The remnants of Hamburg, South Carolina offer a window into the past. This abandoned community, which once held the dreams and ambitions of its settlers, now stands as a historical marker of South Carolina’s development. Its weathered structures tell stories of prosperity, hardship, and eventual decline.
County: Aiken
Zip Code: Not available
Latitude / Longitude: 33° 29′ 0 N, 81° 57′ 0 W
Elevation: Not available
Time Zone: Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
Established: Not available
Disestablished: Not available
Comments: The ghost town of Hamburg, South Carolina, was once a thriving upriver market located in Edgefield District (now Aiken County) of Piedmont. Research shows that it was founded by Henry Shultz in 1821, across the Savannah River from Augusta, Georgia, in direct competition with that city (Cordle 1940:82). In its heyday, 60,000 bales of cotton worth $2,000,000 were brought by wagon to Hamburg each year (Chapman 1897:237). This cotton continued by pole boat or steamboat to the ports of Charleston or Savannah for subsequent shipment to manufacturers in New England or Europe. Hamburg lost business after Augusta completed its canal in 1848.
Remains: Today, the area after the American Civil War, Hamburg was repopulated mostly by freedmen and was within newly organized Aiken County. It became notorious in July 1876 as the site of a massacre of blacks by whites in what was one of a number of violent incidents by Democratic paramilitary groups to suppress black voting in that year’s elections. The Democrats regained control of the state government and federal troops were withdrawn the next year from South Carolina and other states, ending the Reconstruction era.
Current Status: The ghost town is presently with the completion of the Augusta Canal (1848) and the general expansion of railroads in the 1850s, strenuous overland hauls to Hamburg became unnecessary and the famous wagon traffic declined (Chapman 1897:238). Hamburg became a ghost town by the time of the Civil War (Chapman 1897:20)
Remarks: The rise and fall of Hamburg 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.
Hamburg, South Carolina: A Lost River Town
Along the banks of the Savannah River, where South Carolina meets Georgia, once stood the thriving town of Hamburg. Today, this ghost town exists primarily in historical records, with only a few scattered remnants marking its former location. Hamburg’s story encompasses economic ambition, racial conflict, and ultimately, abandonment—a microcosm of the complex social and economic forces that have shaped South Carolina’s history.
Origins and Founding
Hamburg’s story begins with an ambitious German immigrant named Henry Shultz. Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1776 as Klaus Hinrich Klahn (his origin was only discovered in 2016 by researcher Jürgen Möller), Shultz arrived in Augusta, Georgia in 1806 as a simple day laborer. Through determination and business acumen, he rose to prominence and by 1813 had accomplished what even wealthy South Carolinian Wade Hampton I had failed to do twice—building a lasting bridge across the Savannah River.
Shultz became a leading citizen in Augusta, owning part of the Steamboat Company of Georgia and a wharf in the city. However, like many entrepreneurs of the era, he issued paper currency backed by his bridge through what he called the “Bridge Bank.” This venture collapsed during the Panic of 1819, leading to his bankruptcy. When Georgia officials seized his Augusta Bridge to satisfy creditors, Shultz felt betrayed by the city that had been his home. In 1821, seeking both revenge and a fresh start, Shultz purchased land directly across the Savannah River from Augusta.
This land, previously owned by Chickasaw Indians, would become the town of Hamburg, named after Shultz’s German birthplace. The South Carolina General Assembly supported his venture by providing loans for inland navigation improvements and exempting all taxable property within the town from taxation for five years.
Economic Prosperity
Hamburg quickly developed into one of South Carolina’s primary interior markets. Its strategic location at the fall line of the Savannah River made it an ideal inland port for the shipment of cotton and tobacco headed toward Charleston or Savannah. By the 1830s, Hamburg had become a bustling commercial center with a population of approximately 2,500 residents. The town’s prosperity received a significant boost when the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company chose Hamburg as the western terminus of its line to Charleston.
Completed in 1833, this 136-mile railroad was, at the time, the longest rail line under single management in the world. The famous “Best Friend of Charleston” was the first engine to run along this line starting in 1830 until its unfortunate demise a year later. During its heyday, an estimated 60,000 bales of cotton worth $2,000,000 were brought by wagon to Hamburg each year. The town featured paved streets, commercial buildings, and all the amenities of a thriving 19th-century trading post. Hamburg’s success was so notable that the Marquis de Lafayette visited during his American tour in 1825. His secretary described Hamburg as “a sort of prodigy,” a “village called Hamburg” that was “not yet two years old and its port was already filled with vessels.”
Competition with Augusta and Decline
Hamburg’s prosperity was relatively short-lived. In 1848, Augusta completed the Augusta Canal, which diverted river traffic away from Hamburg. The final blow came in 1853 when the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company extended its line across a new rail bridge directly into Augusta, bypassing Hamburg entirely. With both water and rail traffic now flowing directly to Augusta, Hamburg’s economic reason for existence evaporated.
The town’s decline was swift. By the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Hamburg had been largely abandoned by white merchants and their families, becoming what many described as a ghost town. The once-bustling inland port had lost its competitive advantage and economic purpose.
Rebirth as a Freedmen’s Town
After the Civil War, Hamburg experienced an unexpected revival. The abandoned town was repopulated primarily by freed slaves who established their own municipality and state-sanctioned militia. Despite the town’s economic disadvantages, it offered several important benefits to the freedmen community: it was situated next to three fresh-water springs, provided excellent access to the river, and contained numerous vacant buildings that could be repurposed. For approximately a decade, this freedmen’s community afforded former slaves a safe place to build new lives.
Hamburg served as a home base for several key African American leaders of the Reconstruction era, including: – Prince Rivers, a literate former slave who escaped and joined the Union army, later becoming both a magistrate and a South Carolina legislator – Samuel J. Lee, a free man before the war who was elected as the speaker of the House and became the first black man admitted to the South Carolina Bar – Charles D. Hayne, a freeman from an elite Charleston family These three men were also instrumental in the founding of Aiken County, demonstrating the political influence that African Americans briefly wielded during Reconstruction.
The Hamburg Massacre
The town’s rebirth as a freedmen’s community came to a violent end on July 8, 1876, in what became known as the Hamburg Massacre. The incident began with a minor dispute on July 4, when two white farmers in a buggy demanded that the black militia, which was drilling in the street, make way for them. Though the farmers eventually passed, they later filed a complaint against the militia. During the subsequent hearing, a mob of approximately 100-200 armed white men from surrounding areas, including members of rifle clubs and “Red Shirts” (a paramilitary group dedicated to white supremacy), surrounded the armory where about 40 black militiamen had taken refuge.
A shootout ensued, resulting in the deaths of one white man and two black men. The violence did not end there. After the militia surrendered, five black men were captured and summarily executed by the mob. In total, seven men died—one white and six black. Future South Carolina governor Benjamin “Pitchfork” Tillman participated in this massacre and later boasted that “the leading white men of Edgefield” had decided “to seize the first opportunity that the Negroes might offer them to provoke a riot and teach the Negroes a lesson.”
Tillman described the massacre as an opportunity for “the whites [to] demonstrate their superiority by killing as many of them as was justifiable.” The Hamburg Massacre was one of several violent incidents orchestrated by Democratic paramilitary groups to suppress black voting in the 1876 elections. These efforts succeeded, as Democrats regained control of the state government. The following year, federal troops were withdrawn from South Carolina and other Southern states, effectively ending Reconstruction.
Final Abandonment
After the massacre, Hamburg never recovered. The town continued to decline, with its remaining residents gradually leaving over the subsequent decades. In 1929, particularly disastrous floods forced out the last inhabitants, marking the final chapter in Hamburg’s existence as an inhabited settlement. The Sumter Watchman and Southron newspaper reported in 1914 that the last assets of the town would be sold. By 1923, all residents had departed. The resort town of North Augusta grew to take its place, developing just north of Hamburg’s former location.
Hamburg Today: Physical Remnants
Today, very little remains of Hamburg. The town site is located between the 5th Street Bridge and 13th Street Bridge in present-day North Augusta. Most of the physical evidence of Hamburg’s existence has been erased by time, development, and flooding. The few surviving remnants include:
1. **The Hamburg Depot** – A humble yellow building behind a fence on private property in North Augusta, this structure served as the depot for the Charleston-to-Hamburg line of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road.
2. **Rail Bridge Pilings** – Concrete pilings from the old Hamburg-to-Augusta rail bridge remain visible in the Savannah River. The original bridge was dismantled in 1908 and replaced with the Sixth Street Bridge in 1912.
3. **Rutherford Brickyard Ruins** – Brick ruins from the W.J. Rutherford and Company, established in 1895, represent one of the last visible structures from Hamburg. The brick and clay businesses along the Savannah River banks took advantage of local clay deposits and provided livelihoods for residents after the decline of shipping.
4. **First Providence Baptist Church** – Founded in 1860 in Hamburg by African Americans from Thankful Baptist Church across the river in Augusta, this church survived the town’s demise and continues to exist in North Augusta.
Historical Significance and Legacy
Hamburg’s significance extends beyond its physical remains. The town represents several important chapters in South Carolina’s history:
1. **Economic Development** – Hamburg exemplifies the importance of transportation networks in 19th-century economic development. Its rise and fall directly correlate with changes in transportation technology and infrastructure.
2. **Reconstruction Era Politics** – As a freedmen’s town, Hamburg represents the brief period when African Americans exercised political power during Reconstruction, serving as home to several important black political leaders.
3. **Racial Violence** – The Hamburg Massacre stands as one of the most notorious examples of racial violence during the Reconstruction era, illustrating the violent methods used to suppress black political participation and reassert white supremacy.
4. **Urban Abandonment** – Hamburg’s complete abandonment demonstrates how towns can disappear when their economic purpose vanishes, a pattern repeated throughout American history.
In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Hamburg’s history. The Arts & Heritage Center of North Augusta created an exhibit titled “The Story of Hamburg: South Carolina’s Lost Town” in 2021, featuring panels chronicling the town’s founding, industry, people, and demise, along with artifacts including a model of the Hamburg Depot.
Conclusion
Hamburg, South Carolina represents a fascinating case study in the rise and fall of American settlements. From its ambitious founding by a vengeful entrepreneur to its brief prosperity as a commercial hub, followed by decline, rebirth as a freedmen’s community, violent suppression, and ultimate abandonment, Hamburg’s story encapsulates many of the economic and social forces that have shaped the American South.
Today, as North Augusta continues to develop on the grounds of old Hamburg, the ghost town’s legacy lives on primarily in historical records, a few physical remnants, and the collective memory of a community working to preserve and understand its complex past. Hamburg stands as a poignant reminder of how quickly human settlements can rise and fall, and how deeply intertwined economic opportunity, transportation networks, and racial politics have been in shaping the landscape of South Carolina.
Sources
1. “Hamburg, South Carolina.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg,_South_Carolina
2. “Hamburg and the Atomic Towns – Part One.” Random Connections. May 14, 2014. https://www.randomconnections.com/hamburg-and-the-atomic-towns-part-one/
3. “History of Hamburg, South Carolina.” SCIWAY. https://www.sciway.net/sc-history/hamburg-history.html
4. “The Story of Hamburg: South Carolina’s Lost Town Exhibit.” SC Humanities. https://schumanities.org/hamburg-south-carolinas-lost-town-exhibit/
5. Taylor, R. (1934). “Hamburg: An Experiment in Town Promotion.” The North Carolina Historical Review, 11(1), 19-40.
6. “Henry Shultz and the Dead Town of Hamburg, SC.” Hamburg: South Carolina’s Lost Town. http://www.hamburg-sc.com/
7. “The Hamburg Massacre.” South Carolina Encyclopedia. https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/hamburg-massacre/
