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Edsel Taylor was recognized with the Order of the Palmetto after a 51-year corrections career defined by leadership, rehabilitation efforts and decades of public service

This article is republished with permission from the .

Summerville Journal Scene

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Edsel Taylor, a Ridgeville resident who spent 51 years with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and became the nation’s longest-serving prison warden, has received the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto.

“I had a hard time making parole,” he joked when asked about his longevity in the corrections field.

Taylor was presented the award during the July 20 meeting of the Dorchester County Council. The Order of the Palmetto recognizes citizens for extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and significant contributions to the state.

After serving a year in Vietnam, Taylor began his career at MacDougall Correctional Institution in 1969. Realizing he had a knack for administrative leadership, he applied for the warden position of a maximum-security prison in Columbia. Knowing that a handful of wardens had been terminated over the course of several years, he took the challenge in stride. His boss even joked, “If you can survive Vietnam, you can survive here.”

Taylor eventually returned to MacDougall as the warden, where he would retire. In addition to the corrections field, he served for 28 years in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

While working at MacDougall, Taylor took on additional assignments with other South Carolina corrections facilities.

“I was extremely blessed to have good health and a lot of energy throughout my career,” Taylor said, boasting that he never took a day of sick leave as warden of five different South Carolina prisons.

A proponent of educational and rehabilitative efforts, Taylor established a housing unit for military veterans and oversaw construction of an inmate-built chapel. During his tenure, MacDougall Correctional Institution achieved accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

His military background influenced at least one of the prison programs of which he is most proud: a housing unit designed for incarcerated military veterans. The concept was intended to make it easier to provide services and benefits to veterans while fostering discipline and camaraderie among its residents.

The prison even allowed those inmates to have murals and their unit insignia on their cell walls.

“As I suspected what would happen, they meshed together really well, and it was an easier unit to manage,” Taylor said, adding that the unit developed a reputation for order and discipline. “You walked in, and it was like walking into a true military barracks.”

Taylor noted that education, vocational training and treatment programs are critical to reducing recidivism.

“You can’t simply lock someone up and expect them to be released as a normal person,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to try to make sure they are prepared to be a productive citizen when they get back on the street.”

Taylor remained in corrections through some of the agency’s most difficult periods, including the COVID-19 pandemic. He had planned to retire earlier but stayed on as the prison grappled with unprecedented challenges.

“[That period] made me so proud of our dedicated staff,” he said. “They did not give up.”

During his 51-year career, Taylor worked for nine corrections directors and felt supported by each one. At the same time, he learned to be flexible based on each director’s philosophy on how to run a prison.

Since retiring, Taylor has shifted his focus toward conservation, environmental stewardship and volunteer work.

He has helped secure permanent conservation easements, protecting critical natural areas.

Taylor serves as a master naturalist and works to establish and maintain wood duck habitats, including dozens of nesting sites around his wooded property.

“I truly love being in nature,” Taylor said, before quipping, “When you spend 51 years behind bars, you have a lot of time to make up and spend outdoors.”

As he approaches his 83rd birthday in August, Taylor boasted that his shift toward conservation work has kept him motivated, active and young in spirit.

“I haven’t made a penny since I retired, and I don’t plan to make a penny,” he added.

While accepting South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, Taylor emphasized that the recognition belonged to more than just himself.

“This award is something bigger than I am,” he said. “I was blessed to have employees who were dedicated, hardworking and always trying to do the best job they could or even finding ways to do it better.”

Taylor concluded that he and his colleagues always sought to make prison a “highway to a better life, instead of a dead-end for people.”

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Ridgeville Town Hall is now home to the town’s first-ever Little Free Library, built by a local mother and son in memory of three people they say were deeply rooted in the community.

The share box sits alongside the community blessing box and food pantry at Town Hall. Each of its three shelves is dedicated to a different person and the activities they loved.

Three shelves, three legacies

The top shelf holds children’s books in honor of Mattie J. Blanchard, a former assistant librarian at Harleyville Ridgeville School and a longtime crossing guard at Clay Hill Elementary.

The middle shelf is stocked with puzzles to remember Willie Lou Bradley, who spent time doing jigsaws, Sudoku, bingo and scratch-offs to keep her mind sharp. The bottom shelf holds gardening seeds as a tribute to Ransom King, a passionate local landscaper and gardener.

Organizer Shanelle King Arroyo said the project grew out of a conversation with her son, Israel, who used to read to his grandmother and regularly visited Little Free Libraries in nearby towns.

“So, we love going to little free libraries all around town. My son likes to read. He used to read to his nana. And we realized living in Ridgeville, it’s growing really fast. But there’s none here. So, when all three of our family members passed away, it was like, well, how do we remember people that have passed?” Arroyo said. “He said, what about a little free library? I said, sure, let me Google it and figure out how to do it. It was really easy.”

Community response

The library’s grand opening drew roughly 50 people, with face painting, balloon animals, snow cones and ice cream from College Fund Sweets and Treats. Arroyo said the turnout surprised her, particularly the number of adults who engaged with the books.

“I was like, wow, I didn’t even think that adults would be interested in the books,” she said. “Israel was like, I was really just thinking for the kids. But because we have so many shelves, it worked out.”

Since the opening, the library has expanded to include adult books alongside the original children’s titles, puzzles and seeds.

Arroyo said the box was full when she last checked.

While Little Free Libraries are common in nearby Summerville and North Charleston, Arroyo said she was surprised to find Ridgeville had none.

“I’m surprised that still there was only one. But I think after the kind of response we’ve gotten, there will probably be more,” she said.

‘She was a sister to me’

Hazel Parson-Starkes, a longtime friend of Mattie J. Blanchard, said the library carries deep personal meaning.

“It means a lot to me because of the person that they’re doing it in memory of,” Parson-Starkes said. “She had many names because of things that she did for people and with them.”

Parson-Starkes described Blanchard as a constant presence at school board and council meetings, a devoted church worker and a trusted babysitter for her youngest son.

“I loved her like a sister,” Parson-Starkes said. “She became a part of our family.”

Arroyo said the library is meant to extend the reach of all three honorees beyond those who knew them personally.

“It feels good. Like, you know, a great way to remember them more than just from us because all three were very involved in the community,” she said. “So other people are showing their love for them. Like, yeah, I remember her or she was my librarian. I remember that person.”

Arroyo said she also hopes the library encourages families to step away from screens and reconnect over books, puzzles and gardening.

“We’re playing on video games, tablets, in front of screens all the time. And we got to get back to activities with family,” she said.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A Ridgeville man recognized as the nation’s longest-serving prison warden has received South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

Edsel Taylor was presented with the Order of the Palmetto during a Dorchester County Council meeting Monday night in recognition of his lifetime of public service and contributions to South Carolina.

The Order of the Palmetto is awarded by the governor to South Carolinians who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement, service, and leadership.

Taylor devoted 51 years to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, ultimately serving as warden of MacDougall Correctional Institution. Throughout his career, Taylor became known for advancing rehabilitation, education, and innovative correctional programs.

According to Dorchester County, Taylor helped create a dedicated housing unit for military veterans and oversaw the construction of an inmate-built chapel at MacDougall. Under his leadership, the institution also earned accreditation from the American Correctional Association.

“I have heard countless stories about his integrity, and his character, and his many decades of service. So, I know just on the testimony alone he is worthy of the Order of the Palmetto,” said State Rep. Gil Gatch during Monday’s ceremony.

Beyond his corrections career, Taylor is a decorated Vietnam veteran who served as a Medical Service Corps officer before completing a 28-year career in the U.S. Army Reserve. He retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Following his retirement from corrections and military service, Taylor remained active in conservation and civic efforts throughout South Carolina. County officials said he has helped protect hundreds of acres of land through conservation easements and has served on numerous local boards and commissions.

In a social media post, Dorchester County described Taylor as a corrections leader, Army officer, conservationist and civic leader whose service to South Carolina has spanned more than five decades.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) — A group of inmates at MacDougall Correctional Institution graduated Friday from Turn 90’s 12-month re-entry program.

This is the first class to complete the full year of instruction since the program launched at the facility.

The graduates are expected to be released within the next few months.

Turn 90 is a South Carolina nonprofit with locations in Charleston, Columbia and Spartanburg. It was founded to help men succeed after release from prison through job training, cognitive behavioral therapy and wraparound support services.

The program at MacDougall is a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and Trident Technical College, which brings credentialed coursework inside the prison.

Coursework includes job readiness, financial literacy, digital literacy, cognitive behavioral therapy, public speaking and re-entry preparation.

Participants who complete the NCCER-credentialed component through Trident Tech leave with a certificate recognized by employers.

Amy Barch, Turn 90’s founder and executive director, said the graduation marks more than a year of hard work. It signals where the organization is headed.

“Today is in commemoration of us having this program up and running for a year and all the amazing accomplishments that we’ve been able to do in partnership with both the Department of Corrections and Trident Tech,” Barch said.

She said the partnership with Trident Tech carries particular significance.

“The partnership with Trident Tech is also really important to show that we can bring credential programs inside our Department of Corrections and really help people track to career or job placement after their release,” Barch said. “It isn’t just a resume; it’s something more than that.”

At Friday’s ceremony, men were recognized for completing individual components of the program, with some receiving acknowledgment for finishing all 12 months.

One graduate, William, said the program changed how he sees himself.

“I’ve learned to be confident in myself and learn how to not let my mistakes define me,” William said. “So, now that I’ve finally completed it, I’m just ready for the next step.”

William said he plans to go directly to Turn 90 upon release to pursue a commercial driver’s license and eventually start his own dump truck business.

“I have a past experience with construction work, so it was something I was able to hone into that I can be successful in,” he said.

He said the emotional weight of his release is tied to his daughter, whom he has not seen in person since she was 3 months old. She is now 9.

“It’ll be the first time I’m seeing her in person since she was three months. So it’s going to be very emotional. That’s the main word, just a breath of fresh air,” William said.

He also reflected on what he hopes the graduation communicates to others.

“This shows that a mistake that people have made doesn’t define them and that anybody can overcome these type of obstacles,” William said.

Lisa Engram, deputy director of programs, reentry and rehabilitative services at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, said the program’s impact extends beyond the men’s eventual release.

“Not only does it help when they’re released, but it’s also helping them in their interactions within the institution, which makes for a better culture within the institution, institutional community,” Engram said.

Engram said the department plans to grow the program’s reach.

“In the future, we’re looking to expand this program and continuing to give it to more individuals here at MacDougall, but also taking components of this program and spreading it throughout South Carolina Department of Corrections,” she said.

Barch said Turn 90’s employer partners consistently report that program graduates are among their most motivated workers.

“People coming out of prison are motivated to work, and they understand the chance that they’re being given,” Barch said. “Second-chance employment is a real opportunity for employers that want great workers.”

She said the cognitive behavioral therapy component is the program’s most impactful class.

“It helps people develop new thinking skills, problem-solving skills, social skills, coping skills, and really just helps people think differently about who they are, and about how to respond to life differently,” Barch said. “Life isn’t going to change. It’s the way that we respond to life that is going to change.”

Barch said the program’s rolling admission model means new participants enroll each quarter, with the first cohort to complete all 12 months now preparing for release.

“The Outlook is that they have a great attitude. They’re ready to tackle something in a different way,” Barch said. “If somebody has an opportunity but they don’t have the right mindset, or they are not resilient, then they’re not going to make the most of that opportunity.”