Barnwell is a city in and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Barnwell County,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, United States, located along U.S. Route 278. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Barnwell is located east of the center of Barnwell County at (33.244534, -81.363214). Turkey Creek, a tributary of the

Salkehatchie River The Salkehatchie River originates near the City of Barnwell, South Carolina and accepts drainage from Turkey Creek and Whippy Swamp before merging with the Little Salkehatchie River to form the Combahee River Basin, which empties into Saint Helena ...

, runs through the city just west of the downtown, and includes a small impoundment known as Lake Brown in the north part of the city. U.S. Route 278 passes through the city, leading south to Allendale and northwest to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. State highways 3, 70, 64 also pass through the city; SC 64 leads west to the east entrance of the

Savannah River Site 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, southeast of August ...

, which is a nuclear reservation. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Barnwell has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.86%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 4,652 people, 1,685 households, and 1,096 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 5,035 people, 2,035 households, and 1,353 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 659.5 people per square mile (254.8/km²). There were 2,304 housing units at an average density of 301.8 per square mile (116.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.81%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 47.37%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 1.05%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.34% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.99% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.62% of the population. There were 2,035 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 22.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,722, and the median income for a family was $37,841. Males had a median income of $35,039 versus $21,912 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,709. placing it in the top third of the state. About 20.4% of families and 22.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 30.5% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

In 1785 the district of Winton County was formed from a portion of the Orangeburg District in order to create another judicial circuit. It was given its current name in 1798 when the county and its seat were named for Revolutionary War leader

John Barnwell John Barnwell (born 24 December 1938) is an English former football player and manager. He was the chief executive of the League Managers Association. Career Arsenal Born in Newcastle, Barnwell first played as an amateur for Whitley Bay and ...

(1748–1800), who headed a militia in South Carolina. Barnwell County originally stretched from the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

on the west almost to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Built in 1832, the

South Carolina Railroad The South Carolina Rail Road Company was a railroad company that operated in South Carolina from 1843 to 1894, when it was succeeded by the Southern Railway. It was formed in 1844 by the merger of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SC ...

connected Charleston to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, near

, upriver on the Savannah River. The designation of two stops on the railroad led to the development of the towns of Blackville and Williston in the mid-nineteenth century.

Civil War

Barnwell gave generously to the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

cause. Its most distinguished participant was Confederate General

Johnson Hagood Johnson Hagood may refer to: *Johnson Hagood (governor) (1828–1898), American Civil War soldier and Governor of South Carolina, 1880–1882 * Johnson Hagood (1873–1948), American World War I general See also *Johnson Hagood Stadium Johnson ...

, who was later elected as governor of South Carolina, serving. When Union General

Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of Brevet (military), brevet Major general (United States), major general. He was later the United S ...

was in Barnwell, as part of General

Sherman's March to the Sea Sherman's March to the Sea (also known as the Savannah campaign or simply Sherman's March) was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 until December 21, 1864, by William Tecumseh Sherman, major ...

, his horses were stabled in the Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles; the baptismal font in the church was used to water the horses.

Registered historic sites

Banksia Hall Banksia Hall is a private residence located in Barnwell, South Carolina. It is noteworthy because it is representative of the state's upcountry style of plantation home, circa 1780–1800. The landmark is historically significant as well. Shortl ...

, Bethlehem Baptist Church,

Church of the Holy Apostles Rectory The Church of the Holy Apostles Rectory is an historic Carpenter Gothic house located at 1700 Hagood Avenue in Barnwell, South Carolina, On April 13, 1972, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is also known as the Roberts ...

Church of the Holy Apostles, Episcopal The Church of the Holy Apostles is an historic Carpenter Gothic Anglican, Former-Episcopal church located at 1706 Hagood Avenue in Barnwell, South Carolina, Barnwell, South Carolina. On April 13, 1972, it was added to the National Register of H ...

, and Old Presbyterian Church are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Education

Barnwell has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, a branch of the ABBE Regional Library System.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Barnwell has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Barnwell, South Carolina
/ref>

Notable people

Solomon Blatt, Jr. Solomon "Sol" Blatt Jr. (; August 20, 1921 – April 20, 2016) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and trustee of the University of South Carolina. ...

, United States District Court judge *

Solomon Blatt, Sr. Solomon Blatt (February 27, 1895 – May 14, 1986) was a long time United States Democratic Party, Democratic legislator of South Carolina from Barnwell County, South Carolina, Barnwell County during the middle of the 20th century. He was a ...

, South Carolina state representative - member of the "

Barnwell Ring The so-called "Barnwell Ring" was a grouping of influential Democratic South Carolina political leaders from Barnwell County. The group included state Senator Edgar A. Brown, state Representative Solomon Blatt, Sr., Governor Joseph Emile Harley ...

" * Edgar Brown, South Carolina state senator - member of the "Barnwell Ring" *

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, R&B singer, songwriter, arranger, and dancer *

Troy Brown Troy Fitzgerald Brown (born July 2, 1971) is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers and kick returners coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a wide receiver and k ...

, New England Patriots wide receiver *

Joseph Emile Harley Joseph Emile Harley (September 14, 1880February 27, 1942) was the List of Governors of South Carolina, 100th governor of South Carolina from 1941 to 1942 and a member of the "Barnwell Ring." Early life and education Harley was born September 14, ...

, South Carolina governor - member of the "

" *

Barry Miller Barry Miller may refer to: *Barry Miller (actor) Barry Miller (born February 6, 1958) is an American actor. He won Broadway's 1985 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for his performance in ''Biloxi Blues''. Early life Miller wa ...

, Texas lawyer and politician * James T. Moore, Marine Corps Lieutenant general during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

R. Winston Morris Ralph Winston Morris (born January 19, 1941 in Barnwell, South Carolina) is an American tubist. He served as professor of tuba and euphonium at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, for 55 years, and subsequent to his retirement af ...

, professional tuba player and teacher *

Henry Louis Wallace Henry Louis Wallace (born November 4, 1965), also known as the “Taco Bell Strangler”, is an American serial killer who killed eleven black women in South Carolina and North Carolina from March 1990 to March 1994. He is currently awaiting exec ...

, serial killer

References

External links

*
''The People-Sentinel''
Barnwell's weekly newspaper

{{authority control Cities in South Carolina Cities in Barnwell County, South Carolina County seats in South Carolina Populated places established in 1798 1798 establishments in South Carolina