Going Back to the Market

The West Ashley Flashback, “Going Back to the Market”, ran in the August 7, 2013 edition of the West Of. It dealt with the construction of the Charleston County Market building along the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and a brief history of truck farming in St. Andrew’s Parish. One of the principals, William Hampton Mixson, mentioned in the article was a prominent figure in the commercial and industrial growth and development of the greater Charleston area. Just one of his many entrepreneurial endeavors was the establishment of the Southern Fruit Company in 1889. This company later morphed into the W.H. Mixson Seed Company.
West Ashley Flashback stated: ”W.H. Mixson, a local seed dealer and a man known for his business sense was in charge of this operation,” referring to The Charleston County Wholesale Vegetable Market. The source for this statement was Chalmers S. Murray’s book “This Our Land – The Story of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina” published in 1949. Murray stated: “The Charleston County Wholesale Vegetable Market was opened at Dupont’s Crossing, a few miles south of Charleston, on the morning of October 1, 1939. W.H. Mixson, Charleston seed dealer, was placed in charge.” One problem with this – W.H. Mixson died in February of 1933.
Now Let’s Fix the Story. 
William Hampton Mixson was born in Barnwell County on Oct. 10, 1860. He was the oldest of 10 children. One of his brothers, Josiah S. Mixson, was a partner in the establishment of the Atlantic Coast Distributors, a company that helped to facilitate the success of truck farming in the Parish. J.S. Mixson died an untimely death in November of 1931. In his obituary he is referred to as Joe, short for Josiah not Joseph, which was published in reference materials used for the Aug. 7, 2013 West Ashley Flashback. Simply stated, these two men worked diligently to advance the markets and distribution for the local truck farmers and no credit should be taken from that effort. However, when the seeds that they planted finally came to fruition in terms of the Charleston County Wholesale Vegetable Market located initially in the Corbett Package Company, it was L. Harry Mixson, W.H. Mixson’s son, and S. Stiles Bee that would manage this operation.
The Charleston County Wholesale Vegetable Market would go through several operational changes and locations over the next few years, all recorded in The Charleston Evening Post or The News and Courier. The Market building that survived until just recently would not be constructed until 1941. The plans, owners, and construction details were announced in The News and Courier on Sunday March 9, 1941: “New Truck Market Nearing Completion – Building Being Erected for Wholesale Vegetable Sales at Siding at Dupont.”
Donna Jacobs is the author of “Byrnes Downs” and “West Ashley” and is continuing her research on the transition of St. Andrew’s Parish from an agrarian community to the suburbs of today. She loves to listen to stories; contact her at westashleybook@gmail.com.