"[2] After the completion of the Jones Gap Road in 1848, a former state senator, Benjamin Hagood, purchased about 2,400 acres (970 ha) around Caesars Head where he built a summer cottage, and later a hotel, "to take advantage of the area's cool breezes, moderate temperatures, and breath-taking views.

"[3] The hotel closed in 1862, and Hagood died in 1865, leaving the property to his daughter Eliza and her husband, Dr. Francis Miles, the first physician in Pickens County.

During the Civil War, the area was frequented by deserters from the Confederate Army,[4] but by 1876 the Mileses were operating a health resort on the mountain.

In 1897, the Mileses deeded the property to Furman University in exchange for an annuity and free room and board for the rest of their lives.

[9] The park permits fishing with artificial lures for brook, rainbow, and brown trout in the Middle Saluda River and Julian and Matthews creeks.