Campus of Clemson University
The Campus of Clemson University is located in unincorporated Pickens County, South Carolina, adjacent to Clemson; the U.S. Census Bureau designates the campus as a census-designated place.
This campus was originally the site of U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun's plantation, named Fort Hill. The plantation passed to his daughter, Anna, and son-in-law, Thomas Green Clemson. On Clemson's death in 1888, he willed the land to the state of South Carolina for the creation of a public university.
The university was founded in 1889, and three buildings from the initial construction still exist today: Hardin Hall, Main Building, and Godfrey Hall. Other periods of large expansion occurred in 1936–1938, when 8 new buildings constructed, and the late 1950s through 1970, when no fewer than 25 buildings were constructed, most in a similar architectural style.
The campus contains two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Clemson University Historic District I on the northern edge of campus, and the Clemson University Historic District II in the center of campus.
As the university is not in the City of Clemson corporate limits, the university does not have to abide by City of Clemson municipal ordinances nor receive permission to do any undertaking from the City of Clemson. The South Carolina General Assembly designated Clemson University as a "municipal corporation" in 1894.