Cotton season filled the streets of Oconee

Traffic was light this morning in the streets of downtown Walhalla.  The retired attorney and history enthusiast Lowell Ross sat in front of a restaurant and remembered when September and October were months that filled the streets of Walhalla with farmers who had money to spend after selling cotton.  The early and middle parts of the 20th century were times when crops of cotton reigned supreme.  As a child, Ross picked cotton by hand for pennies for pounds.  Keowee, Ebenezer and, especially, Oakway were communities where cotton growing was prevalent.