Draft:Pacolet River Heritage Preserve

The Pacolet River Heritage Preserve, located in Spartanburg county, South Carolina west of the Pacolet River, is composed of 278 acres of land maintained by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. In 1980 the land, privately owned at the time, was nominated and eventually listed by the National Register of Historic Places for the "soapstone quarries" found there. . The preserve was acquired in 1992 in an effort to maintain and preserve the two pre-contact soapstone quarries. Today the heritage preserve includes walking trails and allows for visitors year-round, as well as supporting the viewing of common flora and fauna of the region.

History
Pre-Contact Discoveries Found in 1969 by Terry Ferguson, a professor at Wofford College, within the preserve are two soapstone quarries used by the natives that inhabited the region an estimated time of 3000 to 8000 years ago. This site's particular importance comes from what can be interpreted from the use of the stone. Soapstone was commonly used before conventional cooking methods as a form of indirect heat conduction to warm and cook foods unfit for raw consumption. Pottery and tools made of soapstone have also been discovered throughout the state of South Carolina and even as far as Florida, a region that lacks natural soapstone deposits. Today South Carolina DNR advises against touching soapstone quarries due to there fragile nature.

Early Modern History
The Pacolet River Heritage Preserve contains multiple plaques in regards to Spartanburg Counties "Great Flood of 1903" in which the Pacolet River flooded resulting in damages and loss of life.

Modern History
Since its acquisition in 1992 the Pacolet River Heritage Preserve has been open to the public for tour year round from sunrise to sunset. The Preserve consists primarily of a walking trail, totaling twenty minutes.

Flora and Fauna of the Region
All species found below of plants and animals have been listed in South Carolina Department of Natural Resources WMA guide on the Pacolet River Heritage Preserve

Flora
Common to the reserve are varying species of Oak Trees, Cucumber magnolias, and Pawpaws. Less common are species include that of the leafy liver wort.

Fauna
The preserve hosts the common species of animals within the region those being white-tailed Deer, Eastern Wild Turkey, Gray Fox, Bobcat, Otter, Beaver, and Gray Squirrel. The preserve also hosts the tricolored bat, at the moment being being considered for a spot on the endangered species list.