Near Pickens in Pickens County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Table Rock

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

1. Table Rock Marker, Side One

Inscription. Visible 1.3 mi. NW is the south face of Table Rock, described in the 1820s as South Carolina’s “monarch of the mountains.” Part of Cherokee land until 1777, the granite mountain’s broad summit and sheer precipices likely inspired its name. During an 1801 storm. Gov. John Drayton and others exploring the 3,124-ft. summit took shelter at a point on its west side, subsequently named “Governor’s Rock.”

Two 150-ft. flights of wooden steps were built to the summit’s northeast edge in the 1830s. A new species later named “Carolina hemlock” was first identified on the mountain in 1837. In the 1840s, the 2-story Table Rock Hotel opened near the mountain’s base. From 1935 to 1941, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed Table Rock State Park as one of the first in the South Carolina state park system.

Erected 2021 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by the Pickens County Historical Society. (Marker Number 39-26.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Natural Features • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1777.

Location. 35° 2.05′ N,

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82° 41.065′ W. Marker is near Pickens, South Carolina, in Pickens County. It is on Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (South Carolina Route 11) 0.2 miles east of Carrick Creek Road, on the left when traveling east. It is at the Grant Meadow Overlook. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4721 SC-11, Pickens SC 29671, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s and pstate,

in the Foothills, in the Golden Corner. It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Grandmama’s Legacy of Flowers (a few steps from this marker); Beliefs Set in Stone

Table Rock Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

2. Table Rock Marker, Side Two

(approx. half a mile away); Civilian Conservation Corps (approx. ¾ mile away); A CCC Classic (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named The Civilian Conservation Corps (approx. 0.9 miles away); Parkitecture (approx. 0.9 miles away); Granite and Gravity (approx. 1.1 miles away); Table Rock State Park (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pickens.

Table Rock Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

3. Table Rock Marker

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

4. Table Rock

This view is from Grant Meadow Overlook Park parking lot, near the marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 400 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 21, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.