While North Platte, Neb. has received publicity on the hospitality shown U.S. military personnel moving in trains across the county during World War II, residents of Denmark, S.C. should not be overlooked as they offered hot coffee to servicemen en route to Camp Hancock, Ga. in Augusta during World War I.

Mrs. J.B Liles, the Denmark Depot ticket agent, was asked in August 1917 if she could arrange for coffee to be served to the troops who passed through on the train.

Mrs. W.I. Calliff and Mrs. R.I Zeigler accepted the responsibility of organizing 13 ladies who served coffee. They had no idea when the trains might be coming through, but they made plenty of coffee in milk cans. According to the "History of Bamberg County, South Carolina," the ladies served 7,000 troops one week.

The men were glad to receive the coffee, but the ladies also provided another significant service. The troops gave the hostesses letters to mail to their loved ones. That was especially important.

Mail was their link to the families back home. Remember, this was an era when the phone was not used except on special occasions such as announcing a death. Many families didn't even have a phone. The mailman was a significant person to most families. Young ladies in Denmark took on the task of posting those important letters for the servicemen.

Another interesting tidbit from this fine history book is the fact that the Denmark Depot. the railroad and the AT&T building were fully guarded by a company of soldiers who had returned from guarding the Mexican border. Denmark was a center of communications for the eastern states. While these men took their duties very seriously, they also enjoyed the invitations into the homes of the community for dinner and other get-togethers.

The committee arranging this diversion was comprised of Mrs. Frank James, along with Mrs. Ida Goolsby and Mrs. Fred McCrae. The community also took care of the troops when they fell ill.

It is interesting to note that the military was also present in World War II guarding not only the trains but the important AT&T telephone hub for the eastern U.S. The building was so heavily guarded that it was reported that the president of the phone company was denied access when he appeared there unexpectedly.

The historic first transcontinental telephone call was made on Jan.  15, 1915 through Denmark. Thousands of miles of additional cable was laid which directly connected to the White House. This historic transcontinental call connected President Woodrow Wilson in the White House to T.A. Vail, president of AT&T, who was recovering from an illness at Jekyll Island, Ga. It also connected the New York office of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant in San Francisco, Calif. After the congratulatory words were spoken and they closed the conversation, it was reported that Mr. Vail then called his wife in New York and suggested that they pay not more than $70 for a wedding present for a friend.

No doubt these calls raised the spirits of the lady switchboard operators and relieved all those servicing the lines.

Anyone with additional information about the Denmark women who served coffee to the troops and mailed their letters for them during World War I is asked to contact me at 803-793-3336.

T&D Correspondent Bettylou R. Terry can be reached by phone at 803-793-3381. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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