The little town in upstate South Carolina, embraced by nearby Paris Mountain and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is intriguing by its name alone, "Travelers Rest." It sits at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, yet it is only a half-day's journey from the Atlantic Ocean. This village has always been a place where travelers stopped. Situated on a crossroad of Cherokee trade trails, it became a rest stop for drovers moving their livestock over the mountains. Inns and rest camps developed, and the town of Travelers Rest grew around them. Scots-Irish settled the former Cherokee lands, and patriots were ceded land for Revolutionary War service. In 1887, the new railroad afforded access to factories and markets and improved transportation for tourists. Travelers Rest is proud of its history and eagerly looks forward to a thriving future built on a solid foundation of education, commerce, and community activities.
To help tell the story of our town, the Travelers Rest Historical Society, established in 2008, selected images from its collection, which is composed of donated photographs from local citizens.