Workamping – Musgrove Mill Historic Site
After two summers of working at Dollywood amusement park in Tennessee, we decided it was time to experience a new place. Our winter workamping job in Florida ended in April and our next workamping job in Texas didn’t start until July. We decided to find something to do for the two months in between. Bring on Musgrove Mill State Historic Site in Clinton, SC!
Applying – Once again we found this listing at Workers-On-Wheels. We applied for the position online providing our workamping resume and photos. We received an email back scheduling a phone interview. Park Ranger Dawn interviewed us over the phone and hired us during the phone call.
Job Duties – Musgrove Mill State Historic Site is a Revolutionary War Battlefield. There are hiking trails, fishing pond, a waterfall and a visitor center. As volunteers, we were required to work about 24 hours each week. It was up to us how we split up the time. We decided the visitor center was the best fit for us. Our schedule was 8 hours a day, Friday-Sunday. Only one of us was needed at a time, so I had the opportunity to work on my own projects while my better half made the sacrifice 🙂 and worked the full 24-hours each week for us. Her duties included greeting guests, providing information regarding the site and cash-out gift shop purchases.
Living – There is only one RV spot on site. The RV site is gravel, behind a locked fence in the maintenance yard. The site has 30 & 50 amp hookups, water, sewer, picnic table, and firepit. No wifi and no cable TV. We picked up plenty of TV channels from our roof antenna from Greenville.
The gate into the park is locked at the end of each day. The RV site is about 1/2 mile from the visitor center. The site Park Ranger lives right next to the RV site so you’re not totally alone on the property. There are 2 grocery stores (Ingles & Bi-Lo) in the town of Clinton, about a 6-mile drive. The closest Wal-Mart is in Laurens, SC under 20 miles away.
Perks – Not a lot of perks when volunteering. You get your essentials. However, it’s always a perk being at a beautiful spot and having it all to yourself during off hours. The long driveway is great for morning walking or jogging, and the hiking trail along the Enoree River is wonderful. In addition, we really enjoyed the access to the South Carolina Upcountry region. Only a couple miles from I-26 made it easy to visit nearby attractions.
Conclusion – We were very happy that we took the opportunity to volunteer at Musgrove Mill. Park Ranger Dawn and her husband were extremely nice. The first night we were there they took us to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet! Knowing our time was limited, I compiled a large list of things to do/see. We didn’t come close to finishing the list, but here are some of the things we were able to do and see during our stay:
- Ceasar Head State Park
- Chester State Park
- Visited Clemson
- Visited Columbia
- Congaree National Park
- Edwin M. Griffin Preserve
- Glendale Shoals Preserve
- Visited Greenville
- Landsford Canal State Park
- Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve
- Ninety-Six National Historic Site
- Oconee Station State Park
- Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site
- Table Rock State Park
- Viewed an Ansel Adams exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum
In addition, from Columbia to Greenville, we got to eat some tremendous Carolina BBQ!