Olar, situated in western Bamberg County, was originally called Buford’s Bridge for the bridge Colonel William Buford built over the Salkehatchie River in 1792.
A century later, at the end of the 1800s, four brothers – Elisha, Henry, James, and Richard Morris – donated large tracts of land to the South Bound Railroad. A depot called Hammond Station was subsequently built on Richard Morris’s land, and the town that grew around it, named Hammond for the depot, was incorporated in 1891.
By October of 1892, a post office was in service in Hammond. The post office was called Olar for Richard Morris’s daughter, Olar Eader Morris, who was six at the time. In 1894 the town’s name was changed to Olar in keeping with the post office. Pictured above, the granite marker in honor of the Morris Brothers stands next to the railroad tracks and was dedicated by Morris descendants in 2000.
Though the police station in Ridgeway holds the title as world’s smallest, the former public safety building in Olar gives it a run for its money. The shed-sized building seen above operated until the later part of the twentieth century, with one police officer occupying the station. Today a modern police station serves the community, but the former tiny police house remains in the center of town as a nostalgic reminder of simpler times. The classic police car pictured below also harkens back to a different era and is the impetus of the Olar Model T Festival held each October.
The antique police car leads the festival parade of Model T’s, Model A’s, and tractors. According to local lore, Olar businessman C.F. Rizer invested in a Ford dealership – the largest in South Carolina – in 1913, shortly after the advent of the car. Prior to the dealership, Rizer had proven his business acumen by successfully selling general merchandise, buggies and accessories, and farm equipment. After he expanded with his Model T dealership, apparently Henry Ford himself reached out to Rizer and asked him to invest in the Ford Motor Company so he could expand manufacturing. Rizer invested $25,000 in Ford, which resulted in the production of half a million cars by 1914. A train with 64 box cars delivered 256 of these cars straight to Rizer’s dealership. Rizer then focused solely on selling Ford products for the remainder of his career. Though not an original Olar police car, the Model T seen here stands on display in town. The bank building seen below, thought to have been built around 1900, was operated by C.F. Rizer.
Olar is home to historic Mizpah Methodist Church, built in 1856 when the town was still known as Buford’s Bridge. A string of closed businesses harkens back to the thriving times of Olar. Flanking the end closest to Highway 64 is the old general store known as Creech Variety Store, its name faintly seen on the rusty hanging Coca-Cola sign hanging from its corner. Established in 1938 and facing the railroad tracks that once helped economy of the town, this store provided the town with many of its most common provisions needed for daily living.
My name is Louis Wilson. My cousin, Daniel Joseph Jenkins, was born on the Heyward Plantation in Olar. He escaped from the four-cell jail in the park by the Ford car, and ended up in Charleston, SC, where he founded Jenkins Institute for Children. I am writing a book on this. Been researching since 2009. Please get ready for that four-cell jail to be famous. I would like to attend the next Model T Festival for a book signing. Would appreciate it if someone sent me information on the next date. The repair work done to the jail door is a result of a small amount of dynamite … I am going to put Olar on the map!
Laurie James – It [was] Cora, Lillian, and Rosa. Rosa was my grandmother. Lots of of great memories of your grandparents Bobby and Jimmie.
I would love to see more pictures of Olar. My grandparents lived there and I visited frequently. I remember Archie’s ( I think) Grocery Store and so much more. I know my grandparents’ house is no longer there and so wish I had a picture of it and Archie’s! If anyone has any more pictures, please post or contact me and I would love to have some. Pam Morris Hanckel
Would love to visit this place. My great-great-grandfather, Ed Franklin, and great-great-grandmother, Lula Franklin, were from Olar.
Y’all. My great grandmother was raised on Olar. Her name was Cora Morris. She married Fitzhugh Lee, and they had 3 children, a daughter who died in infancy, and two sons, Fitzhugh Lee and Robert Lee. Robert was my grandfather. My grandmother met my grandfather while teaching at the school in Olar! I have several family members buried in the Olar Baptist Church Cemetery. I would love to know more about the Morris family!
Sterling, sorry to hear of your mother’s passing. I still have the home place in Olar but I live in Anderson. My grandfather was Tulious Walter (Tool) – Elisha’s brother.
Laurie Lee, it is good to hear from a “cousin”. We have had a reunion each year until this year. I have passed your comment to our Historian and if you are interested in more information, reply and I’ll send you my email.
Amelia Morris Nelson, I would love to hear from you! My email is Laurijames@bellsouth.net. I know that my great-grandmother, Cora Morris, had a sister named Lillian. There was another sister, but I can’t remember her name. I would love to find out about my great-great-grandparents! Sadly, I don’t have much family left. Thanks for reaching out! Laurie Lee James
I live in New Jersey and rarely visit Olar, so I was glad to see these photos. Richard Morris was my great-grandfather. His son Elisha Counts Morris of Norway, SC, was my grandfather. Ollie Faye Morris is my mother, age 93, who married and came north after WW2.
My father and his three brothers – Sonny, Raddy and Bob – grew up in this wonderful little town – my granddaddy owned and operated the Corner Grocery there – my childhood is rich with memories of going to Olar for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter – every summer my brother and I would ride the Greyhound bus down to spend the week with our grandparents – many lessons were learned during those times – I especially recall my grandmother’s cooking, getting slathered with 6-12 to repel the gnats, buying roasted cashews at Poole’s Five and Dime and untimely visits from Bo Cave, who always seemed to drive up in his Coachman Scooter right as we sat down to eat … my brother, Chris, and I have often wondered how fantastic it would be if we could gather all of our Olar stories and condense them into a script – it would make a classic movie for the ages.
Amelia: Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the cotton gin.
I grew up in Olar and have great memories of my childhood. My father owned a grocery store downtown and my grandfather owned a mercantile store and cotton gin downtown as well. I went to the Olar Graded Schools until we merged with Denmark 8 miles away. My mother taught the 4th grade. The police dept. consisted of one policeman named Earl (Squirrel) Sanders.
Good to see your post, Doug. Do you have a photo of the cotton gin?
This is my hometown. The namesake Olar was from my great-great-grandfather. I miss the “good ole days” when life was simple. Like Mary Barr Behlke, the school is missing from the history. I think I have a photo if you would like to post it.
This page is very interesting for me because my family name is Olar. I hope one day I will visit this town.
We hope you are able to get there, it is a great place!
I visited Olar many years ago as a guest of E.D. Bessinger. I fell in love with the little family run stores. The town was a breath of fresh air from city life and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting and talking to the town members.
Really enjoyed seeing this post but would have also liked to see a picture of the school! I miss the people of Olar – such an important part of my life.
We can certainly try and get something added on about the school! Which school in particular was it?