• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE

Old Pickens Presbyterian Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / Oconee County / Old Pickens Presbyterian Church

Old Pickens Presbyterian Church, located on the western bank of the Keowee River, is the only original building that remains of the town of Pickens Court House that served as the county seat for Pickens County between 1828 and 1868.

Old Pickens Presbyterian Church

Bob Spalding of Easley, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

After the Revolutionary War, the sparsely populated northwestern corner of the state became a judicial district that included today’s Greenville, Anderson, Pickens, and Oconee counties. Over time, as the population increased in different parts of the district, boundary lines shifted to provide new communities better access to local government.

Old Pickens Presbyterian Marker

Bob Spalding of Easley, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

What we know today as Greenville County was separated out from the larger tract in the late 1700s. In 1828 the district was again divided with the lower portion becoming Anderson District and the upper portion becoming Pickens District. It was at this time that the town of Pickens Court House was founded expressly to be the seat of local government for the Pickens District.

Old Pickens Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Bob Spalding of Easley, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The new town was eight blocks long and four blocks wide with the courthouse in the center. The Presbyterian Church was built in the 1840s by the townspeople themselves. They made its bricks from local clay which they were able to obtain from the riverbank just across the road.

Old Pickens Presbyterian Cemetery

Bob Spalding of Easley, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

When the South Carolina Constitutional Convention met in 1868, they changed the official term for districts to counties and they divided the Pickens District into two counties – Pickens County to the west of the Keowee and Seneca Rivers and a newly created Oconee County to the east of the rivers. The new, more centrally located town of Pickens was named as the county seat and the “old” town of Pickens Court House was abandoned in a matter of a few years. In the 1960s, the Presbytery ended its affiliation with the Old Pickens Presbyterian Church.

Plan Your Trip: Old Pickens Presbyterian Church

Where is Old Pickens Presbyterian Church located?
Address: East Pickens Highway (SC 183) at Old Pickens Church Road, Seneca, SC 29678
GPS Coordinates: 34.791524,-82.886341
Website: http://www.oldpickens.org/
What else should I see?
Lake Keowee 2.6 miles
Six Mile Creek 4.9 miles
Issaqueena Dam 6.6 miles
Newry Mill 7.6 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • Seneca Historic Sites
    Old Pickens Presbyterian Church Map

    Please Help Us Stay Online

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader’s contribution, larger or small, is valuable. If you have enjoyed this website or found it helpful, please pitch in. Each donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    You may also like

    You may also like

    Default ThumbnailOld Seneca Baptist Church Default ThumbnailCenter Methodist Church Union Church NewryUnion Church Seneca Junior College Faith Cabin LibraryFaith Cabin Library Cowboy ChurchCowboy Church

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Randy Fick says

      June 19, 2013 at 8:20 AM

      Joy, we have the church reserved for my daughter’s wedding on July 13. Can you e-mail me with your contact info and phone #? I need to discuss how we can maybe get some portable A/C units to cool the building. Thanks, Randy

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Why This Site Matters

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s landmarks for future readers. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    Recent Posts

    • H.L. Hunley
    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit.

    JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

    The South Carolina Picture Project has two Facebook groups. One is dedicated to SC Historic Landmarks and Iconic Landscapes, and the other is dedicated to SC Nature and Wildlife.

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2023 · All Rights Reserved