Jasper County turns 100 years old next week and the centennial has been greeted so far with a minor celebration.
The county is holding a small ceremony at the fountain between the courthouse and the council building in Ridgeland at 4 p.m. Monday (Jan. 30), marking the actual date of the anniversary of Jasper County's founding - and its permanent separation from Beaufort County.
The Chamber of Commerce at the nearby Perry House will offer minor refreshments after the ceremony.
"Five years ago, we started approaching the Council with this," said Bill Whitten, a former Jasper County Sun reporter who is active in the Jasper County Historical Society. "There was never any interest from the Council in celebrating this anniversary. We were always told to, ‘Come back next year.' Next year always came around, and nothing was ever proposed for a celebration. Our requests fell on deaf ears."
Andrew Fulghum, county administrator, announced at the second Jasper County Council meeting in December that the actual date of the anniversary had been discovered and that it was Jan. 30. He repeated the announcement at the most recent meeting, but said the county has nothing further planned.
Kendall Malphrus, executive director of the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce, didn't have much more information.
"The ceremony on the 30th is the only one planned so far," she said. "We might do something at Gopher Hill or something, but we don't have anything planned yet."
County historians will likely be at the celebration, although no response has been received from the administrator's office regarding who will speak or what the agenda for the speakers will be.
Whitten said state courthouse historian Rita Williams Livingston, who played a part in the county's printed history "Reflections," may be in attendance, but her appearance has yet to be confirmed by the county.