Planning a trip to Pumpkintown, South Carolina? Discover everything this charming mountain community has to offer, from Table Rock State Park and scenic waterfalls to hiking trails, local history, family attractions, restaurants, and hidden gems. This complete visitor guide is your starting point for exploring the best of the Upstate.
An 1861 map based on the 1860 U.S. Census offers a fascinating look at slavery in the South Carolina Upstate. While coastal counties were dominated by large plantations, Pickens, Greenville, and other Upstate counties followed a very different path, shaped by geography, agriculture, and smaller farms.
Step back nearly 150 years and discover what life was like in Pickens County through the pages of the Pickens Sentinel published on July 11, 1878. This inaugural installment of our From the Pickens Sentinel Archives series explores dramatic front-page stories, a glimpse into education at Central High School, local politics, everyday life, historic advertisements, and the people who helped shape the Upstate we know today.
Discover why Table Rock Mountain, Pumpkintown, and the Oolenoy Valley often receive more snow than the rest of South Carolina. From the Blue Ridge Escarpment to local winter legends, learn how geography creates one of the state’s most fascinating weather patterns.
Discover one of the most fascinating hikes in Paris Mountain State Park. The Sulphur Springs Trail combines peaceful forest scenery, historic waterworks, shaded creek crossings, and reservoir views into a unique journey through the natural and engineering history that helped supply Greenville’s drinking water for generations.
Hidden deep within Appalachian folklore is the story of the Rootman—a mountain healer who relied on herbs, roots, prayers, and generations of knowledge to help his community long before modern medicine reached the hills. Part herbalist, part healer, and part keeper of old traditions, the Rootman remains one of the most fascinating figures in mountain history.
What looks like a peaceful green hillside may actually be a battle for survival. Introduced to America with good intentions, kudzu was once promoted as a solution to soil erosion across the South. Instead, it became one of the region’s most infamous invasive plants, swallowing forests, fence lines, abandoned farmsteads, and even entire buildings beneath a blanket of vines. Discover how “the vine that ate the South” transformed the landscape of Pickens County and why its legacy continues to shape the Upstate today.
Before Lake Keowee became one of South Carolina’s most beautiful lakes, the valley below was home to Cherokee towns, frontier history, family farms, and generations of local residents. Discover the forgotten world that still rests beneath the water.
Before Lake Jocassee covered the valley with deep blue water, four wild mountain rivers joined together to create the Keowee River. Discover the waterfalls, communities, farms, and natural wonders that once filled the lost Jocassee Valley beneath the lake.
Every summer, bright orange daylilies transform the roadsides of Pumpkintown and the Table Rock foothills into ribbons of color. Most people admire their beauty, but few realize these flowers may be living reminders of forgotten homes, farms, and communities that once dotted the landscape. Discover the history behind the Upstate’s famous “ditch lilies” and why they continue blooming long after the people who planted them are gone.