The Pickens County 250 Committee invites you to a lecture and driving tour conducted by Durant Ashmore. The lecture will be held Thursday, November 14 at 7 p.m. at the Pickens County Museum of Art and History, located at 307 Johnson Street in Pickens. The driving tour will be Saturday, November 16, beginning at 9 a.m. (See below for route information.)

The Upstate of South Carolina has an incredibly rich Revolutionary War history. In Pickens and Oconee Counties, that history involved the relationship between the Cherokees and the backcountry settlers. This relationship was a tragic clash of cultures, and it had tragic consequences.

Lecture: The lecture on Thursday, November 14 is an overview of the events leading up to and involving the Cherokee War of 1776. This war was the primary Revolutionary War activity in Pickens and Oconee Counties.

Battlefield Tour:

(1) The driving tour will begin at the grave of General Andrew Pickens at Old Stone Church, 101 Stone Circle, Clemson. The life of Andrew Pickens is a thread that ties together the events of this tour.

(2) We will travel in convoy to Fort Rutledge on the Clemson campus. There, we will discuss the two battles at the Cherokee Town of Esseneca, the history of Fort Rutledge, and the events that occurred at the Treaty Oak.

(3) From there, we will travel to the Cherokee Town of Tomassee (Tamassee) in Oconee County. This is the site of the Ring Fight, one of the most heroic engagements of the Revolutionary War.

(4) The tour will end at the historical marker for Fort Prince George, located at Mile Creek Park, overlooking Lake Keowee.

The battlefield tour should end about 1:30 p.m. Minimal walking is required. Maps and directions will be provided.

For further information contact Durant Ashmore at 864-915-6337.

Pickens County 250 Committee

October 10, 2024