Keowee Key, South Carolina

Keowee (Cherokee: ᎫᏩᎯᏱ, romanized: Guwahiyi) was a Cherokee town in the far northwest corner of present-day South Carolina. It was the principal town of what were called the seven Lower Towns, located along the Keowee River (Colonists referred to the lower reaches of the river as the Savannah in its lower reaches, with its mouth at the city they named Savannah). Keowee was situated on the Lower Cherokee Traders' Path, part of the Upper Road through the Piedmont. In 1752 the Cherokee established New Keowee Town nearby, off the traders' path but in a more defensible location. Both historic sites are within present-day Oconee County, South Carolina at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. European Americans developed the town of Clemson, South Carolina, south of here after they began to populate the area. When the Keowee River was dammed in a mid-20th century hydropower project, both former Keowee sites were submerged in the early 1970s beneath the waters of Lake Keowee. Before that, archeological excavation was conducted by specialists from the University of South Carolina to establish history and recover thousands of artifacts. Human and animal remains were also discovered at the site.

The Alexander–Hill House, also known as the Alexander–Cannon–Hill House, is a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places, located in High Falls County Park near Seneca, South Carolina off of South Carolina Highway 183. Built in 1831 by Pleasant Alexander, the house was originally located on a plantation near Old Pickens, the government center of the Pickens District, which was created after the Pendleton District split into two smaller districts. It was moved to its current location in 1972.The two-story clapboard house has original heart-pine floors in the entrance hall, wainscoting in the parlor and the original stairway. The two original brick chimneys were reassembled after the house was moved.The house is currently used by the High Falls County Park as its office and gift shop. Tours of the house are available on a limited basis.

The Oconee Nuclear Station is a nuclear power station located on Lake Keowee near Seneca, South Carolina, and has a power output capacity of over 2,500 megawatts. It is the second nuclear power station in the United States to have its operating license extended for an additional twenty years by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) (the application for the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland preceded it). This plant has three Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors, and is operated by Duke Energy.

Fort Prince George was a fort constructed in 1753 in the Province of South Carolina, on the Cherokee Path across the Keowee River from the Cherokee town of Keowee. The fort was named for the Prince of Wales, who would later become King George III of the United Kingdom. It was the principal Carolinian trading post among the Cherokee "Lower Towns".

Lake Keowee is a man-made reservoir in the United States in the state of South Carolina. It was developed to serve the needs of power utility Duke Energy and public recreational purposes. It is approximately 26 miles (42 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide, with an average depth of 54 feet (16 m), and a shoreline measured at 300 miles (480 km) in total, and is approximately 800 feet (240 m) above sea level. The massive demolition and building project began in 1971 with the construction of two large dams––Keowee Dam and Little River Dam, built on the rivers of the same names. The project covered 18,372 acres (74.35 km2). The lake collects or impounds waters from the Keowee River and the Little River and others. The outflows below the respective dams join to form the Seneca River, which flows into the larger Savannah River. Lake water is used to cool Duke Energy's three nuclear reactors located at the Oconee Nuclear Generating Station. In addition, the dams help generate hydroelectric power. The Keowee Hydro Station generates 158 megawatts from the lake's outflows. Lake Keowee has provided a recreational destination for fishing, boating, swimming, sailing, kayaking and other watersports. The lake has been described as having pure and clean water. The name Keowee (ᎨᎣᏫ) is a Cherokee word: it is roughly translated as "place of the mullberries." The historic Keowee Town had been located on the bank of the Keowee River and was the largest of the seven Cherokee Lower Towns in the colonial period, in what became the state of South Carolina. Both the town and the former Keowee River were inundated by the formation of Lake Keowee. Archeological excavations conducted in advance of the project by the University of South Carolina recovered thousands of artifacts, as well as evidence of human and animal remains. There was a traditional burial ground at the town.

Old Pickens Presbyterian Church is a historic church in Seneca, South Carolina.It was built in 1850 and added to the National Register in 1996.

Salem is a U.S. town in Oconee County, South Carolina. The population was 135 at the 2010 United States Census.

The Little River originally flowed 27.0 miles (43.5 km) from its headwaters in northern Oconee County, South Carolina near Salem into the Keowee River northeast of Seneca.The Little River was dammed at Newry, South Carolina in the 1890s to power the Newry Mill of the Courtenay Manufacturing Company.In the early 1960s, the lower part of the Little River was flooded by the Lake Hartwell reservoir. In the early 1970s, the Little River Dam was built upstream of Newry as one of two dams to form Lake Keowee. The upstream portion of the Little River remains free flowing.The Little River was in the heart of the Cherokee Lower Towns region. Several Cherokee towns were located along the river.

Newry is a census-designated place in Oconee County, South Carolina. According to the 2020 United States Census, the population of the CDP was 199.

The Issaqueena Bombing Range was a World War II target range used for training flight crews from Greenville Army Air Base, later renamed Donaldson Air Force Base. The Army Air Field was established in 1942 for the preparation of aircrew using North American B-25 Mitchell twin-engine bombers, and a suitable target area was established using Lake Issaqueena, northwest of Calhoun, South Carolina and Clemson University, completely within the Clemson Experimental Forest. Bombing Range Road is still located off of State Highway S-39-291, southwest of Six Mile, South Carolina and west of Lake Issaqueena.

Six Mile is a town in Pickens County, South Carolina, United States. The 2010 census showed a population of 675, representing a 21% increase since 2000. The 2020 census showed a population of 678 representing a 0.30% increase since 2010. The average household income in Six Mile is $82,828 with a poverty rate at 6.54%. The median rental costs in recent years is $618 per month, and the median house value is $258,700 Six Mile was named "Six Mile" because it was located six miles from Fort Prince George. Many other landmarks in this area were named by their distance from Fort Prince George such as 12 Mile River, 18 Mile Creek, and Ninety Six.

Keowee-Toxaway State Park is a state park in Pickens County, South Carolina. It was created in 1970 along the shores of Lake Keowee from lands previously owned by Duke Power.The Keowee-Toxaway Museum includes exhibits about the area Cherokee Indians and their interactions with local settlers. There are four interpretive kiosks along one trail that also highlight the Cherokees. Trail has since been closed and artifacts moved to the Cherokee museum in Walhalla, South Carolina. The park includes several picnic shelters as well as fishing and boat access to the adjacent lake. Hiking can be done on the 3.1 mi (5.0 km) Raven Rock hiking trail or the 1.4 mi (2.3 km) Natural Bridge hiking trail, as well as a short interpretive loop trail. The park also offers both backcountry and paved campsites, as well as cabin lodging.