Dunbarton, South Carolina emerges from the mists of time as a fascinating historical site in South Carolina. This abandoned settlement, with its stories of rise and decline, offers valuable insights into the economic and social forces that have shaped the region over generations.
County: Barnwell
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 33° 11′ 46 N, 81° 32′ 20 W
Elevation: Not available
Time Zone: Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Established: 1910
Disestablished: Not available
Comments: Local historical records show that dunbarton was a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The area was originally settled circa 1800. Dunbarton grew after a train stop was built on a new rail line. In 1951, it was acquired by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as part of a site for the Savannah River Plant. The nearest incorporated community is the town of Snelling, to the northeast.
Remains: Physical evidence of the town the settlement of the town began with the construction of the Atlantic Coast Line in 1899 from Denmark, South Carolina, to Robins, South Carolina. Robins was on the railroad from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia. Robins was in the area taken for the Savannah River Plant. This line of the railroad was later rerouted to the south of Dunbarton. This line is now part of CSX Transportation. The old line east of Dunbarton is a spur that now services the Savannah River Site.
Current Status: The ghost town is presently the town of Dunbarton was incorporated in 1910. Dunbarton is named after the Dunbar family. It was an agricultural, trading, and sawmill town. By the early 1950s, Dunbarton had a population of about 300, about 35 residences, about 15 commercial buildings, one church, two schools including Dunbarton High School, two cotton gins, and the railroad station. Four Mile High School, an African-American high school, was located just outside the town of Dunbarton. It had dormitories so that some students could board during the week.
Remarks: The rise and fall of Dunbarton mirrors the boom-and-bust cycles that characterized much of South Carolina’s early development. Its story continues to resonate with those interested in understanding the challenges of frontier life.
The Founding and Early History of Dunbarton
Dunbarton, South Carolina, was a small but vibrant community in Barnwell County with origins dating back to the early 19th century. The settlement began to take formal shape around 1899 with the construction of the Atlantic Coast Line railroad from Denmark, South Carolina, to Robins, South Carolina. This new rail line created a strategic transportation hub that would become the foundation for the town’s development.
The town was named after the prominent Dunbar family, local landowners who were influential in the area’s early development. Officially incorporated in 1910, Dunbarton quickly established itself as an agricultural, trading, and sawmill center. Its location along the railroad made it an ideal spot for commerce and transportation of goods, particularly agricultural products from the surrounding farmlands.
The original railroad from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia, passed through Robins, which was located in the area that would later be taken for the Savannah River Plant. As the region developed, the railroad line was eventually rerouted to the south of Dunbarton. This line later became part of CSX Transportation, while the old line east of Dunbarton was converted into a spur that would eventually service the Savannah River Site.
Like many small Southern towns of the era, Dunbarton’s economy was primarily agricultural. The majority of residents in and around the town were farmers who cultivated cotton, corn, watermelons, and various garden vegetables. Many also raised livestock to sell at market, creating a diverse agricultural economy that sustained the community for decades. The town’s strategic location along the railroad allowed farmers to transport their goods efficiently to larger markets.
By the early 1950s, Dunbarton had grown into a modest but thriving community with approximately 300 residents. The town featured about 35 residences and 15 commercial buildings, creating a small but complete community infrastructure. Two cotton gins operated in the town, processing the cotton that was a staple crop for many local farmers. The town also had a lumber mill, Schumpert’s Lumber Mill, which provided employment and processed timber from the surrounding forests.
Dunbarton’s commercial district included various businesses that served the local population. There was a bank, a gas station, a garage, and several general stores where residents could purchase necessary supplies. These businesses formed the economic backbone of the community, providing essential services to both town residents and those living in the surrounding rural areas.
Community Life and Social Institutions
Religion played a central role in Dunbarton’s community life, as it did in most small Southern towns of the era. The town had a church that served as both a spiritual center and a gathering place for social events. Sunday services were a time for worship and community bonding, bringing together families from both the town and surrounding farms.
Education was also valued in Dunbarton, which boasted two schools, including Dunbarton High School. These institutions provided education for the town’s children and served as centers for community activities and events. Four Mile High School, an African-American high school, was located just outside the town limits. This school was notable for having dormitories that allowed students from more distant areas to board during the week, highlighting the importance placed on education despite the racial segregation that characterized the era.
The town’s post office was another important institution in Dunbarton’s daily life. According to historical accounts, during the Civil War, mail was brought to the area from Williston, South Carolina, by local citizens who took turns picking it up and ensuring each letter reached its intended recipient. This tradition of community service continued into the 20th century. Bernice Drummond, a Dunbarton resident quoted in a 1992 research project, recalled her father’s role as postmaster: ‘My father had a country route and a lot of people would come in and order goods from Sears & Roebuck … and Montgomery Ward. I remember my father complaining his hand hurt from writing out so many money orders for people ordering from these catalogs.’ This anecdote provides a glimpse into the daily life of the town and the important role the post office played in connecting residents to the wider world.
The railroad station was another focal point of community life, serving as both a transportation hub and a gathering place. The arrival of trains was an important event, bringing mail, goods, and occasionally visitors to the town. The station represented Dunbarton’s connection to the outside world and played a crucial role in the town’s economic activities.
Like many Southern communities of the time, Dunbarton was racially segregated, with distinct institutions and facilities for white and Black residents. The presence of Four Mile High School for African-American students, located outside the town proper, reflects this segregation. Despite these divisions, both white and Black residents contributed to the agricultural economy and community life that defined Dunbarton.
The Atomic Age and Displacement
The fate of Dunbarton was dramatically altered on November 28, 1950, when the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company announced plans to build the Savannah River Plant on approximately 300 square miles of land spanning Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties in South Carolina. This massive facility was intended for the production of plutonium and tritium, essential components for the hydrogen bomb being developed as part of America’s Cold War nuclear arsenal.
The announcement came as a shock to the residents of Dunbarton and other communities in the affected area. The government’s decision meant that entire towns would need to be evacuated and dismantled to make way for the nuclear facility. In addition to Dunbarton, the incorporated town of Ellenton and the unincorporated communities of Hawthorne, Meyers Mill, Robbins, and Leigh were all slated for removal.
Residents were given just 18 months to leave their homes, schools, farms, and businesses—all for what they were told was ‘the greater good of a threatened nation.’ This short timeframe created immense pressure on families who had to quickly decide where to relocate, how to transport their belongings, and how to rebuild their lives elsewhere.
The government purchased or condemned the property, offering compensation based on assessed values. However, many residents felt the compensation was inadequate. According to historical accounts, the government paid approximately $19 million for the 210,000 acres and three towns, while the fair market value of the timber alone was estimated at about $28 million, not including the land itself. This discrepancy led to feelings of resentment among many displaced residents who believed they were not being fairly compensated for their losses.
The displacement affected approximately 6,000 people across the entire area, with about 300 of those being from Dunbarton. A significant fraction of those removed were African-American farmers and sharecroppers, many of whom had deep roots in the land they were forced to leave. The evacuation also necessitated the relocation of approximately 6,000 graves from cemeteries throughout the affected area, though about 700 graves were left behind. Many of these were in or near Dunbarton, representing a physical and spiritual disconnection from ancestral ties.
As families packed and left, Dunbarton’s businesses closed one by one. Schumpert’s Lumber Mill, the cotton gins, the bank, the gas station, the garage, and the general stores all ceased operations. The church and schools were abandoned, and even the town’s oldest post office building was lost. The physical structures of the town were either relocated, demolished, or left to decay as the area was transformed into part of the nuclear facility.
Many former residents of Dunbarton relocated to nearby communities such as Barnwell, Williston, Jackson, Beech Island, and Aiken, South Carolina, or to Augusta, Georgia. Some even moved out of state entirely, dispersing the once close-knit community across a wide geographic area. In some cases, residents were able to physically move their homes to new locations, preserving at least some tangible connection to their former lives in Dunbarton.
One notable business from Dunbarton, Moody’s Drugstore, was dismantled and placed in storage for many decades. Today, its original and fully stocked counter and other items are on display as a permanent exhibit in the Aiken County Historical Museum in Aiken, providing a tangible link to the town’s past.
Legacy and Remembrance
After the evacuation of Dunbarton and the construction of the Savannah River Plant (later renamed the Savannah River Site), the physical town essentially ceased to exist. Eventually, nearly all that remained of Dunbarton were the streets, curbs, driveways, and walkways—silent reminders of the community that once thrived there. The area became part of a restricted government facility, inaccessible to the general public and former residents alike.
Despite the physical destruction of their town, former Dunbarton residents maintained a strong sense of community and connection to their shared past. In 1952, just a year after the evacuation began, former residents organized the first annual reunion. This tradition has continued uninterrupted for decades, providing an opportunity for former residents and their descendants to gather, share memories, and maintain the social bonds that once defined life in Dunbarton.
These reunions serve as a testament to the resilience of the Dunbarton community and the enduring impact of displacement on those who experienced it. They also function as a means of preserving and transmitting the town’s history and cultural heritage to younger generations who never knew Dunbarton as a living community.
In addition to the reunions, former residents and their families occasionally organize visits to the area where Dunbarton once stood. These visits, conducted with special permission from the Savannah River Site authorities, allow former residents to reconnect with their roots and see what remains of their former hometown.
The story of Dunbarton has been preserved through various historical documentation efforts. The Savannah River Archaeological Research Project conducted surveys and interviews with former residents in the early 1990s, collecting valuable firsthand accounts of life in the town before its dismantling. These accounts, from both white and African-American former residents, provide insights into agriculture, businesses, local government, religion, education, entertainment, and community organizations in Dunbarton.
Personal histories have also contributed to preserving Dunbarton’s memory. In 2013, Kimberly B. Lewis published ‘The Fourth Generation,’ a personal history of her mother, Betty Jane Dicks, during the exodus from Dunbarton. Such accounts provide intimate perspectives on the displacement experience and its impact on individuals and families.
While the displacement of Dunbarton and other communities was traumatic for those involved, the construction of the Savannah River Plant did bring economic benefits to the wider region. In 1953, DuPont opened the first plant and hired 24,000 employees, creating job opportunities that were welcomed by many in the area, including some former Dunbarton residents. As one historical account notes, ‘Although the residents miss their homes, the job opportunities have been welcome.’ This economic development represents a complex legacy of the town’s sacrifice for national security interests during the Cold War.
Today, the former location of Dunbarton lies within the boundaries of the Savannah River Site, which continues to operate as a Department of Energy facility. The site’s current mission focuses on environmental cleanup, nuclear materials management, and research and development. The sacrifice of Dunbarton and other communities made possible the development of this facility, which played a significant role in America’s Cold War nuclear strategy and continues to be an important part of the nation’s nuclear infrastructure.
Historical Significance
The story of Dunbarton represents a significant chapter in South Carolina’s history and in the broader narrative of America’s Cold War experience. As a community that was sacrificed for national security interests, Dunbarton exemplifies the profound social and cultural impacts of the nuclear arms race on ordinary Americans.
The displacement of Dunbarton and neighboring communities represents one of the largest peacetime relocations of American citizens in the 20th century. The evacuation of approximately 6,000 people and the acquisition of 210,000 acres of land for the Savannah River Plant was an unprecedented government action that forever altered the human geography of the region.
For historians and archaeologists, the abandoned site of Dunbarton provides valuable insights into rural Southern life in the first half of the 20th century. The preservation of street layouts, foundations, and other structural remnants within the secured boundaries of the Savannah River Site has created a kind of time capsule, protected from the development that might otherwise have erased these physical traces of the past.
The experience of Dunbarton’s residents also highlights important themes of sacrifice, resilience, and community identity in the face of displacement. The town’s annual reunions and the efforts of former residents to preserve their shared history demonstrate how community bonds can transcend physical location and persist even after the dissolution of the place that originally fostered them.
Dunbarton’s story is also significant in the context of environmental justice and the unequal distribution of burdens associated with national defense projects. The fact that rural, predominantly agricultural communities—including a significant African-American population—bore the brunt of displacement for the nuclear facility raises important questions about who was asked to sacrifice for national security during the Cold War era.
As a ghost town whose demise was directly linked to the development of nuclear weapons, Dunbarton stands as a powerful symbol of the Cold War’s impact on American society. The town’s story reminds us that the geopolitical tensions and military strategies of that era had real, lasting consequences for ordinary communities and individuals whose lives were uprooted in service to national priorities.
Today, as the Savannah River Site continues its evolution from a nuclear weapons production facility to a focus on environmental cleanup and nuclear materials management, the memory of Dunbarton serves as an important reminder of the human cost of the nuclear age and the complex legacy of America’s Cold War infrastructure.
Sources:
1. ‘Dunbarton, South Carolina.’ Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbarton,_South_Carolina
2. ‘Dunbarton: a town lost to the atom.’ Augusta Chronicle. https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/2013/04/08/stub-342/14457043007/
3. ‘South Carolina Ghost Towns.’ RootsWeb. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~scghostn/ellenton/ellenton.htm
4. Browder, Tonya A., Brooks, Richard D., and Crass, David C. ‘Memories of Home: Dunbarton and Meyers Mill Remembered.’ Savannah River Archaeological Research Heritage Series, No. 1, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 1993.
5. Lewis, Kimberly B. ‘The Fourth Generation.’ Kindle Direct Publishing, 2013.
6. Cassels, Louise. ‘The Unexpected Exodus.’ University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC, 2007.
