Category:South of the Border, South Carolina
Contents
History of the Collection
Road trips to Dillon, South Carolina were first conducted by Museum staff in the early 1980s. Sensing the intrinsic cultural value of the site, photographs and drawings of the environment, structures and outdoor three-dimensional pieces. Later, artifacts were collected from some of the Native Vegetation (Flora) on found on site and notes were taken on the various animal specimens (Fauna), many of which appear to be unique to the location.
Items in the Collection
- Clothing
- Glassware
- Housewares and Restaurant Items
- Numismatics
- Flattened Pennies
- Good Luck Tokens
- Postcards, Matchbooks and Promotional Material
- Tiny Shoes
- Writing Implements
Overview
South of the Border is a rest stop and roadside attraction on Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 301-U.S. Route 501 near Dillon, South Carolina, so named because it is just "south of the border"–the border between the U.S. states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The attraction features not only restaurants, gas stations and a motel, but also a small amusement park, shopping (including, formerly, adult entertainment at the "Dirty Old Man Shop"), and, famously, fireworks. Its mascot is Pedro, an extravagantly stereotypical Mexican bandido. It is advertised by hundreds of billboards along surrounding highways, starting 175 miles away. Well-known landmarks in the area, the irreverent signs feature Pedro, wearing an oversized sombrero and poncho, counting down the number of miles to, and promoting, South of the Border.
Historic Background
South of the Border was developed by Alan Schafer (1914-July 19, 2001), who founded a beer stand at the location in 1950 and steadily expanded it with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items. He had a great deal of success turning South of the Border into a tourist mecca because of his location, which was immediately across the border from a dry North Carolina county, and grew his small business into what was, by local standards, an economic empire. South of the Border grew to over a square mile, required its own infrastructure, and had its own fire and police departments. Schafer became reclusive, building a large compound of interconnected houses outside the Dillon city limits. At South of the Border, he kept secret apartments hidden in the backs of restaurants and shops.
Notable Features
Part of the film Forces of Nature was filmed at South of the Border. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, originally from nearby Dillon, South Carolina, worked for a summer as a poncho-wearing waiter at South of the Border to help pay his way through Harvard.
Architectural Styles and Decor
The entire motif of South of the Border can be described as intentionally campy. Adobe style ornament is applied over inexpensive cement block structures and combined with neon signage in Modern, or Roadside high-camp style. Most of the architectural styles of South of the Border are of the "Decorated Shed" type (Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown) however some aspects are "ducks" i.e.: designed as stand-alone advertisements for actual attractions—particularly the trademark giant, sombrero-clad neon figure which functions as the park's motel front signage and the illuminated sombrero-shaped tower which is visible for miles from the Carolina countryside.
External Links
Pages in category "South of the Border, South Carolina"
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