Boykin Mill Store - Olde English District

Boykin Mill Store 

Boykin Mill Grits and Boykin Spaniel Gift Bag

The interstates that coarse though South Carolina and bring travelers to the coast can also offer other experiences along the way. Exit anywhere in the Olde English District of South Carolina, comprising of seven counties between Charlotte and Columbia, and exposure to terrain from sandhills to foothills is a guarantee. Attending a recent meeting of the Kershaw CountyForest Landowners Association was reason enough to delve deeper into the rural heritage found nearby.

The Boykin spaniel is the state dog of South Carolina and is also a mainstay of the hunting crowd. Breeder Whit Boykin is where the dog’s name hails from, and I made my first ever visit to the small town of Boykin to eat at the Boykin Mill Store. The store and restaurant is under new management in 2016, but the century-old wood and the antiques found inside harken back to a more rural existence. 

Fried catfish and boiled shrimp over Boykin Mill grits

For lunch I let server Tan Marallo advise me about their shrimp and grits special, and after learning that it comes with a thick brown gravy, I elected to eat the local catfish and grits. A side of fresh cut salt and vinegar fries and sweet tea completed the fun culinary experience. The vintage decorum inside the store include a cross cut saw, a Toot Sanders section-boat and a long-handle slicer made to hold a wheel of cheese.

A millpond is across the street where the Boykin Mill still uses water power and grindstones to produce grits for sale in the country store. A historical monument on the grounds honors both armies that skirmished nearby at the end of the Civil War.  The only other building on the corner is the Millpond Steakhouse, which offers fine dining on weekends, while overlooking the watershed.

Antique wheel of cheese slicer found in store

To view this feature story in the newspaper click on Charleston Mercury.

To view my blog about Old McCaskill Farm in Rembert click here.

For the best travel stories of 2015 click on Little St. Simon's Island - SouthWest Florida - Alabama Black Belt - N.C. Brunswick Islands - Jensen Beach, Florida

Old Post Office that used to serve Boykin