Barnwell County has decreased in size over the years as new counties were created within its boundaries Aiken in , Bamberg in , and Allendale in The South Carolina Railroad , which connected Charleston to Hamburg on the Savannah River, was built through this area, creating the towns of Blackville and Williston in the mid-nineteenth century. In more recent years the county was the home of several powerful state politicians, known collectively as the "Barnwell Ring.
Barnwell County was settled in the early s by pioneers wishing to adventure into the "backcountry. By the end of the Revolutionary War, many settlers obtained grants in Barnwell County. Most were from North Carolina and Virginia. Barnwell was actually a district within Orangeburg until the late s. At this time, Winton County was created and the Barnwell name wasn't used again until Barnwell County, originally Winton County, stretched from the Savannah River on the west almost to the Atlantic ocean.
Barnwell County is the home of the first steam railroad in the world. Blackville and Williston, in the county today, were stations on this famous road when it was a journey from early morning till late in the night to travel from the Georgia line to the wide Atlantic and when the well known cry "change cars" was first heard in Branchville.
Of Barnwell County's generous contributions to the Confederate cause, the most distinguished was General Johnson Hagood who later as governor gave to the state one of the outstanding economic and business-like administrations in its history. Soon after his election, one of Hagood's constituents asked him if he wished to be called "General" or "Governor. The county stands particularly high religiously and educationally. Bishop McTyre of the Methodist church, Dr. Palmer, one of the leaders of the Southern Presbyterians, Dr.
Willingham, called the greatest of all the foreign mission secretaries of the Southern Baptists, and Louis M. Shook, first Baptist missionary ever sent to China, were born in Barnwell County.
Shook is buried in the Baptist churchyard in Barnwell and near his grave has recently been erected a beautiful brick church. In the exciting Reconstruction days when the white Democrats fought so valiantly to restore the state government to the whites, the county capital played hide and seek between Barnwell and Blackville.
The present high school building was built in as the county court house. About this time the five members of the legislature from the county were colored. Simon Coker, killed in the Ellenton Riot , was one of these.
So unsettled was the location of the county seat that the sheriff in advertising sales would say that they would be held at the courthouse, but name no town. Finally the location of the court house was left to a vote and Barnwell won by twelve votes. There is an ancient sun dial in the Barnwell courthouse yard - certainly the only one of its kind remaining in South Carolina. Barnwell today is a rather small but forward-looking and hustling county with some of the finest farming lands in the South.
Two of the largest single farms in the state are located in the county - the Jumper place of nearly 2, acres along the Edisto River on the northern boundary, and the Farrell place at Reynolds Station near Blackville, 2, acres, now owned by the Reynolds Farming corporation. Barnwell has square miles and a population of 23,white native born, 7,; colored, 15,; foreign born, 52; Indians, Chinese, 2.
The county seat, Barnwell, by the same census had a population of 1, and the other towns of the county as follows: Blackville, 1,; Williston, ; Kline, ; Elko, ; Dunbarton, ; Snelling, The railroad mileage of the county is 85, of which the Southern has the largest part, the Atlantic Coast Line second, and the Seaboard a few miles of Florida and New York main line.
The growing season is days and almost everything except strictly tropical fruits and vegetables thrive. In Barnwell County asparagus was first grown in this state in a commercial way, and Williston, always the center of this remarkable business, is the headquarters of the South Carolina Asparagus Growers' association and one of the largest truck basket and crate factories of the South.
Of course, cotton is the leading crop, with corn second. Kline, Dunbarton, and Barnwell are shipping points for some of the largest and finest watermelons. Blackville is the largest cucumber shipping point of the state, while asparagus is shipped in quantity from Elko, Williston, and Barnwell. Barnwell County, South Carolina. Year Established. County Seat. Significance of County Name. Population John Barnwell. Legislative Act Creating County.
County Evolution by Decade. Official County Website. Click Here. Historical Post Offices. American Revolution. American Civil War. Significant Education Events. Airports in Barnwell County. Maps of Barnwell County.
Books About Barnwell County. Genealogy Sources. A History of Barnwell County. Federal troops destroyed most of the businesses in Barnwell County in February After the Civil War, Barnwell farmers continued to produce cotton. But as prices declined, many turned to truck farming, especially asparagus and melons.
In a new railroad connected Blackville and Barnwell. Senate president Edgar A. In the U. Many residents moved to other sections of Barnwell County. The influx of construction crews, plant employees, and their families transformed Barnwell. The county is governed by the Barnwell County Council, comprised of members representing the three school districts and one member at large.
Besides three public school districts, the county also has a career center used by each. Higher education opportunities were made available by a branch of Denmark Technical College and the Salkehatchie branch campus of the University of South Carolina in nearby Allendale. By manufacturing provided more than one-fourth of the jobs in Barnwell County less than two percent of the workforce remained employed in agriculture.
Industrial parks occupy locations in or near the towns of Barnwell, Blackville, Snelling, and Williston. The Economic Development Commission, created in , vigorously pursued new industries, and Barnwell, Bamberg, and Allendale Counties created the TriCounty Alliance to encourage economic development for the region. Barnwell County Airport in Barnwell accommodates private and corporate planes with two 5,foot lighted runways. Barnwell County offers an abundance of sports and recreational opportunities, including excellent fishing, game hunting, and boating.
0コメント