Pumpkintown was a community settled before 1800 and was named "Pumpkin Town" by an anonymous early traveler awed by the sight of the Oolenoy Valley covered with huge yellow pumpkins. In 1791, it and Pickens Court House (Old Pickens) were the only two towns in present-day Pickens County. Tourists visiting nearby Table Rock Mountain often stayed at William Sutherland's inn at Pumpkintown.