Hopewell, once overlooking the Seneca River (now Lake Hartwell), is the surviving c.1815 home of SC Governor Andrew Pickens Jr. Before the American Revolution, the land was part of the Cherokee Lower Town of Esseneca, destroyed on August 1, 1776. Following the Treaty of Dewitt’s Corner (May 1777), the Cherokee ceded most of their South Carolina lands, including acreage awarded to Gen. Andrew Pickens for military service.
The first “Hopewell” structure, a log cabin built around 1785 by General Andrew Pickens, was the site of the Hopewell Treaties with the Cherokee (Nov. 28, 1785), Choctaw (Jan. 3, 1786), and Chickasaw (Jan. 10, 1786). The Creeks declined to participate. Under the Pickens family, Hopewell became one of the largest sites of enslavement in the Pendleton District. After its 1824 sale to U.S. Congressman John Carter, members of the Reese-Cherry families enslaved African Americans there until Emancipation. The last resident owner was George Reese Cherry, a Reconstruction-era politician.
What's Nearby
Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.
Stories from Hopewell Plantation & Treaty Site
Nestled outside the traditional bounds of the South Carolina colony is the Presbyterian church where Andrew Pickens committed his time as an elder following the Revolution. In the adjacent cemetery lie the graves of several American soldiers who had fought by Pickens' side during the war.
A highly influential militia general from the Upcountry of South Carolina, Pickens waged successful campaigns against Loyalists and their Cherokee allies throughout the state.
Built in 1716 for Paul de St. Julien in Berkeley County. The house was later dismantled and moved to Clemson University and functions as a house museum.