Salley, South Carolina

Salley Town Hall

Driving Distance: 55 minutes from Columbia

What’s a Chitlin’?

It’s Salley’s way of spelling “chitterling,” which is a small hog intestine served fried and boiled. Although chitlins smell raunchy, they taste similar to a pork skin.

During the winter of 1735, the Salley area was settled by three Swiss/ German families: John Corbitt Sr., John Corbitt Jr., and John Salley. These three families possessed large Royal Land Grants from King George II of England. Since the heads of all three of these families were named John, the settlement became known as John Town.

These first settlers had to have their land surveyed. The surveyor was a Mr. Dean. In his honor, several things still bear his name, such as Deans Bridge, Dean Swamp, and the Dean Swamp Baptist Church.

When these settlers arrived in their covered wagons, they found the Indians (the Edistos) to be friendly. They traded with, and helped the settlers build their first homes (log cabins) along a creek now called the John Town Creek.

Next Week: Greer

The Indians claimed the spring nearby contained healing waters, and they came from miles around to drink in order to ward off illness. The spring is still in existence and is known as Locust Head Spring. It is located at the foot of Toney Till near Devil’s Elbow.

These early settlers were beginning to prosper when the American Revolution started. In the year 1787, a battle took place at John Town known as the Battle of Dean’s Bridge. The battle was a victory for the settlers, although Captain Watson lost his life. He was succeeded in command by Captain Butler. Seventeen Tories were killed and buried at John Town. Their common grave is unknown at this time.

After the Revolutionary War, the settlers had to make a fresh start. This time they went into the lumber business by floating logs down the Edisto River to Charleston and prospered greatly. They built commodious mansions around 1795.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, other families began moving into the area, namely Able, Brodie, Boylston, Cooper, Corley, Courtney, Clark, Caughman, Davis, Douglass, Fanning, Fergerson, Ginyard, Gleaton, Holman, Jordan, Johnson, Jones, Kitchings, Kennerly, Knotts, LeCroy, Milhous, McQueen, Mackey, O’Dowd, Porter, Prothro, Peeples, Riley, Sawyer, Stroman, Tyler, Toole, Vann, Wooley, Whitney, and Walker.

Once again tragedy struck the community with the coming of the War Between the States. Sherman’s march from Savannah to Columbia came right through John Town. The John Salley and the John Corbitt Jr. mansions were burned to the ground by the Union soldiers. The John Corbitt Sr. home, then owned by the Boylston family, was not burned. Later it was dismantled by Charlie Boylston. Marvin Boylston’s home is located on the same location now.

These early settlements organized three churches: Dean Swamp (1802), Rockey Grove (1812), and Sardis (1876). The Salley Baptist Church was built in 1888, and the Salley Methodist Church was built a few years later.

Mr. Dempsey H. Salley was responsible for the railroad coming through this settlement. Being a member of the- South Carolina Legislature, he was also responsible for the incorporation of Salley. Therefore, on December 19, 1887, the name was changed from John Town to Sally, spelled S- A- L- L- Y at first, like the old family name. In 1935, Mr. Dempsey Salley was also responsible for Springfield getting its charter on the same day as Salley.

Some will remember the blacksmith shop run by Mr. Boyd Yon, and the Livery Stable run by Mr. D. H. Salley. The Hotel was once popular with the traveling salesmen, who would arrive by train and stay over night. Even Coca- Cola was once bottled locally, and these old bottles, with the town’s name, are collector’s items.

Most of Salley’s residents can remember seeing Salley’s movie star, Madalyn Jones, on the screen at the old H. A. Sawyer Theater.

During the fall of 1966, Mayor Jack Able realized the town needed some improvements for the upcoming Christmas season decorations. Since the town treasury was not filled with revenue sharing funds, Mayor Able decided that a fundraising project was necessary.

The mayor, Councilman Maxie Adams, and P.G. Sharpe visited the Palmetto philosopher,

Friendly Ben Dekle, a country and western disk jockey on WCAY radio station in Cayce, South Carolina. They hoped that Dekle, with his contacts and influence, might be able to offer some solution to the problem. Ben told Mayor Able and the councilman that since his boyhood days he had always dreamed of a Chiitlin Strut but was never able to find anyone with

guts enough to do it. That was the birth of Salley’s Annual Chitlin Strut.

The Mayor and councilman returned to Salley and made plans for Salley’s first Chitlin Strut to be held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, November 26, 1966. The first Strut was attended by more than a thousand people, many coming from other surrounding states. They consumed

over 600 pounds of guts

along with bar- b- que pork and chicken. Enough funds from the festival were available to purchase the new decorations in time for Christmas.

The Strut proved such a success, the mayor and town council decided to make the Chitlin Strut an annual event to be held each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

In 1967, more than 2,500 attended the Second Annual Chitlin Strut. Attendance has grown every year since.

Salley, THE WORLD CHITLIN CAPITAL, has been host to visitors from the four comers of the world since the beginning of the Annual Chitiin Strut. The Strut has been

featured in Southern Living

and many other major magazines and newspapers,

including the Herald

Tribune, Paris Edition in 1970.

A parade to officially start each Chitlin Strut began in 1971. The parade begins at 10 am every year and has been an overwhelming success. In 1972, an official representative from the White House attended the Strut and rode in a 1901 Oldsmobile in the parade.

Along with chitlins goes country music, so a country music show is held each year. The first country music show got underway at 8 pm with Lou Wise of Columbia as the first entertainer and

Friendly Ben as the master of ceremonies. Since 1966, the show has grown and many entertainers have performed to the overflow crowds. In most of the shows, the country music entertainers have performed outdoors.

The Town of Salley has had many improvements from the proceeds of this annual event. It retired the 1929 Buick fire truck and replaced it with a fully equipped fire truck. The old Southern Railway Depot has been relocated and renovated to become the Town Hall. All proceeds derived from the annual event are used for municipal improvements.

It has been said, “It takes a ton of guts to put on a Chittin Strut.” But this is now incorrect. It currently takes more than five tons for each Chitlin Strut.

Thousands of visitors look forward to this annual occasion of chitlins, good country music, and southern hospitality, found no other place but in Salley, South Carolina.