The town of Pickens Court House (now called Old Pickens) is
named for the
Revolutionary
hero, General Andrew Pickens was established in 1828 when the influx of new
settlers placed a burden upon the Pendleton District so that it was split
into two districts, Anderson and Pickens.
Legend has it that the newly appointed Pickens County Commissioners rode
on horseback in search of suitable site for the county seat. When they
dismounted at noon for lunch, they were so impressed with their immediate
surroundings that they drove a stake into the ground and pronounced,
"Here it shall be!" Thus on the Cherokee Indian Tribe's old war
path, on the banks of the beautiful green Keowee River, the Town of Pickens
Court House was born: to grow and flourish for forty years... and then die.
The town was platted for thirty-two blocks: eight blocks long and four
blocks wide with the courthouse in the center. One lot was designated
as the "church house;" in 1830, a commission was delegated from the Anderson
Presbytery to establish a congregation.
Once organized, the fourteen charter members of Scotch, Irish, and
English descent met in homes, the school house, or the Courthouse until
construction was completed in the mid-1840's. Even then the small
congregation worshiped only on alternate Sundays, generously sharing their
church with those of the Methodist persuasion.
The building was constructed by volunteer labor and donated materials and
is perfect example of mid-nineteenth century church/meeting house.
Bricks were fired from the riverbank clay from the bottoms just across the
road.
A single story rectangular building with a gable roof, it is set upon a
solid brick foundation pierced by regularly spaced openings for ventilation.
Paired windows and a transom with sidelights welcome those entering a the
double doors framed by brick pilasters which extend from the foundation to a
brick belt course above.
Each side elevation features three sixteen-over
sixteen windows, and all doors and windows are surmounted by classic wooden
lintels.
The
walls are finished in plaster applied over the handmade bricks, flooring is
of pine, the unpainted pews of poplar and pine, a wood stove was used for
heart, and raised, built-in pulpit dominates the entire sanctuary.
Most unique was the construction of the slave gallery which extends across
the upper northwest end of the building with its private entrance and
stairs.
The interior of the church has had little change since the town and
abandoned in 1868. The original pulpit, flooring, and pews remain
intact. Items of note include the sketches carved by slaves upon the
gallery walls and few windows with the original 'flow" glass.
The cemetery adjoining the church is most interesting and historic.
Some of the 217 internments are marked with lengthy engravings, some with
simple fieldstones, and others with no markings at all. The earliest
gravestone ears the dates 1750-1825 and the name of Lt. Joseph Reid, a
survivor of the Revolutionary War.
When Pickens County was divided in 1868 (becoming both Pickens and
Oconee Counties), the county seats were set in New Pickens and Walhalla
respectively. This thriving little town, Pickens Court House,
containing six mercantile establishments, a newspaper, a doctor's office,
several law offices, blacksmith shops, a hotel and a boarding house, a
brickyard, a courthouse, a jail, a Masonic Lodge, a Post Office and a
school named Pickens Academy, became almost non-existent.
Although the Post Office served over 1400 area residents, only a few
families (10 - 14) actually lived within the (8) block town area.
In the 1960's with the construction of the Duke Power Nuclear Plant,
everyone was gone, and on October 1, 1968, the Presbyter dissolved its
alliance with the Old Pickens Court House Presbyterian Church.
Nothing was left of the town: its life, homes, culture, music, flowers,
hotels, shops, offices of doctors, dentists, and lawyers, the school, the
Pickens Academy. . .all gone.
Only one remaining structure: the Old Pickens Presbyterian Church -
still commanding the knoll overlooking the cemeteries and the beautiful
Keowee River, still yearning to serve the most basic needs of faith,
family and country.