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The Very Beginning

Long before the American Revolution, this area was inhabited by Cherokee Indians. The Cherokee chose to support Great Britain during the American Revolution, and two months of warfare between the Patriot militia and the Cherokees, with help from Loyalists, in the summer of 1776 resulted in Indian defeat. The Cherokees lost up and ceded their territory to South Carolina after crops were devastated and villages set on fire. This area was known as Pendleton District and Pendleton County by the year 1789. There is still a shared link even though that region is now Anderson, Oconee, and Pickens counties.

In order to house the courthouse, the Town of Pendleton was founded in 1790. It bears the name of Judge Henry Pendleton, a South Carolina-born veteran of the Revolution from Virginia. The town was one of the most significant in the upper portion of South Carolina until the district was divided in 1826. Scots-Irish soldiers were the first settlers, but by 1800 aristocratic LowCountry planters and politicians had found the Pendleton Area and had begun to construct vacation residences. It led to a mixture of rich, well-educated residents and uneducated farmers, and they worked together to lay the foundation for the progressive area that exists today.

Small Town Story of Pendleton

Thriving Community

Businesses open to all people and a lot of economic opportunity within manufacturing.

Education

Tri-County Technical College and Anderson University allow for incoming students to gain experience in order to enter a trained workforce.

Local Foods

Unique restaurants like the Blue Heron make the community and shape the town and its amazing residents.

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Current

The town's official plan was mandated by the commissioners when the Pendleton District was established. It produced forty-three "outlots" with a total of several acres each and fifty-one town lots with a total of one acre each. William Steele, who also served as the postmaster, was one of the first to settle in the area and establish a business that is still operating today (location of the Village Café as of July 2022).

Pendleton had become popular among South Carolina low-country plantation planters as a getaway destination by 1800. Many were drawn "by the salubrious climate and its lush and productive land," R. W. Simpson said in a subsequent work. Although some of their residences were located far away, according to Simpson, they erected lovely homes and referred to their location as being in "the Town of Pendleton." "And the mere name of Pendleton became a synonym for sophisticated and attractive women, and for exquisite high-toned and chivalrous gentlemen," Simpson claimed they brought refined traditions and manners.

University Reviews

AU is a place I'm glad to call home. The staff and faculty there are so warm and welcoming and they make you feel right at home. You can definitely feel the love and care that was put into the university and will be held to that high standard.

Cappex

Anderson University

Tri-County is a small and close community where students off all ages, ethnicities, and goals come together as one. I love the school, as well as the professors who take their passions and turn them into a joyful learning experience.

Niche

Tri-County Technical College

All of the staff and professors really care about their students. You feel like you have a family here. I have become friends with several of my professors. I would not be where I am if it weren't for TCTC.

Sterling

Tri-County Technical College

Anderson University is a good fit for students seeking a warm, friendly, Christian environment where someone can get a liberal arts education and a lifetime of memories and experiences and friends.

The Princeton Review

Anderson University