History of Clemson
CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) – After the Civil War, Thomas Green Clemson had a vision of what Clemson could become and it was centered around education and agriculture.
“I don’t think in his wildest dreams he could have imagined the impact Clemson would have regionally, nationally, locally,” Clemson University Historian, Dr. Otis Pickett, said. “They didn’t even really know about College Football in South Carolina in the 1880s.”
Clemson is a university with a campus that continues to evolve. It was built in the 1880s by convict laborers. The land, at the time a plantation was owned by former Vice President John C. Calhoun, who was also Secretary of War and Secretary of State.
“He wanted an agricultural college,” Pickett said. “That was all male, it was military it was land grant. The idea was that the sons of mechanics and farmers of the state would come here.”
Today Clemson attracts people from all over the country who want to call the city, full of orange and purple their home.
“We actually changed our name in 1964 from Clemson Agricultural College to Clemson University where we become heavily research-focused,” Dr. Pickett said. “We have graduate degrees that we confirm. We have women. We have African Americans. None of which were coming to Clemson in 1963 and 1955.”
The university makes up most of the town and it existed before the city itself.
City leaders said Clemson was first known as the Village of Calhoun. It was developed around the railroad tracks and contributed to the agricultural growth of the upstate.
“Clemson University has been so instrumental to the city,” Clemson’s Mayor, Robert Halfacre, said. “If you did not know we didn’t even incorporate the City of Clemson until the 1940’s.”
Dr. Pickett said Clemson’s history is extensive, and there are a few spots you can’t miss when you visit, including Bowman Field in front of one of the university’s longest-standing buildings Tillman Hall. Bowman Field is where the first intercollegiate athletic contest was held in 1896.
The Woodland Cemetery by Memorial Stadium is another, with descendants of Calhoun and his family as well as the first presidents and administrators at Clemson, and approximately 600 unmarked graves, which historians said were uncovered in the last ten years.
“A third would be the scroll of honor which is right across from the hill and the rock in Death Valley and it has 498 names of Clemson people who have served our country and died serving our country,” Dr. Pickett said.
Many who have lived here their whole lives said there is still a lot to learn about their city’s history.
“I like it because it gives us perspective you know,” Clemson Native, Kristophre Irmiter, said. “When I was younger, I would often hear people say you need to know where you came from to appreciate where you are and as a young person, I didn’t fully internalize that but….CLEM….SON.”
According to Clemson University records, more than 23,000 students now attend the school.
The University was founded in 1889, but when it opened in 1893, University Historian Dr. Otis Pickett said less than 500 students called ‘Clemson College’ home.
Learn more about our special guest:
- City of Clemson
- First Responder Friday: Clemson University FD, PD
- Clemson Area African American Museum
- Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce
- Clemson Child Development Center
- Clemson City Council
- Clemson Parks & Recreation
- Collins Home Family Ministries
- Football Family Affair
- South Carolina Botanical Gardens
- Sunny Side Cafe
- The Arts Center of Clemson
- The Parenting Place
- Tiger Town Tavern
- Visit Clemson
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