BRIEF COUNTY HISTORY
Anderson County and its county seat,
Anderson, were named for Revolutionary War general Robert Anderson (1741-1812).
This region was occupied by the
Cherokee Indians until 1777, when it was ceded by treaty to the State of South Carolina.
Part of the "Indian Land" became Pendleton District
(also called Washington District at one time.) The area was given its present name in
1826, when Pendleton District was split into Anderson and
Pickens. Most of the early settlers
of this area were Scotch-Irish farmers who migrated from Pennsylvania and Virginia in
the eighteenth century.
The oldest town in the county is
Pendleton, which was founded around 1790;
it became a popular summer resort for lowcountry planters in the nineteenth century.
Other towns in Anderson include
Anderson,
Belton,
Honea Path,
Iva,
La France,
Pelzer,
Piedmont,
Starr,
West Pelzer, and
Willliamston
Some famous residents of Anderson County were
United States senator and governor Olin D. Johnston (1896-1965), business leader
Charles E. Daniel
(1895-1964), and composer Lily Strickland (1884-1958).
-- History courtesy of
South Carolina State Library
Updated and expanded by Victoria Proctor, April 2002, Nov 2003.
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