Spring 2009 — Vol. 62, No. 2

Do you know about Hopewell?

When you think of historic houses at Clemson, Fort Hill and Hanover House spring to mind. But the lesser-known Hopewell, just off Cherry Road and overlooking Hartwell Lake, holds the story of an amazing family and the early stages of a nation.

Hopewell, which began as a basic log structure, was built around 1785 by Gen. Andrew Pickens and his wife, Rebecca Calhoun, a relative of John C. Calhoun.

The Pickens couple, though still young, had already experienced the dangerous and exciting years of the American Revolution. Gen. Pickens had been a key player in the Upstate’s role in the war. In fact, he was later honored by the U.S. Congress for his “gallantry and bravery.”

After the war, the Pickenses bought a plot of land and built Hopewell. As their young family grew, so did the house, eventually into a 10-room manor with outbuildings and other features of a plantation.

Gen. Pickens became an important participant in the evolution of the newly formed nation and of his own state of South Carolina. He served as a member of the state house of representatives, an Indian commissioner and a U.S. congressman.

Finding a peace with the Native Americans — the Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws and Creeks — became his new goal. He was feared as a great warrior but respected for his honor, compassion and leadership. He was called “Skyagunsta” (Wizard Owl) by his former adversaries.

In November 1785, representatives of the Cherokee Indian nation gathered at Hopewell and began negotiations. Early the next year, hostilities ceased — the Treaty of Hopewell was signed in the shade of a giant oak tree on the Hopewell Plantation with the Choctaw and Chickasaw people to “bury the hatchet” forever.

The Calhoun-Pickens legacy continued long after Rebecca and the general. Son Ezekiel Pickens graduated from Princeton as valedictorian and served as S.C. lieutenant governor. Son Andrew Jr. was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University and a governor of South Carolina. Grandson Francis was a U.S. congressman and an ambassador to Russia.

The Hopewell home passed to Andrew Jr. and was sold in 1824. In the 1930s, the land was purchased by the Federal Resettlement Administration as part of a New Deal-era economic-relief program aimed at assisting farmers.

It was through this program that Hopewell came to Clemson College to be converted into a self-sufficient farm known as the Cherry Farm.

Today, the University is researching ways to bring Hopewell back to its original state, honoring the legacy of the Pickens family. To learn more about Hopewell or how you can help with its restoration, contact Will Hiott of Historic Properties at (864) 656-7920 or hiottw@clemson.edu.

Web Extra: Hopewell Plantation