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Sign faded, "Pendleton District Commission"

In the early days of the Colony of Carolina, before there was a "North Carolina" and a "South Carolina" and Charles Towne Landing was one of the earliest settlements along the Carolina coast ("Charleston," as we know it today), the northwestern part of what is now South Carolina was inhabited by Native Americans, including many Cherokee. As the area was settled by the "newcomers" and the original inhabitants were pushed further and further back, this particular area of the state was later known as the Pendleton District, and comprised what is now Oconee, Pickens, and Anderson Counties of South Carolina. Even today, many of the towns, rivers, and landmarks still carry their Native American names: Oconee, Seneca, Keowee, Cateechee, and Isaqueena, just to name a few.