Page 12 - 2021 Clemson Community Guide
P. 12
Pendleton, Central & Six Mile
By 1800, South Carolina Lowcountry In the fall, more than 100 scarecrows On March 17, 1875, Central was
plantation owners had discovered Pendleton guard the town during the Pendleton Fall incorporated as a town. The town extended
as a summer home retreat, and the very Harvest Festival, an annual tradition that one-half mile in each direction from the
name of Pendleton became a synonym for includes food, fun, entertainment, and Air-Line Depot.
refinement and elegance. local arts and crafts. The holidays are also a
special time on Pendleton’s Historic Village When the Southern Railway moved its
Community members and the Town Green when a Christmas Market is held on headquarters from Central to Greenville,
Council have maintained a commitment to the Saturdays leading up to Christmas and Central citizens were left dazed. Trains no
encouraging careful growth that protects the annual Town of Pendleton Christmas longer stopped to change engines and the
the one-of-a-kind character of this historic Parade tours the square. shops and offices closed. Families that had
town. The Town Square recently received an built their homes and settled down were
Pendleton investment of more than a million dollars to Central uprooted. Houses were vacant and business
was at a standstill.
improve the streetscape while honoring its
When the Atlantic and Richmond Air-
historic aesthetic.
Line Railroad Company arrived in
Pendleton For more than 40 years, residents and visitors the area on September 28, 1873, it cut
Pendleton's charming village green centers have enjoyed the Spring Jubilee in Historic through Pickens County. The railway
the town, founded in 1790. History has such Pendleton, a juried arts-and-crafts show extended north from Atlanta and
a hold on this place that the entire town is that has been called the "Best Festival" in the south from Charlotte, meeting in the
middle at a stop that became a town
on the National Register of Historic Places. state by the American Bus Association and a appropriately named Central.
Pendleton Square offers fine antique shops, Top Twenty Event in the Southeast by the
boutiques, and several excellent restaurants. Southeast Tourism Society. Attendees are A depot, houses, and stores were built
encouraged to explore the gift shops, cafes, for those who worked on the railroad,
Created as a courthouse seat, the Town and antiques stores around the square and shops were built for the railway
of Pendleton was named for Judge Henry during this celebrated event. workers. Engineers, conductors, and
Pendleton, a Virginian who fought in the telegraph operators brought their
Revolution and remained in South Carolina. Saturdays from June-September, the Village families. Finding the refreshing climate
The initial settlement was populated by Green is filled with growers and families at and friendly people to their liking, they Central
Scots-Irish veterans. the weekly Farmers Market. built homes and settled down.
8 (864) 654-1200 | ClemsonAreaChamber.org