Pendleton is a town in

Anderson County, South Carolina Anderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 203,718. Its county seat is Anderson. Named for Revolutionary War leader Robert Anderson, the county is located in northwest ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...

in the

Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an Archipelago, island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islan ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. The town is located southeast of

Clemson, SC Clemson () is a city in Pickens County, South Carolina, Pickens and Anderson County, South Carolina, Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is adjacent to Clemson University, - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university pr ...

, which is home to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

. The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and its immediate surroundings, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1970. Particularly notable historic buildings on the Pendleton town square include Farmer's Hall and Hunter's Store, which is currently the headquarters of the Pendleton District Historical, Recreational and Tourism Commission. Near Pendleton are the historic plantation homes Ashtabula and Woodburn. Window detail Woodburn Plantation

History

For centuries, the land that is now Pendleton was the territory of the

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

nation. After

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

claimed South Carolina as a colony, the Cherokee traded with the British. After the Cherokee lost the war of 1759–60 against the British, the British dominated trade in the region and began to settle more of the land with large farms. Andrew Pickens, who was a general in the Revolutionary War moved to the area and commissioned the District of Pendleton in 1790. During the first half of the 1800s, wealthy families built homes in Pendleton. These homes were built as a summer vacation spot for the low-country plantation owners.

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825) was an American statesman, military officer and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as List of ambassadors of the United States to France, United S ...

(1789–1865) built Woodburn Plantation in 1830. Later, the Adger family, a wealthy family from Charleston, expanded the plantation to over and enlarged the house to over 18 rooms. The

Ashtabula Ashtabula ( ) is the most populous city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. It lies at the mouth of the Ashtabula River, on Lake Erie, northeast of Cleveland. At the 2020 census, the city had 17,975 people. Like many other cities in the ...

, Boone-Douthit House, Faith Cabin Library at Anderson County Training School, Pendleton Historic District, and Woodburn are listed on the

Geography

Pendleton is located in northwestern Anderson County at (34.650672, -82.780736). Its northwestern edge touches the Anderson County/ Pickens County line and borders the city of Clemson.

U.S. Route 76 U.S. Route 76 (US 76) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Southeastern United States that travels for . Its western terminus is at U.S. Route 41 in Tennessee, US 41 and the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 72 in Tennessee, US 72 (Broad Street) in ...

passes through the southwest part of town, bypassing the town center and leading northwest to Clemson and southeast to Anderson, the county seat. Greenville is to the northeast by

U.S. Route 123 U.S. Route 123 (US 123) is a spur of US 23 in the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from its western terminus (signed as south) at US 23, US 441, SR 15 and SR 365 near Clarkesville, Georgia, east (though si ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.70%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,489 people, 1,504 households, and 677 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,966 people, 1,397 households, and 799 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,533 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 64.70%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 33.07%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population. There were 1,397 households, out of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.75. Montpelier Samuel Maverick Plantation

In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,052, and the median income for a family was $37,606. Males had a median income of $30,341 versus $23,843 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,630. About 15.7% of families and 20.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 32.2% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Schools include Pendleton Elementary, Mount Lebanon Elementary, LaFrance Elementary, Riverside Middle School, and Pendleton High School. Tri-County Technical College is located within the town. Pendleton has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Anderson County Library System. Pendleton has 4 schools: 4

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

and 0

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

Pendleton schools Pendleton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Pendleton, Lancashire, England *Pendleton, Greater Manchester, England ;United States *Pendleton, Indiana * Pendleton, Missouri * Pendleton, New York *Pendleton, Oregon * Pendleton, South Carolina * ...

spend $11,812 per student (The US average is $12,383). There are 16 pupils per teacher, 488 students per

librarian A librarian is a person who professionally works managing information. Librarians' common activities include providing access to information, conducting research, creating and managing information systems, creating, leading, and evaluating educat ...

, and 366 children per counselor.

Notable residents

* Stephen Adams (1807–1857), born in the Pendleton District,

United States congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

and

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

* Joe Ellis Brown (1933–2018), was an American schoolteacher and politician. *

Floride Calhoun Floride Bonneau Calhoun (née Colhoun; February 15, 1792 – July 25, 1866) was the wife of U.S. politician John C. Calhoun. She was known for her leading role in the Petticoat affair, which occurred during her husband's service as vic ...

, wife of U.S. Senator and Vice President

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist who served as the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. Born in South Carolina, he adamantly defended American s ...

, resided in the house known as "Mi Casa" * Warren R. Davis (1793 – 1835), born Columbia, South Carolina. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1814, practicing in Pendleton. Davis was elected as a Jacksonian to the 20th United States Congress through 24th Congresses. * Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr., born in Charleston, SC, 1824. He graduated West Point 1845, and as a Brigadier General, commanded the 3rd Brigade, Army of the Shenandoah, July 21, 1861, at Manassas, Va. He gave Gen.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate States of America, Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military e ...

the name "Stonewall." * Juanita Goggins, was the first African-American woman elected to the South Carolina legislature. * Jane Edna Hunter, an African-American social worker. In 1911 she established the Working Girls Association in Cleveland, Ohio, which later became the Phillis Wheatley Association of Cleveland. * Bryce McGowens is an American professional basketball player for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

of the National Basketball Association (NBA). * Samuel Augustus Maverick, firebrand Texas rancher and politician from whom the word "maverick" originated, was born in Pendleton. *

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 and as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a U.S. politician and se ...

, early political and military leader of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. * John Allen Wakefield, political and military leader, historian, took part in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

and

Bleeding Kansas Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War, was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the ...

Margaret Sellers Walker Margaret Sellers Walker Morris (September 28, 1935 – September 20, 2020), born Margaret Elizabeth Regular, was an American city and state official, based in Michigan. She was also a professor at Grand Valley State University. She was inducted ...

(1935–2020), Michigan state official, born in Pendleton

References

External links

Town of Pendleton official website

Pendleton Historical Marker
{{authority control Towns in Anderson County, South Carolina Towns in South Carolina