Old Pickens Church

Old Pickens Church. Sole Remnant of Town of Pickens Courthouse. , Old Pickens Presbyterian Church A Presbyterian congregation was probably organized in the 1840's. It is impossible to fix the exact date because the church records were destroyed in a fire around the turn of the 20th century. Construction on the church began in 1849 and was completed two years later. The bricks were made from clay from the banks of the Keowee River. The heart pine floors of the church are original as are the pulpit and pews. There is a side entrance that leads to a gallery used by the slaves. The cemetery contains over 200 grave sites; the earliest belonging to Lt. Joseph Reed bears the dates 1750-1825. The church is the sole surviving building on the site of the lost town of Pickens Courthouse and is under the care of the Historic Old Pickens Foundation., Pickens Courthouse With the creation of Pickens District, a location for the district's courthouse had to be selected. In 1828 this site was chosen and named Pickens Courthouse in honor of Revolutionary War hero, General Andrew Pickens. The town as laid out was eight blocks long by four wide. By the mid-1800s, the town had expanded to include hotels, general stores, a jail, an academy, a Presbyterian Church and many residences in addition to its courthouse. In 1868, Pickens District was divided into Pickens and Oconee Counties and “new” Pickens, fourteen miles away, became the new county seat. Many structures, including the courthouse, were moved to the new town.