Billy Hammond

Grover "Billy" Hammond, a native of Clarks Hill in McCormick County, exemplified the important craft of split-oak basketmaking in South Carolina. The thin strips – or splits – that can be riven from white oak have been an essential resource in the state's agricultural history. White oak splits are at once flexible and rigid, providing the durability and adaptability needed on the farm. Split-oak basketmakers have worked with a small number of basic weaving patterns to produce an impressive variety of products, from chair seat to cotton hamper.