Littlejohn family has been getting together for 55 years

About 160 members of the extended Littlejohn family came together Sunday for the 55th annual Littlejohn Family Reunion. Some members came from as far away as Connecticut for the annual event and some family members recalled attending every event since the reunion was founded. Some came from as far away as Connecticut while some came from just a few blocks away.

Now in its 55th year, the Littlejohn Family Reunion has been an annual tradition in Gaffney for dozens of members of an extended family that has spread across the country. The latest reunion attracted about 160 members of the family to Granard Middle School this past weekend.

While there's always plenty of heartfelt handshakes and hugs to go around, and plenty of home-cooked food and desserts, Larry "Moosechucks" Littlejohn, of Gaffney, was able to make this year's event even more memorable. A cause near and dear to many members of the Littlejohn family, the preservation of the historic Mulberry Chapel, took another major step forward.

Larry Littlejohn announced Sunday that enough private donations and state grant funding had been obtained to erect a historical marker outside the 139-yearold chapel. Built in 1869, the small church was constructed on a plot of land given to freed slaves. Larry Littlejohn and others hope to have the church placed on the National Register of Historic Places. For now, at least, the building is receiving state recognition with the approval for a historical marker by the S.C. Department of Archives and History.

State Rep. Harold Mitchell, D-Spartanburg, who helped secure some funding towards the historical marker, is helping the Littlejohn Family Reunion in its ongoing efforts for national recognition of the chapel. An anonymous donor also made a large contribution towards the marker and restoration of the church. The chapel hasn't been used for worship for decades but it never has been abandoned.

The Littlejohn family had been holding its reunion there for many years, and several members of the family and neighbors keep a watchful eye on it to protect the building from vandals.