09/02/2026
Tribute to Richard Fowler: Educator, Historian, Genealogist, Friend of the Museum
By Ernest Segars - Board Member of the Laurens County Museum
The history of Laurens County, both in the preserving and the sharing, sustained a loss recently in the passing of Richard Fowler. Richard, by birth and residence, was a son of Spartanburg County but his heart and mind, at many times during his long and productive life, belonged to Laurens. He was an authority on and wrote about the county's namesake and his son, Henry and John Laurens. During his long and productive life, Richard Fowler filled many roles with style, grace, and endless enthusiasm.
He was, often at the same time, an educator, mentor, historian and raconteur extraordinaire. He was also an editor and a wordsmith of talent and substance. It was his skill as an editor that first brought me into Richard's orbit, and, to this day, I marvel at his talent in an area that he could only practice on a part-time basis.
I first met Richard in the summer of 2016. I had just retired from an almost three-decade career with Laurens County. Frankly, I was at loose ends. There was only so much bad golf that I could play and a long, hot summer of bad television and yard work loomed as my future. I was very fortunate to learn that a group headed by local historian Sarah Jane Armstrong was preparing to begin work on the third volume of the very successful Discovering Laurens County series. I think I invited myself to a planning session for the book at the Laurens County Library. And there I met for the first time, Richard Fowler.
Richard’s appearance was striking. He sported a full beard, deep sideburns and he dressed, at least that day, of what reminded me of a nineteenth century circuit riding preacher. He had on a dress jacket, a pale green shirt and a tie that hung loosely. He moved and talked quickly, a man on the move with a lot to do. But he was courtly and southern in the best sense. He was looking at a table full of ardent volunteers that he had to mold into a team of researchers and writers. His task was formidable.
In his opening remarks, it was obvious that Richard knew more about our task and goals that anyone in the room. His knowledge of our subject was massive as he referred to people long dead and roads and communities that no longer exist. He went around the table to see who was interested in what areas of the county's history. When he got to me, I said that I had always had an interest in the Election of 1876, the monumental battle for Governor between Wade Hampton and Daniel Chamberlain and the end of Reconstruction in the state.. That election in some ways set the course for the state's history for the next 100 years. Have at it, Richard said. I'll be interested to see what you write.
With enthusiasm I thought long dead, I proceeded to dig out old college textbooks and regularly visited the stacks at the Laurens County Library. I'm an old newspaper guy and I always savored deadlines. I soon presented Richard with a narrative of my construction with little idea of how it fit into Richard's plan of a history of several hundred pages. I presented it to him, footnotes and all, with considerable trepidation. Within a week, Richard returned the narrative with some edits and a couple of corrections, but the narrative was largely intact. Good job, he told me. We can use this in the book. That acknowledgment from a trained historian meant a lot to a very rank amateur.
The truly astonishing part was the final version of the book edited exclusively by Richard Fowler, basically during his off hours. Working with a personal computer and maybe scissors and glue, he developed a first-rate history of several hundred pages that people continue to read and enjoy. My narrative, developed in a most disorganized manner, fit seamlessly into a chapter that contained offerings from others like me who were doing it for love and pride in our community. Richard Fowler, among his considerable talents, melded those narratives into a concise and precise history of Laurens County.
I had not seen Richard in recent years, but I know he was a close friend of Sarah Jane Armstrong, Dianne Culbertson and others who have done so much to preserve and explore the history of Laurens County. I hope we can find a way to honor a man who did so much for so many during his long life of service.
