In 1994 and again in 1997, through the efforts of Rick Green of the Upper Savannah council of governments, the commercial district of Willington was named to a list of the "Eleven Most Endangered Historic Sites in S. C". This list was a project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and in S.C. the sites were selected by representatives of four organizations: The American Architects Association, the Downtown Preservation Association, S. C. Dept. of Archives and History and the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation.

Emboldened by this action, a local committee was formed in 1997 to see what could be done. It was decided to ask the County Historical Commission , as a non-profit organization, to take over the project. The commission had funds by means of which it could seek to acquire the titles of the buildings from their absentee landlords. The commission entered into the project wholeheartedly and by 2000 had acquired the title to all but three of the buildings. In addition , individual donors and McCormick County gave an additional tract of land of 2 and 1/2 acres. Two old wood frame buildings were donated to be placed on this lot. One is a century old African American schoolhouse, donated by a local AME church, which will become an African American cultural center. The other was at one time the post office and later a general store.

The next step was to seek funding. Through our state senators and representative, we requested funding of the legislature through its 2000 bond bill, and in June 1999 received notification that we had been granted $250,000. We have also received a grant of $2500 from the State Arts Commission, and a grant of $11,250 for the federally funded Heritage Corridor, an S. C. tourism project. Individual donors have contributed nearly $12,000. We will still need more large grants to complete the project, but the funding we have received has enabled us to hire an architect, who has drawn up the specifications for contractors. We had five contractors bid on the project, and the Commission hopes to make a final decision on a contractor shortly. We have been chartered as a not-for-profit corporation under the name of "Willington on the Way." and have elected a governing board and an advisory board, We are working in partnership with the Mims Community Center, the MACK, the Heritage Corridor, the Resource, Conservation and Development commission.

We have several goals for this project:

1. Restore the buildings to commercial viability and create a Book Town, with a concentration of used book dealers. This is an idea that began in Wales and now Book Towns are springing up in Europe and America. We would believe having an unusual identity would be a unique way to draw in tourists as well as local citizens.
2. Create a history center. Our county does not have a museum, so we plan to establish a center for genealogical information, historical information and a place for records and artifacts. The first building to be completed will be this center.
3. Create an African American Cultural center, which will host concerts, artists and writers from S. C. and other parts of the south, to sell and display their work, and raise awareness about gifted persons in our area.

The community of Willington is significant, not only because of its connections with South Carolina's Huguenot history, and a prestigious educational institution, but as a reminder of the role of the railroad in community development in rural S.C. at the close of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. We would like to preserve and celebrate that unique heritage. We would like to see Willington thrive and prosper once more.

Our vision is to have Willington once more become a center for learning as it was in the early eighteen hundreds. We believe we have a bright and promising future ahead. We still need donations of both funds and artifacts to make all of this happen, but we believe this vision is going to become a reality! Willington is on the way to becoming a center for book lovers, history buffs, culture seekers and tourists! Dr. Moses Waddel would be proud!