Cherokee Foothills
National Scenic Byway
This location (Greenville/Spartanburg County Line) marks the eastern boundary between the Cherokee Nation and the Province of South Carolina from the end of the Cherokee War (1761) until 1777. The local community, Gowensville, is named for John "Buck" Gowen, a Revolutionary War soldier for whom the nearby Gowen's Fort was named. A skirmish at the fort on July 13, 1780, was the first in a series of eight confrontations leading to the tide-turning battle of the Cowpens in in January, 1781.
Foothills and mountainous regions from this location to the west for generations have been referred to as the "Dark Corner." In the early 19th Century, the name was used because of the strong Unionist leanings of the residents of this area during South Carolina's Nullification Crisis, then in the late 19th Century the connotation of the name changed because of the "white lightning" whiskey making in the area and its associated lawlessness.
Nearby historic sites are First Baptist Church (1820) and Earlesdale (1871), sites for Gowensville Seminary (1858-90), Gowensville School (1922), and Campbell's Covered Bridge (1909), the sole-surviving original covered bridge in South Carolina. For other scenic and historic points of interest, refer to the Byway map below.
Marker is at the intersection of Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (State Highway 11) and New Cut Road, on the right when traveling east on Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway.
Courtesy hmdb.org
