Barnwell, SC

History
Barnwell County was originally part of the Orangeburg District, and in 1785 it was named Winton County. It was given its current name in 1798 when the County and its seat were named for Revolutionary War leader John Barnwell (1748-1800). Barnwell County originally stretched from the Savannah River on the west almost to the Atlantic Ocean. Built in 1858, the sundial in Barnwell, South Carolina is the only remaining vertical freestanding sundial in the USA. It was surrounded by a parking lot in the 1960s, but in the 1990s, the Town of Barnwell removed the parking lot, built a park, and made the sundial a focal point of the park.

Today, a large portion of Orangeburg County, as well as parts of Aiken and Allendale counties, are used by the U.S. Department of Energy to create the Savannah River Site. SRS became a major employer for many Barnwell County residents. Although SRS doesn't employ as many people as it did initially, the site is still a major economic factor in the county.

Barnwell County is comprised of 548 square miles of land with an approximate population of 23,404, according to a 2004 U.S. Census estimate. The population has remained fairly stable in the last several years, showing a less than 1 percent decrease since 2000.

Economy
Barnwell County's rural setting and low-cost business environment has proven to be an excellent business location for new and expanding industry. The industrial community of Barnwell includes such recognizable, international companies as Milliken & Company, Hanesbrands, Inc., Dixie Narco, Inc.(a division of Crane Corporation), Dayco Corporation (a division of Mark IV Automotive), Allied Air, Inc. (a division of Lennox International), Energy Solutions, Washington Group International, Kronotex, USA and, most recently, Elkay Cabinet Division (a division of Elkay Manufacturing Company).

Barnwell County offers the amenities of a growing rural community coupled with the proximity to major metro areas in the southeast such as Columbia, Augusta-Aiken, Atlanta, and Charleston. In addition to the overall lower cost of doing business and the market access to the southeast, Barnwell County offers something unique that many other rural communities lack - a full-time, professional economic development agency and adequate financial resources to fund economic development.