The name Keowee is actually an English variation of the Cherokee word Kuwahiyi, from ku-wa-hi, a place with good stand of mulberry trees.  The literal meaning is ‘mulberry grove place.’  Two towns held the name: the first was a major town, now lying beneath the waters of Lake Keowee.  The other was somewhere between what are now Easley and Pickens, SC.  Poor English pronunciation of the first town led to the name of the Keowee River, and eventually to Lake Keowee.  

Mulberries were an important part of the Cherokee diet.  Historical records show mulberries, mulberry bark and mulberry root being used to treat a wide ratne of maladies, including worms, weakness, urinary infections, digestion, and skin problems.  It’s no wonder the Cherokee people made their homes near this curative plant.  Groves of mulberry trees and bushes are still found in the area.

And the name Cherokee?  It means ‘forest water.’