McSween Mercantile Company, Lamar’s largest department store, is seen here as it appeared around 1920. G. G. Harris of Nashville, Tennessee, Moved to Lamar in 1911 to become a bookkeeper for this firm. By 1931, he was co-owner with Lewis J. Beasley. In 1945, he became sole owner. Originally, this McSween store was a branch of the main store in Timmonsville, South Carolina, which had been founded in 1877 by John McSween, a native of Scotland. The building was destroyed by fire in March 1970. PHOTO COURTESY OF DCHCM