Dunbarton was a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The area was originally settled circa 1800. Dunbarton grew after a train stop was built on a new rail line. In 1951, it was acquired by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as part of a site for the Savannah River Plant. The nearest incorporated community is the town of Snelling, to the northeast.
The settlement of the town began with the construction of the Atlantic Coast Line in 1899 from Denmark, South Carolina, to Robins, South Carolina. Robins was on the railroad from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia. Robins was in the area taken for the Savannah River Plant. This line of the railroad was later rerouted to the south of Dunbarton. This line is now part of CSX Transportation. The old line east of Dunbarton is a spur that now services the Savannah River Site.
The town of Dunbarton was incorporated in 1910. Dunbarton is named after the Dunbar family. It was an agricultural, trading, and sawmill town. By the early 1950s, Dunbarton had a population of about 300, about 35 residences, about 15 commercial buildings, one church, two schools including Dunbarton High School, two cotton gins, and the railroad station. Four Mile High School, an African-American high school, was located just outside the town of Dunbarton. It had dormitories so that some students could board during the week.
On November 28, 1950, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company announced that the Savannah River Plant would be built on about 300 sq. mi. of Aiken County, Barnwell County, and Allendale County in South Carolina. The Savannah River Plant was built for the production of plutonium and tritium for the H-bomb.
About 6,000 people and 6,000 graves were to be relocated. This include the incorporated communities of Dunbarton and Ellenton and the unincorporated communities of Hawthorne, Meyers Mill, Robbins, and Leigh. A significant fraction of those removed were African-American farmers and sharecroppers.
The government purchased or condemned the property. Many of the residents moved themselves, and in some cases, their homes to Barnwell, Williston, Jackson, Beech Island, Aiken, South Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia. Some moved out of state. Eventually, nearly all that was left behind was the streets, curbs, driveways, and walkways.
Dunbarton's location was approximately 33°12'40" N and 81°33' W. It was located at the intersection of South Carolina highways 39 and 64 and the railroad. Highway 64 is now SRS "B." Highway 39 is now SRS "F" north of "B" and "B-6" south of "B."
An annual reunion of former Dunbarton residents started in 1952 and continues to this day.
Barnwell County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, its population was 22,621. Its county seat is Barnwell.
Aiken County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 160,099. Its county seat and largest city is Aiken. Aiken County is a part of the Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is mostly in the Sandhills region, with the northern parts reaching in the Piedmont and southern parts reaching into the Coastal Plain.
Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
New Ellenton is a city in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 2,052 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area.
Barnwell is a city in and county seat of Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census.
Snelling is a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 274 at the 2010 census.
North Augusta is a city in Aiken and Edgefield counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, on the north bank of the Savannah River. The population was 21,348 at the 2010 census. The city is included in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) and is part of the Augusta, Georgia, metropolitan area.
Hamburg, South Carolina is a ghost town in Aiken County, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was once a thriving upriver market located across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia in the Edgefield District. It was founded by Henry Shultz in 1821 who named it after his home town in Germany of the same name. The town was one of the state's primary interior markets by the 1830s, due largely to the fact that the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company chose Hamburg as the western terminus of its line to Charleston.
The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reservation in the United States in the state of South Carolina, located on land in Aiken, Allendale, and Barnwell counties adjacent to the Savannah River, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Augusta, Georgia. The site was built during the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for deployment in nuclear weapons. It covers 310 square miles (800 km2) and employs more than 10,000 people.
Savannah Town, South Carolina is a defunct settlement that was located in the colonial years on the Savannah River below the Fall Line in present-day Aiken County. In the 1670s the Westo had a village here, but they were displaced by the Savannah in a trade war, and it became known by 1685 as Savannah Town. The English colony had traders who did a lucrative business in dressed skins with the Savannah Shawnee. Fortified as a frontier post, the settlement developed and ferry service was established across the river. The town was gradually overtaken by its competitor of Augusta, Georgia, established in 1735 five miles upriver and closer to Indian settlements. Traders here intercepted commerce, sending it to their port of Savannah on the coast. By 1740 Savannah Town was declining, and by 1765 the village was abandoned and the fort closed.
Ellenton was a town that was on the border between Barnwell and Aiken counties, South Carolina, United States. Settled circa 1870, it was the site in September 1876 of a violent attack against blacks over several days by white militia, resulting in the death of at least 35 blacks and likely as many as 100, part of efforts to intimidate blacks by violence prior to the fall elections to suppress their voting.
Meyers Mill was an unincorporated community in southwestern Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The area was originally settled by the Meyer family in the late 19th century. Meyers Mill grew after a train stop was built on a new rail line. In 1951, it was acquired by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as part of a site for the Savannah River Plant.
U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is a 142.207-mile (228.860 km) U.S. highway that travels from Memphis, Tennessee to Charleston, South Carolina. In the U.S. state of South Carolina, it travels from the Savannah River at North Augusta to its eastern terminus in Charleston; connecting the cities of Aiken, Summerville, and North Charleston.
Horse Creek Valley is a geographic area along Horse Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River. It lies within present-day Aiken County, South Carolina. The area is alternately referred to as "Midland Valley". Rising near Vaucluse, South Carolina, Horse Creek enters the Savannah two miles downstream of downtown Augusta, Georgia. Other communities along Horse Creek include Graniteville, Warrenville, Gloverville, Langley, Burnettown, Bath, and Clearwater. While Horse Creek itself is rather insignificant, its potential for water power led to early examples of Southern industrialization, including a textile mill at Vaucluse (1830) and William Gregg's Graniteville Mill (1845). The textile industry continued to play a primary role until the Graniteville Train Derailment and final closure of the Graniteville Mill in 2006.
South Carolina Highway 125 (SC 125) is a 56.212-mile (90.464 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway serves as a direct route between Allendale and Augusta, Georgia, through the Savannah River Site (SRS); and an alternate to U.S. Route 278 (US 278).
South Carolina Highway 39 (SC 39) is a 100.889-mile (162.365 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway connects various rural communities and towns from the southwest to the northwest sections of the state.
South Carolina Highway 64 (SC 64) is a 73.730-mile (118.657 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It serves the cities of Barnwell and Walterboro while also providing a direct route to Charleston, via U.S. Route 17 (US 17).
South Carolina Highway 19 (SC 19) is a 28.750-mile (46.269 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It connects Aiken directly with the Savannah River Site and Edgefield via U.S. Route 25 (US 25).
The Ellenton riot or "Ellenton massacre" occurred in September of 1876. Author Mark M. Smith concluded that there was one white and up to 100 blacks killed, with several white people wounded.
Municipalities and communities of Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |