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Historical Roadside Markers
Images & Compiling by: Anne Sheriff |
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Historical Roadside Markers
Images & Compiling by: Anne Sheriff |
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23 Feb 2013
General Information
J. Tracy Power, Coordinator
South Carolina Historical Marker Program
South Carolina Department of Archives and History
8301 Parklane Road
Columbia, S.C. 29223
(803)896-6182
The South Carolina Historical Marker Program:
The South Carolina Historical Marker Program, originally the South Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, was authorized by an act of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1905 creating the Historical Commission of South Carolina with authority "to have direction and control of the marking of historic sites, or houses, or localities." The program was officially established in 1936 when a marker was erected near the site of the Long Cane Massacre near Troy, in McCormick County. More than 1,000 markers have been erected by the program since that time. Since 1954 the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, as the successor state agency to the Historical Commission of South Carolina, has been responsible for the program as part of the Historical Services Division. The enabling legislation creating the Department of Archives and History gave it the responsibility for "the approval of the inscriptions for all historical
markers or other monuments erected on state highways or other state property."
South Carolina Historical Markers mark and interpret places important to an understanding of South Carolina's past, either as the sites of significant events or as historic properties like buildings, sites, structures, or other resources significant for their design or association with institutions or individuals significant in local, state, or national history. Historic properties individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places are ordinarily eligible for historical markers, as that listing guarantees that a case has already been made for their significance. However, many other places not eligible or not yet nominated for listing in the National Register are also eligible for historical markers. National or statewide significance is not a prerequisite, and many properties of primarily local significance have already been marked.
In the past, markers were placed along the nearest South Carolina state highway and contained references to the location of the place being marked, usually some distance away. More recently, markers have been erected as close to the historic site as possible, either on state highways and on other public streets or roads.
Without state funding, the Historical Marker program has always depended on the citizens of South Carolina to suggest, document, sponsor and pay for its historical markers, and to maintain them once erected. Markers may be sponsored by historical, patriotic, civic, or other organizations, or by institutions such as church congregations or schools and colleges. Though individuals may not sponsor markers, they may propose and pay for them provided the marker is sponsored by an appropriate local organization or institution.
Program Guidelines:
South Carolina Historical Markers are intended to mark historic places and are not primarily memorials to individuals or institutions associated with those places.
Historic properties less than twenty-five years old, associated with events that occurred less than twenty-five years ago, or significant for their association with significant persons who died less than twenty-five years ago will not ordinarily be eligible for historical markers. Any exceptions will only be made on a case-by-case basis after review by the Archives and History Commission.
The sites of significant buildings no longer standing may be eligible for historical markers under the same criteria as other historic properties. Historic properties or sites closely associated with significant persons may be marked primarily for that association only if:
a.) the property is the property or site in the state which best represents the individual's community of birth or residence, productive career, association with a particular institution, or association with a significant event, and
b.) no other site in South Carolina closely associated with the individual and marked primarily for that association has already been marked.
Sites of significant events should be marked, when possible, on the nearest public street, county road, or state highway.
Counties, cities, or towns may erect markers based on their establishment or date of incorporation.
Cemeteries may be eligible for a single marker based on their significance to a particular community, significant persons buried there, their association with significant events, or their significance in gravestone art or cemetery design, but individual gravestones, gravesites, or plots within cemeteries will not be eligible for historical markers.
Individual components of a historic property already marked as an entity will not be eligible for historical markers.
Abbeville County
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Anderson County
4-24, African American School Site:
Pendleton, N side of Vance St., near Broad St. The one-room frame public school, organized shortly after the Civil War, housed 76 students and 1 teacher by 1870. The school term lasted 1 month and 10 days. Jane Harris Hunter, founder of the Phillis Wheatley centers for working girls, attended the school for 3 years. She wrote the book, A Nickel and a Prayer. Vance Street is named after the family of Rev. Augustus Thomas Vance, who served as the school trustee. Erected by the National Alumni Association of the Anderson County Training School and Riverside School, 1995.
4-25, Anderson: "The Electric City"
On the grounds of the old Anderson County Courthouse, Anderson.
(Front) Anderson was dubbed "The Electric City" in 1895 when William C. Whitner, an engineer and native of Anderson, built a hydroelectric power plant which was the first in the South to transmit electricity over long distance lines. The plant, in McFall's Mill at High Shoals on the Rocky River 6 mi. E, supplied power to light the city and also operated several small industries in Anderson. In 1897 Whitner replaced the
(Reverse) experimental plant with a larger generating station at Portman Shoals 11 mi. W on the Seneca River. The extra power from this plant powered Anderson Cotton Mills and a streetcar line which was the forerunner of the Piedmont & Northern RR. Both plants pioneered in transmitting high voltage electricity direct from the station switchboard. This innovation helped spur the modern industrialization of the Southeast. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 1997.
4-18, Anderson Mills: (no image)
Glenn St. at Anderson Mills, Anderson. Founded in 1888, Anderson Cotton Mills, later a division of Abney Mills, was the first textile plant established in the town of Anderson. It is said to be the first textile mill in the United States powered by electricity transmitted over long distance power lines. Electricity for the plant was generated at Portman Shoals, located on the Seneca River. Erected by the Pendleton District Historical and Recreational Commission, 1978.
S.C. Hwy. 88, 1.5 miles NE of Pendleton. This plantation on the old road to Pickensville has been the home of several prominent S.C. families. Many of its owners were members of the Pendleton Farmers Society, and during the nineteenth century, studies, experiments, and advances in agriculture took place here. The house was built by 1828 and enlarged about 1855. Ashtabula was raided by Union troops in 1865. Erected by the Foundation for Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area, 1974.
S.C. Hwy. 252, 2 miles W of Honea Path. Founded in 1821, this is the boyhood church and burial place of Olin D. Johnston. He was decorated for bravery in World War I, served in the S.C. House of Representatives, was twice governor of S.C., in 1935-1939 and 1943-1945, and US senator from 1945 until his death on April 18, 1965. Erected 1967.
E. Queen St. at St. Paul's Church, Pendleton. Born Charleston, S.C., 1824. Graduated West Point 1845. Brigadier General, CSA, 1861. Commanded 3rd Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah, July 21, 1861, at Manassas, Va. where he gave Gen. T.J. Jackson the name "Stonewall." Mortally wounded, he died July 22, 1861, and was buried in his family plot in St. Paul's churchyard. Erected by the Piedmont District, South Carolina United Daughters of the Confederacy, 1968.
4-3, Big Creek Baptist Church:
S.C. Hwy. 20 at Big Creek Road, Williamston One of the oldest congregations and the mother of several others in Anderson County, the church was organized in 1788 by Elder Moses Holland, who served as pastor for 41 years. Dr. James Bruton Gambrel's mother was a member here. Soldiers in five wars lie buried in the cemetery. Erected by Anderson County Historical Association, 1958.
4-26, Bolt's Cotton Gin, Oliver:
3 miles W of Anderson on S.C. Hwy. 24. The first cotton gin to be powered by electricity transmitted over a long distance stood near this site on the farm of Oliver "Duck" Bolt (1847-1922). In 1897 Bolt, whose gin had previously been powered by a steam engine, contracted with the Anderson Water, Light, and Power Company to furnish electricity for a 20-horsepower electric motor from its new plant at Portman Shoals, 7 mi. W on the Seneca River. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 1997.
At the library, Shirley Avenue, Honea Path. Honea Path is the smallest town of the fourteen South Carolina communities with libraries funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Dr. John Wright, Mayor John, and Miss Jennie Erwin were leaders in obtaining the $5000 grant. The Honea Path Library Association was established in 1907 and the library was opened in 1908. It was renamed the Jennie Erwin Library in 1958, when it became part of the Anderson County Library System. Erected by the Honea Path Merchants Association, Honea Path Civitans Club, and Honea Path Lions Club, 1999.
4-17, Clemson, Thomas Green (1807-1888):
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, E. Queen St., Pendleton. A native Philadelphian and leading agriculturist, Mr. Clemson was US charge d'affaires to Belgium, US superintendent of Agriculture, and the 1868 president of Pendleton Farmers Society. He married the daughter of John C. Calhoun, Anna, and later bought the Calhoun home, Fort Hill. An advocate of the national land grant movement, he left his estate to establish Clemson University. He is buried fifty yards south. Erected by the Student Alumni Council of the Clemson Alumni Association, 1977.
S.C. Hwy. 20, Williamston On May 1, 1865, cadets from the Arsenal Academy at Columbia, under Capt. John Peyre Thomas, who were enroute from Greenville to Newberry to be disbanded, met a band of Stoneman's raiders near here in one of the last engagements of the war, which had begun in Charleston harbor with shots fired from a post manned by cadets from the Citadel Academy. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 1964.
S.C. Hwy. 81, 1 mi. N of Starr.
(Front) Dean is named for the Dean family, whose cemetery is located about a mile west. Samuel Dean came to South Carolina from Maryland in 1786 and settled here in the Mountain Creek area along with the Cummins and James families. Dean and his wife Gwendolyn James raised a large family and his descendants have lived here for more than two hundred years.
(Reverse) Dean's Station. A depot was built at Dean in 1886 by the Savannah Valley Railroad (later the Charleston and Western Carolina Railroad). Described by the Anderson Intelligencer in 1896 as "a very pretty little town," this rural community included the depot, a post office, several stores, a gristmill and sawmill, a blacksmith shop, a school, churches, and several residences. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 2002.
Town Green, Pendleton Built 1826-1828; home of Pendleton Farmers Society, which was organized in 1815. Within this hall, Thomas Green Clemson, one of the Society's presidents, first discussed with its members the plans for the founding of Clemson College. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Association and the Pendleton Farmers Society, 1958.
711 S. McDuffie St., Anderson.
(Front) This parish, organized in 1851 with the Rev. Benjamin Webb as its first vicar, grew out of occasional Episcopal services held in Anderson as early as 1844. The first church here, a frame Carpenter Gothic building, was completed in 1860 on land donated by Daniel Brown. Housing Anderson's first pipe organ, a tower was added in 1883, and stained glass windows in 1888. An 1890 fire did moderate damage.
(Reverse) The second church, a brick Gothic Revival building first used on Easter Sunday 1904, incorporated windows from the original church and a fine collection of Art Glass nave windows. Several bishops have served here, including Ellison Capers, Theodotus Capers, and Rogers Harris. In recent years, the parish sponsored outreach efforts such as the Sunshine House, Interfaith Ministries (AIM), and Meals-on-Wheels. Erected by the Parish, 2001.
4-31, Generostee A.R.P. Church:
Parker Bowie Rd., Iva.
(Front) This church, the first Associate Reformed Presbyterian congregation in what is now Anderson County, was organized about 1790 about 1 Vz mi. SW of this site. Rev. Robert Irwin, its first regular minister, served from 1803 until his death in 1823. The first sanctuary on this site was a log building, replaced in 1828 by a frame sanctuary which served the congregation until 1897.
(Reverse) The 1897 sanctuary burned in 1985 and was replaced by the present building, the fourth on this site and the fifth in church history, in 1986. Generostee was the mother church of three congregations: Midway, later called Concord, active 1796-1844; Grove, active 1877-1947; and Iva, founded in 1895. The cemetery here includes the graves of many early church families. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 2001.
S.C. Hwy. 81, near Iva Oldest Presbyterian church in continuous existence in Anderson County. Organized in 1789. First pastor, Rev. John Simpson. congregation worshipped at three sites near Generostee Creek, three miles west of Iva. Old cemetery at third site. Sanctuary built in Iva in 1909, 200 yards west of marker. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Association, 1958.
4-32, Good Hope Presbyterian Church Cemetery:
Off Parker Bowie Rd., Iva vicinity.
(Front) This cemetery, dating from the early 19th century, is at the third site of Good Hope Presbyterian Church, founded in 1789. A frame sanctuary was built there in 1856 during the tenure of Rev. David Humphreys (d. 1869), who preached here 1821-1869 and was Good Hope's longest-serving pastor. In 1909 the congregation moved to Iva, three miles east, and built a new brick sanctuary there.
(Reverse) The sanctuary built here in 1856, the third to serve Good Hope, was demolished in 1924, years after the congregation moved to Iva. Rev. Richard Cater Ligon (1845-1906), buried here, was pastor of Good Hope 1876-1902; his son Rev. J. Frank Ligon was pastor 1947-49. The church cemetery also includes plots of the Beaty, McAlister, McMahan, McKee, and other early families. Erected by Good Hope Presbyterian Church, 2001.
U.S. Hwy. 76, 2 miles E of Anderson Two miles south on Rocky River, Anderson Water, Light & Power Co., organized in 1894 by William C. Whitner, was successful the next year in transmitting electricity over the distance of four miles to Anderson. This achievement heralded the industrial revolution in the South.
SE corner of intersection of S.C. Hwy. 81 and S.C. Sec. Rd. 29 Located 1.09 miles northwest, this cemetery marks the original site of Hopewell Baptist Church, which was constituted in 1803. The cemetery contains graves of Revolutionary and Confederate veterans. Some graves are marked by field stones with hand-chiseled initials. Erected by the Congregation, 1975.
Off S.C. Hwy. 81, 1/2 mile E on Road 29. This Baptist church, which was first located about 1.5 miles northwest, was constituted in 1803. The congregation moved to the present 4.4 acre site after it was surveyed December 14, 1822. Two houses of worship were built here before 1891, when a third was erected. It was replaced by the present 1949 structure. Erected by the Congregation, 1975.
4-12, Johnson, William Bullein (1782-1862):
Manning St. at First Baptist Church, Anderson President of Triennial, Southern, South Carolina Baptist Conventions. Johnson Female University, founded here in 1848 as Johnson Female Seminary, was named for him because of his support for female education. From 1853 to 1858, while chancellor of the institution, he lived in the house at the south end of this street. His grave is in First Baptist churchyard. Erected by First Baptist Church, 1970.
On S.C. Hwy. 184 about 2.5 miles W of Iva.
Front) At this site once stood the town of Moffettsville, originating with the establishment of Moffett's Mill Post Office on February 16, 1818. By 1883, the town had a population of twenty-five, a physician and general store. Mail service here was discontinued in 1901.
(Reverse) Moffettsville Postmaster Appointments James H. Davison, Feb. 16, 1818; John Simpson, July 15, 1822; Andrew Milligan, May 16, 1826; Archibald Simpson, Dec. 7, 1826; Joel H. Berry, May 17, 1838; William Sherard, April 23, 1842; Robert A. Reid, May 21, 1866; Thomas A. Sherard, June 5, 1890; William T. A. Sherard, Oct. 8, 1895. Discontinued Sept. 30, 1901. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Society, 1980.
4-34, Nazareth on the Beaverdam Presbyterian Church:
Off Fairplay Rd., 2.5 mi. W of Townville.
(Front) This is the first known site of Townville Presbyterian Church, founded in this area in 1803 as Nazareth on the Beaverdam Presbyterian Church. The church held its services at members' homes until 1849, when the congregation purchased a frame building and half-acre site here for $1.50.
(Reverse) Townville Presbyterian Church In 1877 the congregation built a new sanctuary in Townville, 2.5 mi. W. The church was renamed Townville Presbyterian Church in 1885. The cemetery includes the graves of many early church families. In 2002 the Stevenson family donated this site to the Old Nazareth Cemetery Preservation Organization. Erected by the Old Nazareth Cemetery Preservation Organization, 2002.
On Village Green on E. Queen St., Pendleton. On April 8, 1780, the justices of the peace for Pendleton County purchased this land to establish the courthouse town of Pendleton. Once Cherokee Indian land, the town became the judicial, social, and commercial center for what now are Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties. Early Scotch-Irish settlers were followed by S.C. Low Country aristocratic families, who built summer homes nearby. Erected by the Pendleton Bicentennial Committee and the Anderson County Historical Society, 1990.
Near Pickens-Anderson County line off S.C. Hwy. 88 on S.C. Sec. Rd. 485. This land, Cherokee territory until 1777, became the final resting place after the American Revolution for early pioneers who settled the area. A number of soldiers of the Revolution are buried here, including Robert Pickens, who served in the state militia and was related to General Andrew Pickens. Erected by the Colonel John Robins Chapter, Colonial Dames of the XVII Century, 1980.
S.C. Hwy. 24 at Seneca River, 1 mile S of 1-85 One thousand feet due north on a site now covered by Hartwell Reservoir, the Portman Shoals Power Plant, built by William C. Whitner, began the transmission of high-voltage electricity in 1897 over the longest lines then in use for that purpose in the United States. The
success of this plant caused Anderson to be called "The Electric City." Erected by the Anderson County Historical Association, 1960.
S.C. Sec. Rd. 300 in Pendleton This London newspaper publisher and defender of a free press emigrated to Charleston in 1783 where he served as state printer and publisher of the first daily newspaper in South Carolina. Later in Pendleton, he founded Miller's Weekly Messenger, the first Up Country newspaper. His body lies buried in the Old Stone Church Cemetery. Erected by the Anderson County Historical Association and the New Era Pendleton Club, 1960.
9 miles W of Anderson on S.C. Hwy. 187. Organized by 1789 and sometimes called Simpson's Meetinghouse, this church is one of Anderson County's oldest Presbyterian churches. The Reverend John Simpson was the first minister, and the Reverend David Humphreys served here for 39 years until his death in 1869. Both men are buried in the church cemetery. The present sanctuary was built in 1937. Erected by the Congregation, 1987.
4-28, Sandy Springs Camp Ground:
Milwee Creek Rd., off U.S. Hwy. 76 at Sandy Springs, near Sandy Springs United Methodist Church.
(Front) This Methodist camp ground, named for the large spring nearby, dates to 1828, when a fifteen-acre site was purchased from Sampson Pope for $45. Early meetings were under a brush arbor until a central wooden shelter and cabins were built about 1838. Entire families participated in revival meetings, held here for two weeks every September until the last camp meeting in 1897.
(Reverse) Confederate Muster Ground Col. James L. Orr's 1st Regt. S.C. Rifles (Orr's Rifles) was organized here on July 20, 1861, in a field adjoining the Sandy Springs camp ground. Ten companies—four from Pickens, three from Abbeville, two from Anderson, and one from Marion District—trained at Camp Pickens before serving first on the S.C. coast and then in Va. Veterans held annual reunions here for many years. Erected by Anderson County Historical Society and Palmetto Sharpshooters Camp #1428, Sons of Confederate Veterans, 1999.
About 4 miles E of Pendleton on S.C. Sec. Rd. 115. Born in 1840, Colonel Simpson, lawyer, farmer, and legislator, drafted and executed Thomas Green Clemson's will, establishing Clemson Agricultural College in 1889. Simpson was first president of the college's board of trustees and once owned land that became part of the Simpson Experiment Station. He died in 1912 and is buried in the Simpson family cemetery here. Erected by Clemson University, 1988.
4-7, St. John's Methodist Church:
Comer of S. McDuffie and E. River Sts., Anderson. Organized in 1828, this was the first church in Anderson. A log meeting house built in 1830 on West Benson Street served the church until 1858 when a frame building was erected on this site. A brick church replaced it in 1888. The present sanctuary was completed in 1912, the education building in 1928, and the activities building in 1956. The church was named St. John's in 1897. Erected 1962.
4-29, Stevens, Clement Hoffman:
Near St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Pendleton.
(Front) Confederate Brig. Gen. Clement H. Stevens (1821-1864) is buried nearby in the Bee family plot. Born in Connecticut, Stevens moved to S.C. after his father's death in 1836. In 1861 he invented the first ironclad battery, which was built on Cummings Pt. near Charleston and helped bombard Ft. Sumter. As an aide to his brother-in-law Brig. Gen. Barnard E. Bee, he was wounded on 21 July 1861 at First Manassas.
(Reverse) In 1862 Stevens and Ellison Capers formed the 24th S.C. Infantry, with Stevens as col. After commanding the 24th in battles from S.C. to Ga. such as Secessionville, Vicksburg, and Chickamauga, he was given a S.C. brigade and promoted to brig. gen. in early 1864. Stevens was mortally wounded on 20 July 1864 at Peachtree Creek, near Atlanta, and died 25 July. First buried in Charleston, he was reinterred here. Erected by Dixie Chapter #395, United Daughters of the Confederacy, 2000.
Townville Presbyterian Church: (no description)
S. Main St., Anderson. Three educational institutions have been in this immediate area: Johnson Female University (1856-63) named for William Bullein Johnson; the Carolina Collegiate Institute (c. 1866-90) under W. J. Ligon; and Patrick Military Institute (1887-1900), J. B. Patrick, founder. A Confederate treasury branch was located here in 1865, and University Hospital in the 1920s. Erected by Anderson Historical Society-1970.
4-16, Williamston Female College:
S.C. Hwy. 20 across from Williamston Springs Park, Williamston. This college was founded Feb. 12,1872, by the Reverend Samuel Lander, DD, Methodist minister. The college building stood on this site until 1939. The school was removed to Greenwood, S.C., Sept. 27,1904, becoming Lander College in honor of the founder, who died July 14, 1904. From an humble beginning there arose here a Christian institution of expanding influence, keeping faith with its motto: Puritas et scientia.
On U.S. Hwy. 76 and S.C. Hwy. 28 at S.C. Sec. Rd. 279, W of Pendleton. Some 200 yards west of here stands Woodburn, built by S.C. Lieutenant Governor Charles Cotesworth Pinckney by 1832. Dr. John B. Adger, Presbyterian missionary to Armenia, bought Woodburn in 1852; in 1881, Augustine T. Smythe began a model stock farm here. Jane Hunter, founder of the Phillis Wheatley centers for working girls, was born in a tenant house here in 1882. Erected by the Foundation for Historic Preservation in the Pendleton Area, Inc., and the Anderson County Historical Society, 1987.
Oconee County
Bartram Trail, William (Traced 1773-1777): (no image)
On his way to the Cherokees, naturalist William Bartram passed through this area in 1775, enroute to Fort Prince George. Marker is on Highway 183, just east of Highway 130. Roadside marker errected by State of S.C..
37-6, Earle (1760-1833), Capt. Samuel:
On ? side of Highway 59, ? Miles south of Earle's Baptist Church and ? miles south of Seneca. Dedicated 20-Apr-2006.
(Front:)
(Back:)
37-1, First Soil Conservation District Plan:
On west-south 4th Street, Seneca, .4 miles west from intersection with South Oak (SC 59) and Quincey Road, Seneca. On February 4, 1938. Mrs. Ploma M. Adams, owner of this farm, assisted by the Upper Savannah Soil Conservation District, initiated the first Farm-Conservation Plan of any district in America. Errected by Oconee, Pickens and Anderson Soil Conservation Districts - 1963
37-5, Keowee Town: (no image)
On Road-128, 1.6 miles north of SC-130. Prior to the American Revolution, Keowee Town stood one mile east on the west bank of the Keowee River. Across the river was British Fort Prince George. According to tradition, the Indian maiden, Cateeche, rode 96 miles from Keowee Town to Ninety-Six in 1760 to warn her white lover of an intended Indian attack on the stockade fort there. Erected by the Wizard of Tamassee Chapter National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution - 1977.
Presbyterian Church, Old: (missing description)
37-2, Saint John's Lutheran Church:
301 W. Main Street, Walhalla
(Front:) On November 20, 1853. St. John's was organized by members of the German Colonization Society of Charleston, SC, who founded the town of Walhalla in 1850. Services were originally held in a house in West Union which was purchased from Col. Joseph Gresham and belonged to Jacob Schroder. The present structure was begun in 1859 and dedicated on March 17, 1861.
(Back:) John Kaufmann designed and directed the building of St. John's with the assistance of August Brennecke and members of the congregation. Most of the heart pine tembers were cut from the site on which the church stands. Many of the architectural features are distinctive and enique to St. John's. Except for the stained glass windows, placed in 1910, the church has changed little since 1861. Erected by Oconee County Historical Society - 1972
Fairplay Street, just above its junction with Railroad Street, Seneca. Founded August 14, 1873, as "Seneca City" and chartered on March 14, 1874, the town of Seneca was named for an Indian village on the Seneca River. Its location was determined by the junction of the Blue Ridge Railroad and the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway. 1880 population 382; 1970 population 6382. Erected by Seneca Centennial and Historical Commission Inc - 1973
On Highway-11 between West Union and Salem.
(Front:) The main trading path to the Cherokee Nation paralleled the route of Highway-11 for several miles at this point. This section of the path was used by travelers going from Keowee, the main Lower Town of the Cherokees, across the mountains to the Middle and Overhill Towns. The botanist William Bartram left a written account of his journey in 1776.
(Back:) In addition to its importance in the Indian trade, the path played a military role in the Cherokee War and the Revolution. It linked Fort Prince George (1753) on the Keowee River with Fort Loudoun (1756) on the Little Tennesee. Expeditions against the Cherokees were led by Archibald Montgomery in 1760. James Grant in 1761, and Andrew Williamson in 1776. Erected by SC Society, Daughters of the American Colonists - 1973.
Pickens County
Near intersection of Saluda Dam Rd. and Old Saluda Dam Rd., Easley vicinity.
(Front) This mill was built about 1880 by Colonel Robert E. Bowen (1830-1909), Confederate officer, state representative, state senator, and Pickens County businessman. Bowen, a prominent advocate for progressive farming, was also active in the railroad and timber industries. In addition to this mill,
the complex here included a store, blacksmith's shop, saw mill, and cotton gin.
(Reverse) The mill passed through several owners in the first quarter of the twentieth century, from Bowen's son James 0. Bowen to Albert B. Kay and Kay's widow Tallulah, and then successively to R.T. Waddell, Ida S. Johnson, and a Mrs. Shembosky, who sold it to Hovey A. Lark (1890-1968) during the Depression. Lark ground corn here from the early 1930s until about 1965. Erected by the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, Pickens Chapter, 2004
Colhoun, John E. (no description)
(Two markers; at the Main entrance to the Clemson University campus, and at the S.C. Hwy. 93 Bridge on Lake Hartwell, Clemson
(Front) Clemson University was founded in 1889 as the Clemson Agricultural College of S.C., with its origins in the the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 creating public land-grant colleges. It was established by a bequest from Thomas Green Clemson (1807-1888), noted scientist, agriculturist, and son-in-law of John C. Calhoun, whose plantation at Fort Hill formed the core of the new college campus.
(Reverse) Clemson, intended to be "a high seminary of learning" to advance scientific agriculture and the mechanical arts, opened in 1893 as a military school and was sometimes improperly known as Clemson A&M College. It became a civilian co-educational institution in 1955, then became Clemson University, reflecting its modern and expanded mission, in 1964. Erected by Clemson University, 2003
Fort Hill St., Clemson University Campus, Clemson Home of John C. Calhoun, 1825-1850. United States congressman, 1811-1817; secretary of war, 1817-1825; vice president of the United States, 1825-1832; United States senator, 1832-1843; Secretary of state, 1844-1845; United States senator, 1845-1850. Home of Thomas G. Clemson, 1872-1888, son-in-law of John C. Calhoun.
On U.S. Hwy. 76 at Old Stone Church (almost 1 mi. above Anderson-Pickens County line), turn left on S.C. Sec. Rd. 22 & travel about 0.7 mi., then left on S.C. Sec. Rd. 149; it is about 1 mi. to the marker
(Front) Hopewell was the family home of General Andrew Pickens, Revolutionary War hero and Indian commissioner, and his wife, Rebecca Calhoun Pickens. The son, Andrew Pickens, S.C. governor, 1816-1818, later owned Hopewell, and it was the childhood home of his son, Francis Wilkinson Pickens, S.C. governor, 1860-1862.
(Reverse) Hopewell Indian Treaties Three hundred yds. NW on November 28,1785, U.S. treaty commissioners, Benjamin Hawkins, Andrew Pickens, Joseph Martin & Lachlan Mclntosh, met with 918 Cherokees and signed the first treaty between the United States of America and the Cherokee Nation. Similar treaties were signed here with the Choctaws and Chickasaws on January 3 and 10, 1786. Erected by the Foundation for Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area, 1966
39-9, Integration With Dignity, 1963:
Near Tillman Hill on the Clemson University campus, Clemson.
(Front) Clemson University became the first white college or university in the state to integrate on January 28, 1963. Harvey B. Gantt, a Charleston native wanting to study architecture, had applied for admission in 1961. When Clemson delayed admitting him, he sued in federal court in the summer of 1962. President Robert C. Edwards, meanwhile, worked behind the scenes to make plans for Gantt's eventual retirement.
(Reverse) Edwards and several leading businessmen, politicians, and others drew up an elaborate plan, described as "a conspiracy for peace," designed to ensure that Gantt would enter Clemson without the protests and violence that marked the integration of other Southern universities. After a federal court ruled that Clemson should admit him, Gantt enrolled without incident. He graduated with honors in 1965. Erected by Clemson University, 2003
On S.C. Hwy. 133, 1.7 mi. N of its junction with U.S. Hwy. 123 at Clemson
(Front) Two and 1/4 miles west is the site of Keowee built by John Ewing Colhoun as his upcountry seat in 1792. His sister, Mrs. Andrew Pickens, lived nearby at Hopewell. His daughter, Floride, married her cousin, John C. Calhoun, and lived at Fort Hill, 2 1/2 miles south. This estate was inherited by his son, John Ewing, who lived here and made lavish improvements.
(Reverse) John Ewing Colhoun Lawyer, planter, privy councillor, state legislator and U.S. senator. Born in 1751 in Virginia, he moved to the Long Canes in 1756. He studied and practiced law in Charleston. He served in the militia during the Revolution and was appointed in 1782 as a commissioner of forfeited estates. He died on October 26, 1802, at Keowee and was buried there. Erected by the Foundation for Historic Restoration in the Pendleton Area, 1966
39-6, Lever, Asbury F. (1875-1940):
Entrance to Cemetery Hill, Clemson University. Asbury Francis Lever served in Congress, 1901-1919. On May 8, 1914, the Smith-Lever Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Lever, was signed into law, providing for cooperative agricultural extension services to be administered by land-grant colleges. Clemson, founded in 1889, has such a service. Rep. Lever is buried here on Cemetery Hill. Erected by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service, 1989
Miracle Hill Rd., off S.C. Hwy. 135, Pumpkintown vicinity.
(Front) This church, named for the Cherokee chief, Woolenoy-the spelling was changed to Oolenoy in 1827-was organized in 1795 by Rev. John Chastain, who became its first minister. By 1797, with 50 members, it was admitted to the Bethel Baptist Association; it has since been a member of the Saluda, Twelve Mile River, Pickens, and Pickens-Twelve Mile Baptist Associations.
(Reverse) Rev. Tyre L. Roper, the longest-serving minister here, preached at Oolenoy from 1840 until his death in 1876. The first sanctuary, a log building, was replaced about 1830 by a frame church, later enlarged in 1876 and 1899. The present brick sanctuary was built in 1952. The cemetery includes the graves of many veterans of American wars from the Revolution through World War II. Erected by the Oolenoy Baptist Church Bicentennial Project, 2001
1/2 mi. S of S.C. Hwy. 123 at the junction of S.C. Hwys. 8&135 (Pelzer Hwy. & Cherish Dr.) A town laid out at this site in 1791 called Rockville was officially named Pickensville the next year in honor of Gen. Andrew Pickens. It served as the court house town of Washington District (today's Pickens, Greenville, Anderson, and Oconee counties) from 1791 to 1800 when the district was divided into Greenville and Pendleton. Erected by Fort Prince George Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1954
S.C. Hwy. 8, near its intersection with S.C. Hwy. 288, Pumpkintown community. This community, settled before 1800, was named "Pumpkin Town" by an anonymous early traveler awed by the sight of the Oolenoy Valley covered with huge yellow pumpkins. It and Pickens Court House (Old Pickens) were the only two towns in present-day Pickens County in 1791. The many tourists who visited nearby Table Rock Mtn. often stayed at William Sutherland's inn at Pumpkintown.
Erected by the Pumpkintown Heritage Corridor Group, 2000
39-3, Stone Church Graveyard, Old:
U.S. Hwy. 76 at the church, about 1 mile above Anderson-Pickens county line Among the graves here are those of John Miller, London printer and publisher of the Pendleton Messenger, Andrew Pickens and Robert Anderson, Revolutionary War heroes, and other veterans of the Revolutionary War, Creek War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War and World Wars I and II. Gen. Andersen's remains were moved here in 1958 from his plantation.
