Ellenton, South Carolina holds a special fascination for those interested in South Carolina’s rich history. This ghost town, with its silent streets and abandoned structures, tells a story of human ambition, community building, and the sometimes harsh realities of frontier life.
County: Barnwell
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 33° 11′ 56 N, 81° 45′ 21 W
Elevation: Not available
Time Zone: Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Established: 1880
Disestablished: Not available
Comments: According to local history, ellenton was a town that was on the border between Barnwell and Aiken counties, South Carolina, United States. Settled circa 1870, it was the site in September 1876 of a violent attack against blacks over several days by white militia, resulting in the death of at least 35 blacks and likely as many as 100, part of efforts to intimidate blacks by violence prior to the fall elections to suppress their voting.
Remains: Present-day visitors will observe in 1950 the town was acquired by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as part of a site for the development of the Savannah River Plant, a nuclear plant. All the residences and businesses were acquired, and a new town, New Ellenton, was built. The plant was between the current CSX railroad and the current SC Highway 125, Upper Three Runs Creek, and Four Mile Branch. SC Highway 125 was U.S. Highway 278 in the 1950s.
Current Status: The abandoned location is currently new Ellenton was developed to replace Ellenton. An annual reunion of former Ellenton residents started in 1973 and continues today.
Remarks: The historical significance of Ellenton extends beyond its physical remains, offering a window into South Carolina’s past development patterns. Local preservation efforts continue to document and protect what remains of this once-thriving community.
Ellenton, South Carolina: A Town Sacrificed for National Security
Nestled along the border between Barnwell and Aiken counties in South Carolina, Ellenton was once a thriving community with a rich history dating back to the late 19th century. Today, it exists only in memories, historical records, and the foundations of buildings that lie within the restricted boundaries of the Savannah River Site. The story of Ellenton represents a unique chapter in American history—a tale of sacrifice during the Cold War era when entire communities were displaced in the name of national security.
Origins and Early Settlement
Ellenton was established around 1870, coinciding with the construction of the Port Royal and Augusta Railroad (later renamed the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway). The settlement grew around the railroad station, which was built on land that belonged to Robert Jefferson Dunbar’s plantation. Local oral tradition holds that the town was named after Ellen Dunbar, the daughter of Robert Jefferson Dunbar.
According to the story, Stephen Caldwell Millet, the superintendent of railroad construction and president of the railroad, was so impressed by Ellen’s beauty that he suggested naming the station “Ellen’s Town,” which was eventually shortened to Ellenton. Historical records from the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program, however, note that when this naming supposedly occurred in 1870, Mary Ellen Dunbar was actually twenty-two years old, not the nine-year-old child of local legend.
The town was officially incorporated in 1880, and for the next several decades, it developed as an agricultural, trading, and sawmill community. Ellenton became known for its progressive infrastructure—it boasted the first automatic telephone dialing system in South Carolina and, following the bank failures of the Great Depression, established the first cash depository in the state.
Community Life in Ellenton
By the early 20th century, Ellenton had evolved into a small but vibrant community. The town featured approximately 190 residences and about 30 commercial buildings, serving the needs of its roughly 760 residents. The community was anchored by five churches, two schools including Ellenton High School, a cotton gin, a city hall with a jail, and the railroad station that had given birth to the town.
Like many Southern communities, Ellenton experienced racial tensions throughout its history. One of the most notorious events in the town’s past was the Ellenton Riot of 1876, which began when a white posse attempted to serve warrants of arrest issued by an African-American Magistrate named Prince Rivers. The situation escalated dramatically, resulting in the deaths of two white men and approximately 100 African-Americans, though local leaders downplayed these numbers.
Among the notable casualties was Simon P. Coker, who had served as a member of the Legislature from Barnwell County. Despite these tensions, the community persevered through the economic challenges of the early 20th century, including the downturn in cotton prices following World War I and the Great Depression of the 1930s. By 1950, though smaller than in its heyday, Ellenton remained a functioning community with deep roots and generations of families who called it home.
The Announcement That Changed Everything
On November 28, 1950, an announcement shattered the quiet routine of life in Ellenton. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company revealed plans to build the Savannah River Plant on approximately 300 square miles of land encompassing Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties in South Carolina. The facility would be dedicated to the production of plutonium and tritium for the hydrogen bomb—materials deemed essential for national security during the intensifying Cold War. The news came as a complete shock to residents.
Signs appeared throughout the town bearing the message: “The Atomic Energy Commission is taking my home and 75,000 acres for a hydrogen bomb plant.” Overnight, the citizens of Ellenton learned that they would need to abandon their homes, businesses, churches, and schools—in essence, their entire way of life.
The Exodus
The displacement affected approximately 6,000 people and required the relocation of 6,000 graves from the area. This included not only Ellenton but also the incorporated community of Dunbarton and unincorporated communities of Hawthorne, Meyers Mill, Robbins, and Leigh. In this relatively poor rural area, a significant portion of those relocated were African-American farmers and sharecroppers.
The government purchased or condemned properties, offering what was deemed “fair market value” at the time. Many residents felt the compensation was inadequate, particularly considering that the fair market value of the timber alone was estimated at about $28 million, not including the land, while residents received a total of approximately $19 million for 210,000 acres and three towns.
The exodus was emotionally devastating for many families who had lived in the area for generations. Residents had to decide quickly where to relocate, what possessions to take, and how to rebuild their lives. Some moved themselves and, in some cases, their homes to the newly established town of New Ellenton, South Carolina, which was created eight miles north on U.S. Highway 278.
Others scattered to nearby communities such as Jackson, Beech Island, Aiken, North Augusta, and Augusta, Georgia, while some left the state entirely. By March 1, 1952, Ellenton had been completely evacuated. Eventually, most of what remained of the former town were paved streets, curbs, driveways, and walkways—ghostly reminders of the community that once thrived there.
The Savannah River Site
Construction of the Savannah River Plant began immediately after the evacuation. In 1953, DuPont opened the first plant and hired 24,000 employees. While the facility brought significant employment opportunities to the region—a fact acknowledged even by many displaced residents—it could never replace what had been lost: a community with deep historical roots and generations of shared experiences.
The Savannah River Site, as it is known today, continues to operate as a key Department of Energy industrial complex responsible for environmental stewardship, nuclear waste management, and disposition of nuclear materials. The site maintains the highest possible safety and security standards, which means that the former location of Ellenton remains inaccessible to the general public except during special guided tours.
Legacy and Remembrance
The legacy of Ellenton lives on in various ways. New Ellenton was developed specifically to replace the original town, though former residents often note that it has never thrived as its predecessor did. An annual reunion of former Ellenton residents began in 1973 and continues today, providing an opportunity for community members to maintain connections and share memories.
The story of Ellenton has inspired cultural works, including the musical “I Don’t Live There Anymore: The Ellenton Story,” which premiered in Dorset, England, in 1992 and was later produced at the Piccolo Spoleto during the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1993. The town and its fate were also the basis for the fictional town of Colleton in Pat Conroy’s novel “The Prince of Tides.”
In recent years, the Department of Energy and the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program have worked to preserve the history of Ellenton through walking tours of the former town site. These tours, which began before the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in 2024, allow visitors to see the old streets and building foundations of former residences and businesses, providing a tangible connection to this lost community.
Visiting Ellenton Today
While the original site of Ellenton lies within the secured boundaries of the Savannah River Site, interested visitors can participate in the limited walking tours offered by the SRS Heritage Foundation in collaboration with the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program. These tours provide a rare opportunity to walk the streets of this ghost town and learn about its history from knowledgeable guides.
Additionally, artifacts and historical information about Ellenton can be found at various local museums and through the Savannah River Archaeological Research Program, which manages all archaeological and historic resources for the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Site.
Conclusion
The story of Ellenton, South Carolina, serves as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by ordinary Americans during the Cold War. While the town physically disappeared to make way for a facility deemed essential to national security, its legacy endures through the memories of former residents, historical preservation efforts, and cultural works that ensure this unique chapter in American history is not forgotten.
Sources
1. “Ellenton, South Carolina.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellenton,_South_Carolina
2. “Savannah River Site Walking Tours Revisit Former Town of Ellenton.” U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management. April 30, 2024. https://www.energy.gov/em/articles/savannah-river-site-walking-tours-revisit-former-town-ellenton
3. “South Carolina Ghost Towns.” RootsWeb. http://sites.rootsweb.com/~scghostn/ellenton/ellenton.htm
4. Cassels, Louise. “The Unexpected Exodus.” University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, SC, 2007.
5. O’Berry, Lucius Sidney. “Ellenton, SC: My Life … Its Death.” Savannah River Archaeological Research Heritage Series, No. 4, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 1999.
6. Browder, Tonya A., and Brooks, Richard D. “Memories of Home: Reminiscences of Ellenton.” Savannah River Archaeological Research Heritage Series, No. 2, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 1996.
7. Smith, Mark M. “All Is Not Quiet in Our Hellish County: Facts, Fiction, Politics, and Race: The Ellenton Riot of 1876.” The South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 95, No. 2, 1994.
