A Presbyterian congregation at Old Pickens Church was probably organized in the 1840s, though an exact date cannot be fixed because the church records were destroyed in a fire around the turn of the 20th century. Construction on the church began in 1849 and was completed two years later, using bricks made from clay dug from the banks of the nearby Keowee River. Its heart pine floors are original, as are the pulpit and pews, and a side entrance leads to a gallery used by slaves. The cemetery contains over 200 grave sites, and the earliest, belonging to Lt. Joseph Reed, bears the dates 1750-1825. The church is the sole survivor of the lost town of Pickens Courthouse. After Pickens District was created, this site was chosen in 1828 for the district courthouse and named Pickens Courthouse in honor of Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens. The town was laid out eight blocks long by four wide and by the mid-1800s had expanded to include hotels, general stores, a jail, an academy, a Presbyterian church, many residences, and the courthouse. In 1868, Pickens District was divided into Pickens and Oconee Counties, and new Pickens, fourteen miles away, became the new county seat. Many structures, including the courthouse, were moved to the new town, and in the 1960s much of old Pickens was flooded by the waters of Lake Keowee.