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A−History
History · Barnwell

Barnwell dates to 1798, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns · #24 of 169 in South Carolina. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.

1798founded
5on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Barnwell’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Barnwell began

When was Barnwell founded?

1798

Barnwell dates its founding to 1798 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 648 in 18802020 census: 4,652228 years

How historic is Barnwell?

A−

More historic than 81% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1805.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Barnwell’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barnwell is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #24 of 169 in South Carolina. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barnwell’s overall grade.
Founding era1798, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194016.9% of homes (±7.3) · typical SC town 3.5% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register5 listings, 10.8 per 10,000 residents · typical SC town 3.2 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 81%
NewerOlder
South Carolina towns of 2,500+ (169)Ahead of 86%

South Carolina towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Carolina town has 3.2 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barnwell’s 10.8 sits above most of its state (66% of South Carolina towns have fewer) while its 5 listings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points). Two sources give 1798.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Barnwell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1891 to 1922, drew every building in Barnwell.Deep rootsEstablished in 1798: 228 years of Barnwell.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Barnwell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Barnwell’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSouth Carolina - Scene around Barnwell …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Barnwell, building by building, 1891–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Barnwell fire insurance map, 1891, sheet 11891Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Barnwell, 1798 to 1971

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1798
    FoundingBarnwell is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1805Post officeThe Barnwell post office opens
  5. 1810Born hereSamuel W. Trotti is born here
  6. 1857Born hereJames O'H. Patterson is born here
  7. 1864Born hereBarry Miller is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1940In the archiveSouth Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 01
  10. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1968In the archiveBarnwell County Courthouse
  12. 1971Born hereTroy Brown is born here
The story

How Barnwell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Barnwell.

Read it all →

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 (1748–1800), who headed a militia in South Carolina. Barnwell County originally stretched from the Savannah River on the west almost to the Atlantic Ocean.

Built in 1832, the South Carolina Railroad connected Charleston to Hamburg, near Augusta, Georgia, 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.

ChaptersCivil WarRegistered historic sites

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Barnwell, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1940s to the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s–1960s3 items
South Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 01c. 1940South Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 01PostcardSouth Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 021940South Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 02PostcardBarnwell County Courthouse1968Barnwell County Courthouse
1970s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
Salkehatchie Bridge, State Route No. 64 spanning Salkehatchie RiverDate?Salkehatchie Bridge, State Route No. 64 spanning Salk…
Today5 recent
Lewis Malone Ayer, Jr2013Lewis Malone Ayer, JrStreet View at2009Street View atRev. MOSES ^^^2009Rev. MOSES ^^^Airport at2009Airport atSCMap-doton-Barnwell2004SCMap-doton-Barnwell
On the map

Barnwell on the map, 1943 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barnwell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Barnwell on the 1943 USGS mapBarnwell on the 1979 USGS map1943Allendale sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Barnwell.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

South Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 01
Retake this viewSouth Carolina - Scene around Barnwell 01, c. 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Barnwell’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 historic places in Barnwell

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Church of the Holy Apostles Rectory
Church of the Holy Apostles RectoryChurch of the Holy Apostles, EpiscopalOld Presbyterian ChurchBanksia HallBethlehem Baptist Church
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival2
Gothic2
Greek Revival1
Georgian1
Vernacular1
Queen Anne1
Church of the Holy Apostles RectoryGothic Revival
Church of the Holy Apostles, EpiscopalGothic Revival
Old Presbyterian ChurchGreek Revival
Banksia HallGeorgian
Bethlehem Baptist ChurchVernacular

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Barnwell, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 5,572

Between 648 and 5,572 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Barnwell’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Barnwell

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
T
Troy BrownAmerican football player and coach · b. 1971
Barry MillerAmerican politician · b. 1864
James O'H. PattersonAmerican politician · b. 1857
S
Samuel W. TrottiAmerican politician · b. 1810
Lewis Malone Ayer, Jr.American politician · b. 1821
Solomon Blatt, Jr.American judge · b. 1921
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Barnwell’s post office has been open since 1805.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Happy BottomHells Half Acre
Gone or out of use
Barnwell AcademyschoolBarnwell Stationlocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Barnwell’s history

What year was Barnwell founded?

In 1798, according to Wikidata. Barnwell’s post office opened in 1805, and the census of 1880 counted 648 people here.

How does Barnwell rank for history?

Barnwell is more historic than 81% of U.S. towns, #24 of 169 in South Carolina. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Barnwell?

5 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Church of the Holy Apostles Rectory (listed 1972, the first).

How old are the homes in Barnwell?

17% of Barnwell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 3.5% for a South Carolina town; the median home was built in 1970.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.