SF Sherard moved to Calhoun Falls over a hundred years ago (Dec 26, 1916) and soon after began a General Mercantile business downtown while associating with International Harvester selling mule drawn machinery. He served in the US Army in France during WW I, but came back home and began expanding the Agribusiness.
In the 30’s he brought unbroken horses from Montana to be tamed and sold. In 1936 he added gas powered tractors and New Holland Hay balers in 1946. As you look at this cache, directly behind you at the traffic light, from 1933 until 1982 a cotton gin operated 24 hours a day, 6 days a week during harvest season. Mrs. Sherard was instrumental in allowing the hired workers all of Sunday off from midnight to midnight.
“SF Sherard and Sons” began when Frank, Jr. returning from the Navy, joined the business in 1948 and younger son Rufus joined the company in 1962 when he returned from the Army. This Agribusiness featured the production of Cotton, corn, soybeans, and grain in addition to showcasing the largest Performance tested Charolaise herd (TRI-S Ranch) in South Carolina with seven on-farm Production sales featuring cattle from the only certified Meat Sire, Sam of Perfecto 6, of any Breed in SC. The Family, early on, sold Morea Liquid Feed and baled over 4,200 bales of cotton from this site in 1974 and much later the family added the operation of a Feed and Seed store. The Grain bins to your right with “Calhoun Falls” painted on them were used to dry/store corn and oats for grinding feed for steers and horses.
SF Sherard could be found at this office 6 days a week. He felt Agriculture was an honorable profession and said he would plant cotton until the day he died. At his sudden death weeks before his ninetieth birthday, he was at a farm machinery auction preparing for the upcoming season. All of his grandchildren worked with the company in some capacity until they left for college to pursue their careers rooted from these grounds.
Cache is a medium; parking should not be a problem on family land. There is space for plenty of tradeables and to access the log you simply need to look for the “Signal”. If you are coming from Georgia for your first in SC cache- welcome to the “Gateway to Russell”, Calhoun Falls, Abbeville County, South Carolina. If you are coming from South Carolina this is the last cache along 72 Highway before leaving this state.
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