Pelion was born in 1900 when the Southern Railroad Company completed a line linking Columbia with Savannah and points in Florida. Before and during the Revolution, this section of Lexington County was an important crossroads. Watersferry Road, the Indian Trail from the North Edisto River to Granby (Fort Congaree), and the Charleston Road to Ninety-Six all converged in Pelion. The Cedar Ponds (now Cedar and Fort Pond) formed by impounding the clear water of ever flowing Cedar Creek, made the area a favorite campsite for Tory and Continental forces alike. A thick growth of pines afforded shelter for the men and livestock. The British relief column to Ninety-Six camped on the banks of Cedar Pond. Richard Hampton, brother of the first Wade Hampton led a group of Orangeburgers in defeating a Tory band captured by a man named Livingston on the banks of Cedar Pond. Cedar Pond was largely responsible for the location of Pelion, for the pond furnished water for the Southern Railroad steam locomotives. Engineers called the water the most desirable on the line, as the water was filtered of impurities by the sandhills through which it traveled to form Fort and Cedar Ponds. Several railroad stops on the Southern Railroad from Columbia to Savannah were named from mythology. The daughter of an official of the railroad selected the names because of her love of mythology. After crossing the Congaree Creek much of the land was hilly and barren. In the summer the sand reflected the sun's rays and made it hot as the mythological state on the other side of the river Styx. The names she chose were Styx, Ossa, Macedon, Pelion, and Thor. Ossa and Pelion, mountains in northern Greece, were the names she chose for two high hills on the rail bed from Cayce to Augusta, In Greek mythology, two handsome but mischievous giants attempted to climb to heaven to conquer Mount Olympus. They took two mountains, Mount Pelion and Mount Ossa, and piled Ossa on Pelion to reach their goal. "Imponere Pelio Ossam" from the Latin author, Virgil, translates to "pile upon Ossa." Ossa is now called Edmond. The only old railroad stop between Cayce and Augusta in Lexington County that was in an incorporated town was Pelion. The soon to be Town of Pelion was surveyed and platted by Percy S. Norris of Aiken County in 1911 for Mrs. Lessie Haltiwanger Fort, who owned 3772 acres in the area. Mrs. Fort paid Mr. Norris five dollars a day, the going rate at the time, to survey the acreage and lay out the town of Pelion. Mr. Norris also paid the survey crew out of the five dollars a day. On September 7, 1912 the Town or Pelion was officially incorporated into Lexington County. The streets of Pelion were named for trees found growing in the area: Mulberry, Pine (old SC 215, now 302), Magnolia, Maple, and Oak. In the autumn the blackjack oaks are a blanket of red over the area with tall yellow hickory and green long leaf pines peeking through. The Pelion sandhill area is one spot in SC that the long leaf pines will grow. Early county residents rafted the incomparable lumber from the long leaf down the Edisto River to Charleston. Many of the fine old homes of Charleston were built from this excellent tree. Reprinted from the original "First South Carolina Peanut Party" Program Brochure, August 28, 1982