Pickens

Pickens County lies in the northwestern part of South Carolina. Both the county and its seat are named in honor of Revolutionary War general Andrew Pickens.

Pickens County lies in the northwestern part of South Carolina. Both the county and its seat are named in honor of Revolutionary War general Andrew Pickens.

Cherokee Indians inhabited the area first. However, they often fought with the settlers, so the settlers constructed Fort Prince George in 1753 to keep themselves safe. Much of the Cherokee War took place at this fort. Eventually, the Native Americans ceded control of the region to the United States via a treaty in 1777. As a result of this treaty, the land was absorbed into the Pendleton District. In 1826, this district split into two counties, one of which was Pickens County.

For most of its history, Pickens County’s economy depended on either the growing of cotton or the processing of cotton in textile mills. However, in recent decades manufacturing has become an important and diverse industry in the area.

Notable Pickens County residents include John C. Calhoun and his son-in-law Thomas Green Clemson, who gave his father-in-law’s land to the state so that they could establish an agricultural college.  This agricultural college later became Clemson University.

History. Accessed June 10, 2016. http://www.co.pickens.sc.us/History/default.aspx 

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Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 4 8
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 4
Episode 8

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Close to the waterfall, Bluet flowers, Saxifrage, Butterweed, Spicebush, Mountain Buckeye trees, Dutchman’s Pipe vines, Wild Yam, Partridgeberry, and Long Spurred violets dominate cool, moist...
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 2 3
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Foothills Trail – In one of the oak trees in a drop off area, Rudy and Jim spot a coiled up Black Rat Snake.
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 7 11
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 7
Episode 11

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

At this next stop, close to the water, we see an abundant variety of flowering plants: Mayapples, Foamflowers, Showy Orchis, Little Sweet Betsy, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Allegheny Spurge.
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 3 6
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 6

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

At this next stop, we see Shortia plants, Rhododendron, Eastern Hemlock, Fraser Magnolia, and Maroon Sweetshrub.
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 1 1
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 1
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Today, Rudy and Jim visit Jocassee Gorges, known all over the world for its mix of hardwood and conifer trees, along with its variety of wild flowers. At this first stop, Rudy and Jim come across...
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 2 4
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 2
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Right beside Rudy and Jim, we see several vines: Virginia Creeper, Poison Ivy, and Blackberry. Some of the trees in the area are Black Birch and Tuliptree. Some Wild Strawberry can be seen as well...
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 3 7
Jocassee Gorges (S.C.) Stop 3
Episode 7

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Here, Rudy and Jim find several of nature’s recyclers: a Morel mushroom, and a millipede. In a nearby tree, we find an Eastern Phoebe bird, which is an insect eater.
Will Julian Audio Transcript | Digital Traditions
Will Julian Audio Transcript | Digital Traditions

Document

Grades: Higher Education

A native of the upstate, Julian was born and raised near Vineland School in Pickens County. A farmer for over forty years, the Julian family is deeply rooted in old-time country music. Julian's...
Pickens | South Carolina Public Radio
Pickens | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8

"P" is for Pickens. [Pickens County, population 3,012, chartered 1868] Pickens County lies in the northwestern part of South Carolina. Both the county and its seat are named in honor of Revolutionary...
Keowee Plantation | History of SC Slide Collection
Keowee Plantation | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 3

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Keowee Plantation was the home of John Ewing and Flouride Bonneau Calhoun. A Greek Revival mansion on the hill is surrounded by the outbuildings of this Upcountry plantation, showing the system of...
The Old Stone Church | History of SC Slide Collection
The Old Stone Church | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 3

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The Old Stone Church, located two miles southeast of Clemson University, is one of the historic landmarks of the upper South Carolina. It was built of native building materials in a vernacular style...
Clemson University | History of SC Slide Collection
Clemson University | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 27

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Clemson University was founded in 1889 after Thomas Green Clemson, the son-in-law of John C. Calhoun, gave $80,000 and 814 acres of his estate for the creation of an agricultural college. The state...
Okra | History of SC Slide Collection
Okra | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 5

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Okra was a crop first brought to South Carolina from Africa. It is now a staple of southern cooking, widely used to thicken stews and gumbos. Here it is harvested around 1970 at the Clemson experiment...
Waddy Thompson, Jr. | History of SC Slide Collection
Waddy Thompson, Jr. | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 136

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Waddy Thompson (1798-1868), Jr., served as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the backcountry from 1835 to 1841. Born in Pickens, in Ninety-Six District, he graduated from South...
Carolina Style | Palmetto Special
Carolina Style | Palmetto Special

Video

Grades: 3 4 5

This lesson is a brief survey of the art, architecture, literature and theatre of South Carolina. It opens with a series of skits where "comedic characters" "put down" South Carolina's interest in...
Carolina Indians | Palmetto Special
Carolina Indians | Palmetto Special

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

The lesson consists of the host and three students visiting Keowee-Toxaway State Park in Pickens County. The story of the Cherokee is told there through drawings and artifacts in a series of display...
Table Rock Mountain | History of SC Slide Collection
Table Rock Mountain | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 5

Photo

Grades: 1 3

Table Rock Mountain, long a favorite scenic spot of South Carolinians, takes its name from its distinctive shape. A Cherokee legend tells the story that a giant who once lived in the nearby valley had...
The Clemson Outdoor Lab
The Clemson Outdoor Lab

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of "Making It Grow!' visited The Clemson University Outdoor Lab and talked with Director Leslie Conrad about their garden. The Clemson University Outdoor Lab leads a...
Agricultural Depression | Palmetto Special
Agricultural Depression | Palmetto Special

Video

Grades: 4 5 8

The opening and closing wraparounds take place by an old abandoned tenant farm house in Pickens County near Clemson University. Here the host establishes the location and story line. The Reenactment...