Old Stone Church is a church building built in 1802. When it was constructed, it was in the

Pendleton District, South Carolina Pendleton District, named after US Judge Henry Pendleton, is a former judicial district in South Carolina. It existed as a county or a district from 7 March 1789 to 20 December 1826. In the colonial period, the land around the coast was divided i ...

. When Pendleton District was divided in 1826, the church was in Pickens District. When Pickens District was split in 1868, it was in

Oconee County, South Carolina Oconee County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 78,607. Its county seat is Walhalla, South Carolina, Walhalla and its large ...

. In 1968, this section of Oconee County was annexed back to Pickens County. The church is about midway between the centers of Pendleton and Clemson. It is now in the city limits of Clemson.

History

In 1790, the Hopewell Presbyterian Church, which was also called the Hopewell-Keowee Church, was built in the Pickens District. Hopewell was the name of General Andrew Pickens's house on the Seneca River.

Keowee Keowee ( chr, ᎫᏩᎯᏱ, translit=Guwahiyi) was a Cherokee town in the far northwest corner of present-day South Carolina. It was the principal town of what were called the seven Lower Towns, located along the Keowee River (Colonists referred ...

was a common name for this section of the Seneca River in this period. The first church was a log building. Its location is on South Experimental Forest of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

in Pickens County on Seed Orchard Road about 200 m west of West Queen St. This church burned in 1796. The ruins can be found at the edge of the forest. A monument was on the site until 1980 when it was moved to inside of Old Stone Church to prevent vandalism. The congregation was given a tract of land for the new church by John Miller, who was a printer in Pendleton. Miller had been a publisher in England. In 1775, he and two partners were tried for libel because of their publications of the Junius letters in the ''

London Evening Post The ''London Evening Post'' was a pro- Jacobite Tory English language daily newspaper published in London, then the capital city of the Kingdom of Great Britain, from 1727 until 1797.Cranfield, G.A. (1963). "The ''London Evening Post'', 1727–17 ...

''. They were found not guilty. In 1782, Miller came to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1783, he moved to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

and began publishing a newspaper, ''Pendleton Messenger''. After the

Treaty of Hopewell Three agreements, each known as the Treaty of Hopewell, were signed between representatives of the Congress of the United States and the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Chickasaw peoples, were negotiated and signed at the Hopewell plantation in South Caro ...

, he was given 640 acres (259 ha) on Eighteen Mile Creek near Pendleton by Governor

Benjamin Guerard Benjamin Guerard (1740December 21, 1788) was a lawyer, patriot of the Revolutionary War and the 34th Governor of South Carolina from 1783 to 1785. Early life and career Guerard was born in Charlestown to John Guerard and Elizabeth Hill. H ...

. He or his son later deeded about 16.9 acres (6.8 ha) to the Trustees of Hopewell Church. The new church was constructed of field stone and mortar by John Rusk, who was the father of Texas Senator

Thomas Jefferson Rusk Thomas Jefferson Rusk (December 5, 1803July 29, 1857) was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a US politician and ...

, over the period from 1797 to 1802. It was a simple building with wooden pews and a pulpit. Early members of the church included Robert Anderson and Andrew Pickens. In 1824, the congregation built a new church, Hopewell-Pendleton, in Pendleton. After the new church was built, The Old Stone Church was only used occasionally. The congregation in Pendleton is now known as the Pendleton Presbyterian Church. The Old Stone Church and Cemetery is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, No. 71000794. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information, and copies of the nomination forms.Old Stone Church and Cemetery nomination form.
/ref>

Notable burials

* Robert Anderson,

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 ...

colonel * Andrew Pickens,

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

*Rebecca Calhoun Pickens, wife of Andrew Pickens and cousin of John C. Calhoun *John Miller, London printer *Reverend Thomas Reese

External links

Printer John Miller Historical Marker

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Churches completed in 1802 Buildings and structures in Pickens County, South Carolina Churches in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Pickens County, South Carolina Clemson, South Carolina Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in South Carolina