ST. STEPHEN'S PARISH. 69 



Dancing is a recreation in which our people have 

 always indulged. The sports of the turf were eagerly- 

 enjoyed, and our fathers were fond of the most 

 manly of all others, the ball alley. Before and some 

 time after the war, there was an alley near the road 

 by Blueford, which was attended by persons from 

 every part of the State. General Sumter was often 

 there, and he was unrivalled as a ball-player. Barbe- 

 cues were favorite amusements, and always gave 

 occasions for dancing. A certain number of families 

 would by turn furnish these dinners at some con- 

 venient spot affording water as well as shade. The 

 attendance would be general, and after the pleasures 

 of the turf-spread table were over, those who were 

 inclined to dance would retire to the house of some 

 individual near by, and the night, and not unfre- 

 quently the following day, would be spent in dan- 

 cing, the partners being engaged, not as now, for the 

 half hour, but for the season. I can well remember 

 the scenes of these barbecues, and the preparations 

 for the dinner. The spots on which these festivals 

 were held long continued to give unquestionable 

 evidence of the scenes which had been enacted 

 on them. 



I feel loath to leave untold a story I have often 

 heard in my youth of two young men, Daniel 

 McKelvey and his cousin Robert, better known as 

 Col. McKelvey, and father of the late Colonel. 



A short distance below Eutaw Creek, on the 



