Jaco's Corner

Jaco's Corner was a landmark in the Olympia Mill Village and the longest-running business there. Thomas Harris Jaco came to work in Olympia Mill in 1908, and his wife Bertie followed the next year. He left mill work to create Jaco's Corner in 1912 at the end of the mill village, on the corner of Bluff Road and Rosewood Drive. It began as a grocery store and later became a popular bar, serving as a gathering place for mill workers and students alike. It was also the site of the first gas station on that end of town. Harris Jaco reflected the work ethic prevalent in the mill village, and for over a century the Jaco family, including Harris Jaco, Alberta Dunham Jaco, Dillard Jaco, Jake Jaco, and Janet Jaco Taylor, continued the tradition and operated a business on that corner. One of the most popular annual events there was the Cork Ball Tournament, started in 1978 and played in the back parking lot. Fierce competition inspired long arguments over the best players, and later years added catfish stew, fried fish, and the crowning of a Cork Ball Queen, though the game remained the main attraction as trophies, cash prizes, and bragging rights were awarded until the next year's tournament. The tradition lasted for more than thirty years, and some Lintheads and devoted followers still enjoy revisiting those games. Jaco's Corner closed in 2017. Cork Ball itself was a competitive version of stick ball invented by children with few resources, played with a cut off broom handle and a fishing cork wrapped with tape. The basic rules used two-man teams and tracked hits and runs, with the pitcher flicking the cork underhanded and batters swinging opposite from their normal way. Its advantages were simple equipment, small teams, and short two-inning games that could fit into a brief recess.

Olympia, South Carolina · United States