Staff Reports
A scenic creek that meanders through the center of the University of South Carolina Upstate’s campus has been named Persimmon Creek.
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the university’s proposal. The agency said the name has been entered into the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which is the nation’s official geographic names repository, and is available and searchable online at http://geonames.usgs.gov.
“We are so pleased to see our beloved creek finally get the name recognition it deserves,” said Jack Turner, director of USC Upstate’s Watershed Ecology Center, who led the effort to name the creek. “Things with names tend to be more protected than things that are nameless.”
The name is inspired by the persimmon tree, a fruit-bearing species native to the region that grows along the banks of the 1.9-mile creek.
The creek is a focal point of the university’s Susan Jacobs Arboretum. Created in 2002, the 12-acre arboretum features a dozen gardens that span from Gramling Drive to Hodge Drive, a 300-seat amphitheater, lighted walkways, foliage indigenous to the area, and rows of Nuttall Oak trees that define its north quadrangle.
Named for Susan Jacobs, a 1980 graduate of The Mary Black School of Nursing, the arboretum serves as the center for activity for future campus life and student programs. It provides a place for relaxation, enjoyment and reflection, and for cultural, social, and entertainment events.
A scenic creek that meanders through the center of the University of South Carolina Upstate’s campus has been named Persimmon Creek.