Serving Greater Bluffton Since 1987
The Bluffton
Eccentric was the first and only newspaper the town of Bluffton has had in fifty years. We felt such a kinship with
them that we asked Graham Bullock, publisher of The Bluffton Eccentric, if we could resurrect articles from previous
issues and republish them. Graham graciously gave his permission and loaned us volumes of old papers. It has been a
treat for me to read them and it is with great honor that I get to share them with everyone again. So, kick back, relax
and get ready for a blast from the past. The Bluffton Vignette
By Betsy Thayer
luffton is a unique town. I have said that many times and feel that I am right with out a shadow of a doubt. Here we have our own style, speed and mode of thought. Our unofficial slogan sums up Bluffton without much dispute. It allows interpretation and causes enough confusion in the average persons mind to not be forgotten, as the rear bumper of a passing car disappears into the masses of traffic in Scott’s parking lot. Actually, Palmetto State Bank is responsible for the bumper stickers on all the cars in Bluffton. “The Bluffton Vignette” is a quote from Charlotte Inglesby’s book “A Corner of Carolina”. The interpretation is loose and variable, allowing the individual to question and wonder at his own pace. The clincher is that people do think and wonder what it means and eventually say to themselves that there must be somebody who knows exactly what is the state of mind in Bluffton. I offer my opinion and then dare to share the anonymous and not so anonymous opinions of those subjected to a telephone poll.
The Bluffton Vignette. It is a beautiful place that aids in the paths of thought followed by her natives. The true art of Bluffton is in the way her children think. People here bother to think and care in areas of life most of America today avoids. Blufftonians use their minds. Maybe that’s because there is nothing else to do here, but they do use them. Blufftonians have a way of sensing an intruder, they know when somebody is not used to the way of life here. People work hard with their hands in Bluffton. We know that there is no place better anywhere else in the world and we will never stray far from the nest. The state of mind here can seem uppity to an outsider, but the only thing worse than conceitedness is false modesty. Something about Bluffton lets a person think freely. Other Blufftonians will not always agree with the thoughts, but that happens when people are truly alive and expressing themselves. Bluffton’s state of mind is truly alive.
Thirteen year-old Andre Atkins said, “To live in Bluffton, you really have to enjoy it. It’s so quiet, it becomes your state of mind.” It seems as though you become Bluffton and Bluffton becomes you. Other citizens are afraid of the rapid changes that have approached in the last 10 years or so. They know there is something special about Bluffton and they are afraid it will pass with the changes in time. If we don’t speak out, we won’t have anything left. Other opinions classify Bluffton as a utopia of sorts. There is a balance that allows the camaraderie. Culture and sincerity. Our town is a little offbeat only if we are measured against the typical American standard. We simply have our own beat. We call it tradition.
