Welcome to Barnwell County. The best of both worlds, that's Barnwell County...an excellent manufacturing and industrial base balanced by agriculture and forestry. Barnwell County is a compact 553 square miles. The county contains seven incorporated municipalities. The city of Barnwell is the county seat.

Barnwell County Courthouse & Sundial

Legend has it that this is the only vertical sundial in the U.S. and though erected two years prior to Standard Time, it keeps within 2 minutes of that. Capt. Joseph D. Allen, a wealthy Barnwell resident, had the sundial made in Charleston. He was a lover of monuments and adorned his parent's graves with ornate monuments. He saw to it that his Nannie's grave, and even his dog's grave, were well marked. It is ironic then, that after losing his wealth in the Civil War, he was buried in a grave not even marked by a headstone. The original courthouse, built in Boiling Springs in 1789, was succeeded by several buildings on the present site. The present courthouse was built in 1878-79.

Church of Holy Apostles & Rectory

Erected in 1856-57, the church is on the National Register. Built of cypress wood, with virgin heart pine pews, this beautiful building was used to stable Union horses when Kilpatrick's Calvary marched through Barnwell. The medieval font in the church was used to water the horses. Before it was seized, the congregation had removed and buried the stained glass windows which were later replaced. The church yard cemetary holds many famous people: Judge Robert A. Aldrich; Gen. A.P. Butler; William Gilmore Simms, Jr. distinguished confederate soldier, lawyer and civic minded citizen - also son of noted author Simms; Dr. A. Bethune Patterson, state senator; Congressman James O.H. Patterson; devoted family slave Charlotte, of the Patterson family; Miss May Brown, who for many years was head of the Church Home for Ladies in Charleston; and Solomon Blatt, long-time Speaker of the SC House of Representatives.

Healing Springs

Indians believed in the spring's natural healing power and brought wounded Revolutionary War soldiers here to drink. Locals still believe in the spring's power and drink and bathe in it's waters. In 1944, the acre of land the spring is on was legally deeded to GOD by L.P."Luke" Boylston.




Barnwell County in General

Major Industry Population Education Representatives and Officials