Some say your high school years are the best years of your life, and others say your college years are. That debate will probably never come to a conclusion. Having a haven of old American iron less than ten miles from your high school's gates changes everything, however.
Branham's Precious Metals lies just inside the Fairfield-Richland county border in rural South Carolina. A 1931 Chevrolet coupe towers over the small property and brands it as publicly accessible, according to this article from The State. After reading the article, I was itching to walk through acres of rusted out relics.
Mr. Roger Branham gave me permission to walk through as he wrenched on a Datsun 720 pickup truck out front. Upon entering, I quickly ran into a yard hand who told me that University of South Carolina students often frequent Branham's to take graduation photos, surprisingly. To them perhaps, the vehicles of Branham's are simply backgrounds. To an auto enthusiast, these paths are lined with potential — potential weekend warriors, road trippers, race cars, or rat rods. Luckily for car fanatics, this potential can be capitalized upon. Everything is for sale. This is a seemingly rare occurrence when it comes to older junkyards.
Another special feature of Branham's Precious Metals is that the yard is somewhat artistic. There are vintage signs everywhere, vintage bicycles, and small displays of car grilles, lights, pulleys, and bumpers among other contraptions.
While some who venture through Branham's Precious Metals may only see its contents as hunks of metal that are permanently out of commission, the next generation of car nuts sees promise. Their first project may be languishing in the weeds or even stacked on top of a bus in an old junkyard, waiting for a second chance at life.
