance in value as rapidly as that in or near this amazing new section.

“But what a struggle it was at first. Rocky Branch was not then harnessed, and it was a demon of destruction. The spring which fed it was fine water—but too much of a good thing when it turned loose in that wild creek. Every hard rain that creek turned into an angry, roaring river down Harden Street and literally flooded all adjacent property, the constant flooding ravaging the land. When I developed from Harden to King, I couldn’t haul my material in trucks. Had to resort to wagons. Every time I saw a cloud, I’d begin to tremble and pray and wonder how deep the flood would be in Five Points that night!

“When I built Bagnal’s Café, my first Five Points venture, I didn’t realize the menace of Rocky Branch and I constructed a basement. Before I was finished, there came a heavy rain, and the creek got mad and actually washed away my entire basement. Under Bagnal’s now is a huge hole and a tile wall, the unfinished basement. I was so disgusted, I just left it as it was. The unfinished basement will always be a reminder of Rocky Branch’s bad temper.

“But we finally won out over the enemy. After every flood, I’d go to Wm. Coleman, who was mayor and tell him we were about to starve at Five Points—couldn’t get insurance because of Rocky Branch’s depredation and plead with him to have the city build a culvert to harness the dangerous creek and stop its floodings. He and Dr. Killingsworth were instrumental with Tomlinson, our city engineer, in finally getting this done. That ws the greatest piece of work ever accomplished for the Points and has aided more than any other thing to help it grow so rapidly. Without this, no one could build there safely. Every rain means floods that deluged stores and houses and ruined streets and roads. Now the culvert has stopped this. The Points’ streets and roads are paved. Their buildings are safe. Blossom Street, where the creek flowed, is now one of the city’s main speedways—so much traffic speeds by, in fact, that I forbid my children to play there.”

When asked what new businesses he would like to see at The Points he promptly replied, “a branch bank from one of the uptown banks. The citizens of Five Points should demand this and without delay.”

When asked for ideas for the improving and developing of The Points he offered several suggestions: Five Points merchants should cooperate in seeing how to stop the many people who pass through by attractive cooperative advertising and specialties.

“If all the heads of firms would come together and form not just a local chamber but a sort of Five Points merchants business league or guild, organize special sales, with appropriate cooperative advertising to attract wide interest in featuring certain articles at cut rates in each place and give away souvenirs of some sort, they would stop the majority of those who pass, attract others to make special visits, and the aggregate result would be splendid. Page ads in the papers, particularly in The Five Point News, each Points merchant taking space and stress his specialty would certainly catch attention and make ’em come.