Calhoun County Museum
Come and enjoy the history of Calhoun County and South Carolina presented with a personal southern touch.
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The Purple Martin Festival
The Calhoun County Purple Martin Story
It all started in the fall of 1969 when a film entitled "The Griggsville Story" was shown at a meeting of the St. Matthews Rotary Club. Griggsville, a small town in south-western Illinois, was experienceing some unpleasant summers due to an unusually large number of mosquitos and other insects. The town used various chemicals in an effort to eradicate the pests; however the town leaders weren't satisfied with the results. In their efforts to find other solutions it was suggested they try to attract "Purple Martins" to Griggsville. A Purple Martin is a bird whose diet consiste entirely of insects. The suggestion became a reality and Griggsville erected numerous aluminum houses to encourage the birds to adopt Griggsville as their summer home. People in the community were amazed at the results of their project, because they saw immediate benefits. The birds definately reduced the population of insects in the area.
After viewing the film, several Rotorians expressed an interest in starting such a project in Calhoun County. St. Matthews in particular had problems with mosquitos for a number of years. A machine had been mounted on the back of a truck to fog for mosquitos when they became unbearable. Invariably if a citizen planned a cook-out, the truck would come through the neighborhoos spraying chemicals and ending the cook-out.
The Rotary Club, like most civic organizations, didn't have an abundance of cash; therefore, the interested Rotarions were reluctant to enter into the project. After much deliberation it was decided to make an attempt similar to the one made by Griggsville citizens to improve the insect population. The Rotary Club appointed a "Purple Martin Committee" to get things rolling. The committee immediately ordered nine houses which they hoped to sell. In the event the houses couldn't be sold, the committee agreed to purchase them individually; assuring the club it wouldn't lose money.
The results of the "Calhoun County Purple Martin Story" are unbelievable. Rotarians were active in the winter months of 1969-70 selling birdhouses. Not only were the nine houses sold, but 126 additional houses were ordered and sold. Practically every citizen in the area soon learned of the project. Individuals purchased houses, constructed houses, and erected poles with gourds to attract the martins. Their efforts were not in vain, because the martins started arriving in the county on February 27. The "Purple Martin Committee" as well as the public anxiously awaited the results of the influx of large numbers of martins.
There were many difficulties encountered by the committee during the initial stages of the campaign; however, they were soon forgotten when the facts of the project were disclosed. First, and foremost, the birds definately helped with the mosquito problem. For the first time in years it wasn't necessary for the town of St. Matthews to spray for mosquitos, and they haven't done so since.