South Carolina Living: Clemson South Carolina

Clemson South Carolina

The City of Clemson is located in Pickens County, South Carolina. Pickens County is in the northwestern section of South Carolina, and Clemson is in the southern portion of the county. Clemson is bordered on the north and south in part by Clemson University. The northern boundary is also shared with the Town of Central, home to Southern Wesleyan University, while the southern border is shared with the Town of Pendleton. The western border is formed by Lake Hartwell, which also serves as the boundary between Pickens and Oconee Counties. The eastern portion of the city is bordered by unincorporated Pickens County and Anderson County.

Clemson SC History

Our story begins in 1890. According to the Pickens Sentinel, Pickens County had six towns in 1890. The fifth town was a small village called Calhoun. It received its first incorporation charter on December 18, 1892. One interesting provision in the charter said that bars were prohibited in the town limits.

The land for the town had become available upon the death of James W. Crawford. Crawford had purchased his land in 1844 from the Calhoun family, relatives of the Fort Hill Calhoun’s. His land stretched from the borders of the Fort Hill plantation to the current site of Daniel High School. With his death, the land went up for sale and was bought by several people.

In 1884, Aaron Boggs purchased the best part of the land from Crawford. This portion was adjacent to the Fort Hill Plantation. Crawford died in April, 1888. The remainder of the land was bought by Crawford’s son-in-law, Nelson C. Poe, in January 1889. Poe then sold half of his purchase to his brother-in-law, David Sloan. In 1891, Poe and Sloan sold the sixty and one half acres north of the railroad tracks to Boggs. In 1892, Boggs had the land surveyed and laid out with streets. The final track of land belonged to a woman named Macrina Campbell. Her land was the eastern part of Clemson, along Highway 123. It stretched from Cochran Road to the present Ramada Inn. Cochran Road was named for her grandson, Newt Cochran.

According to the Sentinel, Calhoun was located near a train depot, and, as the story goes, it stretched one-half mile around the depot. The track had begun service in 1872 and was partially responsible for the funding of the towns of Westminster, Seneca, Central, Easley and Liberty. The current depot located on Highway 123 close to the original spot of the depot. The location for the depot was staked out on January 29, 1891, and construction began shortly thereafter. The source of the name “Calhoun” is a subject of debate. Some have claimed that it was named by the Charlotte Atlanta Railroad. Others, including Clemson’s own Judge William B. Keller, have held that it was named for the Calhoun brother that lived in a now lost plantation house. The house was located on the north side of the train track.

The Pickens Sentinel is an invaluable source of information on early Calhoun because it tracks the development of the town on a weekly basis. Within two years of its establishment, Calhoun was one of the most important towns in the County. The first store opened was credited to Mr. Perry Payne in 1892. The depot was completed in October of 1892, and several boarding houses were operating. By 1893, there was a cotton mill operating near the town.

The first students to the newly constructed Clemson Agricultural College arrived in 1893. Also in 1893, John Wesley Cochran, a local developer, built Doyle Hall. This building has been called several names during its history, beginning with Doyle Hall, then Boggs Store, and finally Calhoun Corners. The first church in Calhoun was the Fort Hill Presbyterian Church which was organized on July 21, 1895. It met in the upstairs of Boggs Store. The second church has been described as a Wesleyan Methodist Church, and it met in the school building. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church was organized in 1899. By the turn of the century, Calhoun’s school had over 100 students.

In 1899, Calhoun had one of its most famous businesses open. I. Leonard Keller, a cadet at the college, quit school, and opened a tailoring shop for the cadets. It was named “Judge Keller’s” and is still in operation today. Keller’s grandson, Leonard Keller, now operates the store. The current building is the second structure that has housed the store.

The first post office in Calhoun was called “Fort Hill”. It existed separately from the college’s post office. It remained Fort Hill until 1902, when the name changed to the Calhoun Post Office. The office was located behind Boggs Store. In the 1900 census, Calhoun had a population of 209, and due to changes in state law, the town was reincorporated in 1901. The only surviving official city document from the period of 1890 to 1936 is a map, date 1915.

The first mayor in Calhoun was J.H. Burgess. He was elected in 1901, but did not serve long. Ramsey Doyle became mayor in 1907. A Baptist church began construction of its building on July 12, 1907; the Methodist church in 1911.

A major construction project occurred in 1916. The railroad track expanded, and traffic was rerouted from Clemson Street to College Avenue. The overpass was also constructed at this time, and the depot was moved to its present location. Clinkscales became mayor during the 1910s and remained in the position for over two decades. Official records for Calhoun began with the town’s third incorporation in 1937.