The "Pearis" of "Paris" Mountain
An adventurous hero or an opportunistic traitor, Richard Pearis led a life touched by many of colonial America's defining themes. Leaving Virginia, he settled by the Reedy River in 1768 and is credited with being the first to harness local waterpower at a gristmill. Through his Cherokee "side wife," Pearis built alliances with Native Americans that helped him amass some 150,000 acres, including all of what is now Greenville.
During the revolution, Pearis's support of the Crown prompted his imprisonment and the lost of all his property. Continuing to fight for the Redcoats, Richard Pearis was rewarded with a royal pension that let him live out his days in the Bahamas.
Marker can be reached from State Park Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
