Cornwallis 1828 hosts inaugural veterans fish fry
Published 6:47 pm Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Local veterans gather with American Legion Post 24 and Cornwallis 1828 for a relaxing day of fishing at the historic homestead. Photo submitted.
Community members from Butler and Lowndes County as well as members of American Legion Post 24, gather at a fish fry in honor of local veterans. Pictured are Lowndes County Sheriff Chris West, Waddie McGraw, Kenneth Parker, Cody Parker and Hannah Parker. Photo by Amy Lewis.
Demp Bell (left) owner of Cornwallis 1828 and Kevin Furrow (right) fry up the day's catch at a veteran's event held at the historic homestead on May 17. Photo by Amy Lewis.
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A historic homestead in Lowndes County cast a line toward community and camaraderie on May 17, partnering with American Legion Post 24 out of Greenville to host its first-ever Veterans Fish Fry. Cornwallis 1828, a working homestead dating back nearly two centuries, welcomed veterans from Butler and Lowndes
Counties for a morning of fishing, fellowship and a ceremonial tribute.
“This is our first of what will hopefully be an annual fish fry with Lee (Tanner) and the local American Legion Post,” said Demp Bell, owner of Cornwallis 1828. “They helped us last year at our ‘Big Doe Rodeo’, so I said, ‘Hey, let us do a big fish fry for you guys and maybe help you recruit.’ So that’s what we’re doing. They’re going to help each year with our ‘Doe Rodeo’ and this is a great way to honor veterans and to say thank you for that.”
Participants kicked off the day with several rounds of fishing, and the catch was later served up alongside hush puppies and French fries. The event concluded with a traditional flag retirement ceremony, a respectful process used to dispose of worn or damaged American flags.
“We’re thrilled with the turnout, even though it rained on us a little bit,” Bell said. “I think we got about 160 fish. Lee scheduled them in four or five groups that came out over the last few weeks and today. We had a great time fishing and now we’re all frying fish.”
For Post 24 Commander Lee Tanner, the event marked another step toward increasing visibility and engagement within the community.
“We encourage any veteran to come and be a part of the group,” Tanner said. “We’ve had a lot of activities going on this year that we’ve not been involved with in the past and we need new blood because there’s a lot happening and we want to be able to have even more activities like this. If you live in the Greenville area or you’re willing to drive, we meet the first Thursday of each month at six o’clock.”
Bell and Tanner both hope the fish fry becomes a fixture on the local calendar — honoring service, building connections, and perhaps, catching a few more fish next year.
