Barnwell County, an area blessed with sweeping rural landscapes, has played an important role in South Carolina’s distinguished history, from its roots in agriculture to its development of the government-owned Savannah River Plant. This visual history celebrates many of the county’s small towns, such as Barnwell, Williston, and Blackville; and includes fascinating images of some of the smaller communities.
In Barnwell County, you will experience an incredible visual tour of yesteryear, viewing Barnwell County through both photographs and postcards from the turn of the twentieth century to the 1960s. As you thumb through these pages, you will stroll along dusty downtown streets; visit the local train depots; read the time on the vertical sundial located next to the Barnwell Courthouse; explore the facilities of the German Prisoner of War Camp and see some of its inmates hard at work; investigate many of the old, wooden-frame churches scattered throughout the county; sit in on classes in one-room schoolhouses, including many of the African-American schools in the 1930s; watch trucks lumbering along dirt roads and balancing large homes from Dunbarton on their truckbeds; meet a few of Barnwell County’s more prominent citizens, such as C.G. Fuller, Representative Sol Blatt, and Senator Edgar Brown; and enjoy a variety of everyday activities, such as hunting, scouting, attending family reunions, or riding in classic automobiles along county roads.
Author H. Jerry Morris, a local schoolteacher for 29 years, has compiled this collection of images from the Barnwell County Museum Collection, from local citizens’ boxes in their attics and family albums, from his own collection of photographs, and amazingly, from a collection of images saved from a trash dumpster. With informative captions narrating your journey through the area, these images truly capture the spirit of the community—a spirit that makes Barnwell County unique in South Carolina.
