Chesterfield County Library
Redfearn Home Place
Pusser Ford Company
Hancock Ford Company
Chesterfield County Library
Dr. William Perry: The Will Redfearn house was the first building I can recall at this site. Mr. Will Redfearn raised his family here. The family included Laurin (“Son”), Bill, Annie (“Monkey” Teal’s mother), Ruby ("Honey"), Mary ("Sister"), and Ed. My father made a house call here when Laurin was sick with pneumonia and found the house so hot that the oxygen was depleted. He opened a window, and Laurin revived immediately. Laurin later operated a funeral home in Cheraw. My father traded the house he built where Douglas Gallery is today to Mr. Charlie Rivers for this property. The Redfearn house was torn down, and a Ford dealership was built at this site. Ted Pusser operated it for a period of time, and later Ted Hancock came here from Charlotte, NC to take over the business. The first Ford dealership was located where Watson Brothers is today, and that dealership preceded the Hartsell dealership (Chrysler-Plymouth-DeSoto) at that location.
Cheraw Chronicle 1976 Bicentennial Edition:
In 1947, Louise McDaniel Wiley made a request to the State Library Board to borrow 200 books. The request was granted, and the books were housed in the Chesterfield Baptist Annex (old frame house behind the church where the parking lot is located today). The library was operated by the Girl Scouts. In 1955, a small rustic building was donated to the library, and the building was moved behind the Bank of Chesterfield. The building was remodeled, and the Town of Chesterfield agreed to provide financial support. Mrs. J. Arthur Knight was elected Chairperson of the Library Board of Chesterfield, and Louise Wiley was appointed Librarian. In 1970, the Chesterfield Library Board presented the building, the book collection, equipment, and funds on hand to the County Library Board. The Cheraw Chronicle reported on February 2, 1970, that "not long ago Chesterfield County was one of two counties in the state without a public library, and today we have two libraries in Chesterfield County". The first public library was Matheson Memorial Library in Cheraw. Matheson had opened as a private library but in 1969 turned over the building, volumes, and operational funds to the County Library System. Mr. W. F. Stevenson was the first County Librarian.
James W. Jenkins: The transition from the Chesterfield Baptist Church Annex to the small building behind the bank, to a Main Street storefront, and finally to the present modern building, as a member of the County Library System was facilitated by a number of people. Foremost among the group were Louise McDaniel Wiley, James Braswell, and Calvin Rivers. Mrs. Wiley had a vision and a drive to ensure that Chesterfield had a viable library. Mr. Braswell, Chesterfield mayor and pharmacist, provided space for the store-front library and space for the preparation of the books prior to the move to the new facility. He was lauded at the opening of the new library for his assistance in making the library a reality. Calvin Rivers played an equally important role by providing the land where the library is located; his portrait hangs in the library today. These three individuals also had significant help from several groups. One of these groups was the County Library Board of Trustees, which was composed of Chairman Edward Sweatt, Billy McCray, John Russell McLain, Larry Foster, Pauline "Polly" Rowell Raley, Charles Curtis, and Jerry Teal. Other groups were community civic organizations, volunteers, and the legislative delegation of Chesterfield County.