Bond's Drive-In
152 Ellie Drive,
Bennettsville,
SC
29512
152 Ellie Drive,
Bennettsville,
SC
29512
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Bond's Auto Drive-In
Nearby Theaters
Located on Beauty Spot Road W and Highway 9 to the north of Bennettsville, SC. The Bond’s Auto Drive-In was opened by 1949 when it was operated by Walter H. Bonds. It had a capacity for 175-cars.
By 1955 it had been renamed Bond’s Drive-In still operated by Walter H. Bonds but enlarged to a 300-car capacity. it was still open in 1957, but had closed and been demolished by 1971.
The airport known as Palmer Field was located to the west of the drive-in and previous use had been as a prisoner of war camp for captured German military during World War II.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact and looking operational. By 1971, the drive-in had been demolished.
Today, the outline and ramps are all that remain. What’s interesting is that the road which connected the drive-in to the highway was removed sometime after 1971 and before 1983.
Perhaps being a spur of Ellie Road, which is now the entrance to Lewis/Mola PH2000 plant, made it unnecessary and perhaps dangerous given how it was connected. You can still see part of the road on the south side of the drive-in.
Film Daily, May 3, 1948: (under Theaters Opened) “Bonds, drive-in, Bennettsville, S. C., by Walter H. Bonds.”
The Nov. 3, 1954 issue of Motion Picture Exhibitor reported that “Hurricane Hazel was the greatest calamity ever suffered by drive-ins in the Carolinas.” The “Bonds Drive-In” was one of dozens listed as “destroyed or badly damaged”.
The drive-in made a nice recovery from being badly damaged or destroyed in November of 1954. By 1957, the aerial shows the screen intact along with the projection booth/snack bar, ticket booth, and fencing.
It seems the drive-in and plant did share Ellie Drive as their respective entrance road. The ticket booth is located right at the junction, so it appears that the spur road was an exit for the drive-in. That is perhaps why it was demolished after the drive-in closed.
A closer address is 152 Ellie Dr, Bennettsville, SC.
This puts it next to where the drive-in once stood. Because the road which directly connected the drive-in to Ellie Drive no longer exists, this may be as close as it gets.
https://tinyurl.com/3u35sbbt