Posted on 07/06/2006 7:01:52 AM PDT by SquirrelKing
It appears that the Northern invasion of the South is complete -- at least it is on a patch of land known as Delta Plantation in Jasper County.
There, a diehard rebel named Henry E. Ingram Jr. made his last stand against the onslaught of Yankees, only to be thwarted by a man from Long Island, N.Y., and now -- gasp -- a French Canadian.
Ingram promised to keep Yankees out of Delta Plantation in Jasper County when he bought 1,700 acres there in 1998. His resolve to keep them out still is strong, but the covenants he put on the land don't seem to have any teeth.
Those covenants did, however, scare Canadian-raised Bluffton resident Louise Legare a bit as she was close to signing a contract to buy a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on the land from Bluffton Home Builders.
The list of rules she got from the builders was missing the first pages, so she went to the Jasper County Courthouse to get the missing ones. There, she found the covenants, or rules, that Ingram demanded of buyers:
1. They could not be Yankees.
2. They could not have the last name Sherman (an obvious reference to Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman).
3. And the land could not be sold or leased to those whose last names could be rearranged to spell Sherman.
Clearly, Ingram doesn't like Northern folk.
Now, however, Legare and Bluffton Home Builders are working with Ingram's son, Ashley Ingram, to remove the covenants. The former Delta Plantation is on both sides of U.S. 17, just north of the Georgia state line.
"When (Legare) brought it to us, we all kind of had a good laugh," said Jim Hobbs, a partner in the home-building firm.
In fact, Legare is buying the land and home from Bill Cook, another partner in the company, who happens to be a native of Long Island, N.Y. No one at Bluffton Home Builders had seen the covenants before Legare found the missing pages, and no one has ever tried to enforce them, Hobbs said.
If Henry Ingram had his way, he still would keep Yankees off of the 1,700 acres he once owned. His holdings on the plantation have dwindled to 10 acres.
Ingram, now a resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, said his son and attorney, who are both local, should be looking out for his anti-northerner wishes now.
"Yankees destroy everything they have up North, then they come down here," Ingram said. "When they destroy everything (in the South), where are they going to move next? Another country?"
Legare, who grew up north of Montreal, figures her far-northern upbringing must be especially abhorrent to Ingram.
"I must be more of a Yankee," she said. "I'm the person he really doesn't want to live there."
Amazingly, Legare is a much better choice to own Southern land than a New Yorker, according to Ingram.
"French people are much better and more desirable than a Yankee," said Ingram, who once owned video-poker casinos in Jasper County. "They don't stick their noses in other people's business."
The same feature drew Legare and Ingram to the land -- nature. Ingram said he's seen Carolina panthers, bald eagles and fox squirrels on the land. It is that quiet beauty Legare is after.
"I was raised in a very nature-like environment," Legare said. "I think the nature is beautiful in South Carolina."
Ingram, who says he is leaving Texas for Costa Rica soon, cites the boorish manners of Yankees as one of his prime dislikes for them.
"They look down their little pointy noses at the people in the South because we are polite and nice to them," Ingram said. "They think people who are polite and nice are dumb."
Contact Jim Faber at 706-8137 or jfaber@islandpacket.com. To comment on this story, please go to islandpacket.com.
Freepers excepted, of course. :-)
Fortunately I was at a rest stop. I ran into several obnoxious people, including one man with a Brooklyn accent, whom I asked for directions and who ordered me to get my hands off his car.
When the tow truck arrived, the driver was so friendly and such a fine man that we wound up going to dinner together; I picked up the tab. We became good friends over a short period of time, stayed at the restaurant talking until almost midnight. He was great, one of the best people I've ever met. I never saw him again after that evening. He is a strong supporter of President Bush; "He's a good man," he said.
There are great people everywhere.
In Western North Carolina, the natives refer to all newcomers, regardless of origin, as "Florida people" or "floridiots". A "halfback" is somebody who moved to Florida, didn't like it, and moved to North Carolina (i.e. halfway back). None of these labels is particularly derogatory; they are considered amusing.
Southern friendliness sometimes confuses me (half Tarheel by birth but raised in the North). My grandmother once invited a neighbor who had dropped by to stay for dinner (supper in NC) - three times - and then when the neighbor who had accepted, eaten and left - my grandmother took her apart. Now I would understand if she had asked once, for form's sake, but she asked three times receiving two refusals before getting a yes!
Which leads me to wonder, can you ever stay to dinner in the South?
Mrs VS
You shouldn't judge someone without getting to know them first...where they are from shouldn't be the
I have met too many southerners once, had a quick, friendly conversation, and then been given the cold shoulder after wards. And the question 'where you from?' usually is asked early on in the conversation.
Southern hospitality is wonderful, when it is sincere.
If you judge someone primarily by where they are from, how sincere are you? Biased? Phony friendly?
Smiling at someone and then talking about them as soon as they leave the room is not polite.
I bet if you give your neighbors 'from away' the opportunity, you'll find most of them to be great people.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss this strange phenomena.
Yes. Nazi literature is full of cartoons showing Jews with small noses. /sarcasm.
Jesu Ramensh was reportedly heard to say: "I am verry berry disappointed. Vishnu will not be at all pleased. Have a nice day."
The locals (Charleston, SC) do not consider you to be 'from around here' unless you, your father AND your grandfather were born here.
My favorite response to the inevitable 'where you from?' question is 'I may be from around here, but I got here as fast as I could.'
Good for a shared chuckle and helps diffuse the northern/southern issue.
The locals (Charleston, SC) do not consider you to be 'from around here' unless you, your father AND your grandfather were born here.
My favorite response to the inevitable 'where you from?' question is 'I may not be from around here, but I got here as fast as I could.'
Good for a shared chuckle and helps diffuse the northern/southern issue.
There is the problem right here, we have conversations with people.It's our way of life yet you move here in our communities then proceed to tell us how to converse,when it's appropriate and what we can say.
Excellent point, ma ja. Being curious as to someone's origin is not exactly asking them if they prefer it missionary or doggy style.
LOL!! Good one Laz.
That makes sense! Thanks!
I have no problem with Yankees. I am related to many. Now Yankees fans are a different story.
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