Gowensville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Greenville County, South Carolina Greenville County is located in the state of South Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to the ...

, United States. The community sits along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway and

South Carolina Highway 14 South Carolina Highway 14 (SC 14) is a state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 76 Business (US 76 Bus.) in Laurens north to Interstate 26 (I-26) in Landrum. SC 14 connects Laurens and Landrum w ...

, flanking the Spartanburg County border to its east.

History

In 1780, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, a skirmish between Loyalist and Patriot forces occurred at Gowen's Fort, named for soldier John "Buck" Gowen, the namesake of the town of Gowensville. A band of Loyalists and

Chickamauga Cherokee The Chickamauga Cherokee refers to a group that separated from the greater body of the Cherokee during the American Revolutionary War. The majority of the Cherokee people wished to make peace with the Americans near the end of 1776, following se ...

, commanded by Captain William Bates, approached the area in an attempt to siege the Patriot stronghold. Despite their strong resistance, Patriot forces succumbed to a lack of ammunition and were forced to surrender. Bates initially promised to protect those within the fort from the Indian fighters, but upon their exit, Bates gave the command for all of his soldiers to kill the resistance. The number of deceased is unknown. Gowensville is home to Campbell's Covered Bridge, the last covered bridge in the state of South Carolina. The locale is considered part of the informal region known as the "Dark Corner", which represented a safe haven for political dissenters and moonshiners in South Carolina throughout the 1800s.

References

External links

Gowensville Community Website
{{coord, 35, 06, 53, N, 82, 13, 30, W, type:city_region:US-SC_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Unincorporated communities in Greenville County, South Carolina Unincorporated communities in South Carolina