Fort Prince George is "Missing Link in SC's History"

One day, it is rumored, the fabled city of Atlantis will rise from the ocean. If Ken Nabors has his way, Fort Prince George will rise from the bottom of Lake Keowee, where it has rested since 1971 when Duke Energy flooded the Keowee Valley, creating a lake with 300 miles of shoreline and 18,500 acres of water.

Nabors is president of the Pickens County Historical Society which has plans to rebuild the fort. He refers to it as the “missing link in South Carolina’s history.”

Nabors and Wayne Kelley, Vice President of the Pickens Historical Society, addressed the Fort Prince George Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Constructed in 1753, Fort Prince George was built to protect British trade. It was not only an imposing garrison with cannons and swivel guns, the fort became a trading center which made South Carolina the most prosperous province of England. A Cherokee delegation met with the Royal Governor, James Glen, in Charleston and signed a treaty which allowed the fort to be built. A few years later, the Cherokee rebelled against the British resulting massacres, broken treaties, and treachery.

It was named to honor George, the Prince of Wales, who would later become King George III of England. Ironically, it was during King George’s reign that the American Revolution took place.

The fort played a deciding role in the French & Indian War and was also the stomping ground for many of our Revolutionary War patriots, notably, Francis Marion (the Swamp Fox), Andrew Pickens, Thomas Sumter and William Moultrie.

The same South Carolinians who built Fort Prince George constructed a sister fort, Fort Loudon, in “unknown territory” to the northwest, which is present-day Tennessee.

Kelley noted that Fort Loudon averages 200,000 visitors a year and feels Fort Prince George would not only preserve an important era in South Carolina’s history but also bring much-needed tourist revenue to Pickens County.

Nancy Cromer, Regent of the Fort Prince George Chapter of DAR, is committed to preserving South Carolina history and feels “this project would not only benefit the county but would preserve precious South Carolina heritage.”

Kelley said the Pickens Historical Society is working to secure a 400 acre site for this “historical treasure” that would include walking trails and a large nature center.

The Historical Society is working with school groups and other historical organizations to resurrect the fort from its watery grave. If you would like to find out more about how you can help preserve South Carolina’s history by rebuilding Fort Prince George, visit www.pickenscountyhistoricalsociety.com or contact them directly at pickenscohistory@gmail.com.