Ellenton, South Carolina facts for kids
Ellenton was a community in South Carolina, United States. It was located on the border between Barnwell and Aiken counties. The town was settled around 1870.
In 1950, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission bought the town. This was for building the Savannah River Plant, a nuclear facility. All homes and businesses were purchased. Two new towns, New Ellenton, South Carolina and Jackson, South Carolina, were built nearby. The plant was located near the CSX railroad and what is now SC Highway 125.
Contents
History
How Ellenton Started
Ellenton began when the Port Royal and Augusta Railroad was built. This railroad later became the Charleston and Western Carolina Railway. It is now part of CSX Transportation. The railroad passed through land owned by Robert Jefferson Dunbar. Part of his land was used for the train tracks, the station, and the town itself.
Local stories say that Stephen Caldwell Millet named the town. He was in charge of building the railroad. He stayed with the Dunbar family. He was so impressed by Ellen Dunbar, the family's nine-year-old daughter, that he asked the company to name the station "Ellen's Town." However, records show that in 1870, Mary Ellen Dunbar was actually twenty-two years old.
The Ellenton Conflict
A serious conflict, sometimes called a riot, happened in Ellenton from September 15 to 21, 1876. It started when a group of white men tried to arrest two people. These arrests were ordered by an African-American judge named Prince Rivers. The situation quickly became very tense. Many people were killed during this time. One notable person who died was Simon P. Coker. He was a member of the state Legislature from Barnwell County.
Life in Ellenton (Late 1800s to 1950s)
The town of Ellenton officially became a town in 1880. For most of its history, it was a farming town. People also traded goods and operated sawmills there. The town faced hard times after World War I when cotton prices dropped. The Great Depression in the 1930s also caused problems.
By the early 1950s, about 760 people lived in Ellenton. There were around 190 homes and 30 businesses. The town had five churches and two schools, including Ellenton High School. It also had a cotton gin, a city hall with a jail, and a railroad station.
Ellenton was known for having the first automatic telephone dialing system in South Carolina. After many banks failed during the Great Depression, Ellenton also had the first cash depository in the state.
Moving Out: The Exodus
On November 28, 1950, a big announcement was made. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company said they would build the Savannah River Plant. This plant would cover about 300 square miles. It would be located in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties. The Savannah River Plant was built to produce materials like plutonium and tritium for the H-bomb.
About 6,000 people had to move from their homes. Around 6,000 graves also needed to be relocated. This included people from Ellenton and Dunbarton. It also affected smaller communities like Hawthorne, Meyers Mill, Robbins, and Leigh. Many of those who had to move were African-American farmers.
The government bought their properties or took them over. Many residents moved themselves and sometimes even their houses. They went to the new town of New Ellenton, South Carolina, about eight miles north. Others moved to nearby towns like Jackson, Beech Island, Aiken, and North Augusta. Some even moved to Augusta, Georgia, or out of state. Eventually, all that was left of Ellenton were the paved streets, curbs, and walkways.
Geography
Ellenton was located at about 33°13'15" N and 81°43'53" W. It was right on the line between Aiken County and Barnwell County.
Legacy
New Ellenton, South Carolina was created to replace the original Ellenton. Since 1973, former residents of Ellenton have held an annual reunion. This helps them remember their old town.
A musical called I Don't Live There Anymore: The Ellenton Story was first performed in Dorset, England, in 1992. It was also shown at the Piccolo Spoleto festival in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1993. The story of Ellenton and its fate also inspired the town of Colleton in the novel The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy.
