The author, Steve Bailey, is outreach coordinator at the Anson County Historical Society.
McFarlan Township, located in southern Anson County at the state line, came into existence on April 24, 1883, when the United States Post Office changed the name of the post office at Old Sneedsborough, located two-and-a-half miles away, to conform to the name of the railroad station.
McFarlan Township was named for Allen McFarland of the Cheraw & Salisbury Railroad. The “d” in McFarland was left off in the 1900 census.
Sometime before, the area had been known as the John Grady Tract. Charles Eben Braswell, who was the last postmaster for Sneedsborough, became the first postmaster of McFarlan. In 1885 the community became incorporated with the following officers: commissioners S.B. Tolar, A.A. Johnson and C.E. Braswell, and Marshall A.J. Cator.
Susan Braswell was elected mayor of McFarlan in 1928, giving her the distinction of being the first female mayor in Anson County. The following year she became justice of the peace, making her the first female to hold that position in Anson County. During this time and for many years she was a notary public in addition to her regular job of clerk-telegrapher at the Atlantic Coastline Railway office in Wadesboro. Her grandson, William Foster, was a magistrate for many years in Wadesboro.
Dr. W. J. McLendon established the Bank of McFarlan on May 8, 1920, with himself and W.N. Northcutt, B.J. McGoogan, W.S. Braswell and M.A. McLendon as the major stockholders. I don’t know when this bank went out of business, but the incorporation papers can be seen in the McFarlan Township file at the Anson County Historical Society office in Wadesboro.
The McFarlan Motor Co. was established about 1919 on Main Street but it’s not known for how many years they were in operation. The major stockholders at the time were J.H. Miller, John Franklin Northcutt, Grover Cleveland Northcutt and James Thomas Sings. The incorporation papers of this business can also be seen in historical society office in Wadesboro.
Leavitt Funeral Home opened for business in McFarlan Township when the first Harvey Leavitt, who was originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., arrived in the area and fell in love with a young lady who grew up in McFarlan by the name of Mary Frances Moore, daughter of Phillip Moore, who is buried at Pleasant Hill Church Cemetery. They were married on Nov. 28, 1912. Three generations of Leavitts have operated Leavitt Funeral Home. H.H. Leavitt opened the first funeral home in Anson County in McFarlan in 1914. The funeral home was relocated in Wadesboro in 1915 and in March 1920 it was moved again, to the upstairs of the Smith Building in the 100 block of South Rutherford Street. A fire in 1922 necessitated still another move to the J.S.Teal Building on 108 West Martin St. On June 18, 1935, the funeral home was moved to 101 West Martin St., where it operated until June 1997 when it moved to its Morven Road location.
McFarlan Township has an incredible history and I’m certain there are many more historic facts that I have overlooked regarding the area that need to be recorded for future generations.
The McFarlan Township file is at the Anson County Historical Society located at 206 East Wade Str. in Wadesboro, (704) 694-6694.