Old Times in Horry County

by Randall A. Wells

The traditional history of Horry County is quietly fading away. The “old-timers,” those who lived in the community their whole lives and witnessed Horry County before it became a sought-after destination for summer tourists on the Carolina coast, are not around to tell their tales of days long gone by. In 1990 Randall Wells, a professor of English and speech at Coastal Carolina University hoped to change the tide of time. His deep affection for Horry County and its people became obvious when he began to interview neighbors and community members to hear their stories. Wells conducted interviews with more than a hundred illustrious members of the coastal community, learning their history and reliving past events. Here, along with beautiful drawings of Horry County s “old-timers,” twelve of these interviews have been painstakingly transcribed and published for the first time. These stories of the golden days of Horry County will delight both visitors and residents alike.