ABOVE Despite its name, Oak Park's
annual Moonshine Festival isn't
really meant to promote the sale of
moonshine. Rather, it is a historical
nod to Oak Park, and its purpose is to
promote the restoration of the town and
the Old School House.
During the festival, the Kingdom
Players (students of a local homeschool
co-op) performed an original play called
Petticoat Rule. The play is based on the
1934 Oak Park elections which led to
an all-female government and made
national headlines. This is only one
effort of the community’s efforts to
celebrate, document, and preserve its
history in order to be designated as a
“Preserving America Community.” Keep
Thinking, a social entrepreneurship that
specializes in development, education
and social support, is assisting in the
process. Owner Michael Nancy Edge,
has deep ties to the community and
hopes to assist in its revitalization.
Seeing youth use the school house
that has been vacant since before her
birth is a dream come true for her. Her
love for the old building is what led to
the discovery of Oak Park’s incredible,
forgotten history.
Look around Oak Park today and
the only business you will see is the
newly-built Dollar General located
beside Highway 1. Since the expansion
of Highway 1 into four lanes, Oak
Park is often passed completely.
Like many small towns, Oak Park's
success has always been dependent on
transportation. In the past, Oak Park
was able to change as needed in order
to survive as a community. They are
betting on this resilience as they move
forward with plans for revitalization.
Records of Oak Park were not
kept within the community, and many
records from Emanuel County have
been destroyed. While many records
exist elsewhere, they often survive
in small summaries in anthologies of
public records. For the first time ever,
we have the ability to document and
analyze this information, as well as
capture and preserve family histories,
to give a more complete picture of the
town. The effort has become known
as the Oak Park History Project led
by Keep Thinking, Oak Park citizens,
the Shiners and Ladson Genealogical
Library.
In 1885, Horace can be found on a
map of Emanuel County in the location
of what is now known as Oak Park.
94 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE