PUMPKINTOWN — En route to some of the state’s prolific peaks — Table Rock and Sassafras — along Scenic Highway 11 in the northern part of Pickens County, it’s hard to miss the shining metal siding of the obscurely placed Pumpkintown Mountain Opry. Not to mention the larger-than-life orange pumpkin whose door and windows invite passersby to stop and pop inside for a unique roadside photo opportunity. Without much context, it seems like that might be the extent of Pumpkintown.
It’s an unincorporated area of Pickens County that’s never had its own census designation or zip code. It’s one of the oldest villages in what settlers called the “upcountry” when they arrived in the mid-1700s — yet nobody is entirely sure how it got its name. Named for its gourds and founded on agriculture, Pumpkintown now gets a boost from tourists visiting area mountaintops and waterfalls.
Pumpkintown’s first settler was Cornelius Keith, who arrived in 1745 with his wife, baby, wagon and three ponies. When approached by the Cherokee people who inhabited the land, it’s said Keith traded one of his ponies with Chief Woolenoy for the land around the river. That river is now known as the Oolenoy River, and people who visit the Table Rock State Park Visitor’s Center have a prime view of Lake Oolenoy.
The geography of the land is tied tightly to its establishment and current existence. Keith likely chose to settle there as the hills reminded of his home in Scotland, and its hills still attract tourists for hiking, waterfalls and the autumnal leaf change. “The Oolenoy valley is one of the most beautiful sections of our county, with its broad valleys, towering mountains, and clear, crystal streams,” a contributor wrote in the Pickens Sentinel newspaper in 1917.
“And during summer the most delightful breezes sweep over the mountains and valleys.” One story in “Echoes,” a book written in 1980 about the area, claims a drunk man approached settlers who were debating the area’s name. There was no need to keep bickering, he said as he gestured to the “thousands of monstrous” gourds growing in the valley.
Just call it Pumpkintown, he supposedly told them. Pumpkintown General Store & Cafe owner Bill Alexander said he decided to buy the cafe after eating there almost every day during his retirement. He leases the space from the Burgess family that opened it at the same spot in 1938.
It’s also possible that cattlemen from North Carolina taking their animals to market began calling it the same name for the same reason. Its main crossroads of Table Rock Road and Pumpkintown Highway were once full of bustling inns and taverns to accommodate travelers. Lindsey Graham emerges as Trump's top South Carolina surrogate — but on his own terms 'I got that .
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After eating there almost daily since his retirement in 2005, Alexander chose to phase out the “general store” element to expand the café. It was a fortuitous move, as Dollar General — the first new store in decades — opened across the street in 2018. The restaurant is full of regulars and the occasional tourist, and Alexander recommends the country ham for breakfast and a steak for lunch, regardless of how often customers visit.
Tourists are more likely to wind up at the Pumpkintown Mountain Opry on Scenic Highway 11, which has a small coffee shop and restaurant run by Jenny and Jarle Aatun. Table Rock State Park was a steady attraction for locals, but after the highway opened in 1972, the Aartuns built some cabins to accommodate tourist overflow. The main building followed in 1986.
Pumpkintown Mountain Opry owners Jarle (John) and Jenny Aartun have operated their cafe on the side of S.C. Highway 11 since 1986.
With its steep peaks and two-story porches, it looks like it might have been designed for a fairytale. Instead, it sits just off the highway and serves a fair amount of lattes — pumpkin spice is available year-round — and Jarle’s barbecue smoked on-site. It’s a seasonal business, Jenny said, and tapers off in November when the last colorful leaves have dropped.
The opry was home to the area’s main festival — a fall pumpkin festival — in 2022. The fire department now hosts the annual festival in October. Though the greased pig chases are no longer on the agenda, its vendors still provide local food and crafts.
The first festival was held in 1979 at the former school, now the Oolenoy Community House, as a fundraiser for the Pumpkintown Fire Department. Its parade is the reason the Aartuns built the giant pumpkin float, which has stayed on their property since its construction in 2004. Jarle Aartun and a friend built this pumpkin float in 2004 for the annual fall festival.
He moved it from the Opry's parking lot after several people backed into the trailer, but he still invites visitors to stop and take photos with it. Every few years, he has to fill in the bird-pecked holes and freshen up its paint, Aartun said. It’s well worth the effort to keep bringing attention to this tiny town and servings its residents and visitors alike.
After all, Jenny said, the best thing about Pumpkintown is the balance: the busy season of serving and the slower times to take in the quiet scenery that convinced Cornelius Keith to call this place home..
