History
The Town of Pendleton was created in 1790 for a courthouse seat. It is named for Judge Henry Pendleton, a Virginian who fought in the Revolution and remained in South Carolina. Until a division of the district in 1826, the town was one of the most influential in the upper half of South Carolina. Initial settlement was by Scots-Irish veterans, but by 1800 the aristocratic LowCountry planters and politicians had discovered the Pendleton Area and built summer homes. It caused a mix of poorly educated farmers and well-educated wealthy citizens and together they laid the groundwork for the progressive region here today.
On April 2, 1790, commissioners of the new Pendleton County met for the first time and minutes of that meeting stated that a tract of land owned by Isaac Lynch was considered to be central in the county and “most convenient to erect the county buildings”. The next order of business was to select a Clerk of the County and Printer John Miller, who later would begin a newspaper after giving up the business in London and later Charleston, was unanimously chosen.
The commissioners were Andrew Pickens, Robert Anderson, John Miller, John Wilson, Benjamin Cleveland, William Halbert, Henry Clark and John Moffet. They determined each road should lead from Pendleton to or by their homes – but it worked well, as they lived in all parts of the county.
April 8, 1790, is the day the Town of Pendleton—also known as Pendleton Court House or Pendleton Village—can officially be dated. Book A, page one of Pendleton County land deeds records Isaac Lynch was paid five shillings by the commissioners for the land.
In November, 1790, the commissioners had ordered the surveying and staking out of six one acre lots for the public buildings and several businesses and families moved in. A log courthouse had been built on Tanyard Branch and it was 1797 before the first courthouse was built on what became the village green.
The state legislature, in the meantime, had determined there should be a new system of courts, and Pendleton became a district rather than a county. The lack of growth from 1790 to 1800 was due to the former Washington District, composed of Greenville and Pendleton counties, having a district seat at Pickensville.
When the Pendleton District was created, the commissioners ordered the formal layout of the town. It resulted in fifty-one town lots of one acre each and forty-three “outlots” of several acres each. One of the first to come and open a store which still stands today (site of the Village Café as of June 2014), was William Steele, who also became the postmaster.
By 1800, South Carolina low-country plantation owners had discovered Pendleton as a summer home retreat. R. W. Simpson, writing in a later period, said many were attracted “by the salubrious climate and its rich and fertile soil. Simpson said they built fine homes and though some were miles away, they referred to their place as being in “the Town of Pendleton”. Simpson said they brought refined customs and manners, “and the very name of Pendleton became a synonym for refined and beautiful women, and for elegant high-toned and chivalrous gentlemen”.
Timeline
1790-1850
- Village of Pendleton formed and designated as courthouse site. Commercial, religious and public buildings emerge.
- Circulating library formed with public money.
- Pendleton Farmers’ Society founded.; Farmers’ Hall constructed.
- John C. Calhoun and Samuel Maverick settle in Pendleton.
1851-1900
- Blue Ridge Railroad connects Pendleton to Anderson; rail line later abandoned due to lack of funds and fiscal malfeasance.
- Hunters’ Store and Warehouse constructed.
- The Adger family from Charleston acquires Woodburn, Ashtabula & Riveli plantations as Civil War refuges.
- Sherman’s troops come through Pendleton in search of Jefferson Davis and the Confederate treasury.
1901-1972
- SC Hwy though Pendleton widened, paved and re-routed impacting town square and historic buildings.
- Milliken builds two new plants in the area.
- US 76 bypasses Pendleton, preserving its historic square. Tri-County College founded.
- Pendleton Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places; Astabula and Woodburn individually listed and opened as house museums.
Photo Gallery
Short Documentary on Woodburn
Phillip Cheney Civil War Singers
Jane Edna Hunter Documentary Trailer
Short Documentary on Astabula
Pendleton Life after the Civil War