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General DescriptionBamberg County lies in the southwestern part of South Carolina in the upper and middle Coastal Plain. It covers an area of about 252,800 acres, or 395 square miles. The land is gently sloping to undulating, and ranges in elevation from 100 to 270 feet above sea level. The higher areas are along the western boundary, and the slope is gradual and to the southeast. Many egg-shaped, swampy depressions called bays extend from northeast to southwest in the central part of the county. These bays vary from a few acres to more than a square mile in size. The large end of the egg-shaped bay faces northwest, and the small end faces southeast. These shallow undrained depressions that appear to be due to the removal of soluble beds underground are probably the result of the solution of limestone or marl, although it has been suggested that they may be due to the solution of iron and aluminum from sandy sediments by groundwater. Another theory about the formation of these depressions is that many thousands of years ago this area underwent a shower of meteors, and their impacts caused these huge depressions. Some credence is given to this theory, for most of the depressions in this area are egg-shaped, and all appear to have a definite northwest-southeast axis, with the large end on the northwest. Cathedral Bay, a Carolina bay formerly known as Chitty Pond near Olar, was acquired in July 1987 as a Heritage Preserve by the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department. Before it was settled, Bamberg County was covered by a vast forest. Pine and hardwood trees grew on the uplands, and cypress and gum were in the swamps. The upland forests now consist of loblolly and longleaf pines, and there are a few oaks, hickory, persimmon, beech, and dogwood. In the swamps, cypress and blackgum are the dominant trees. On the moist soils are hickory, loblolly, and slash pines; blackgum and alder grow in the low, wet sandy areas. Higher sandy areas support longleaf and slash pines and some loblolly pine, blackjack oak, and turkey oak. The climate is favorable for farming; extremes of temperature and rainfall are rare. Summers are long and fairly hot, but the mean temperature in July is only about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are mild, and the mean temperature in January is 48 degrees. However, a maximum temperature of 109 degrees and a minimum temperature of minus 3 degrees have occurred. The mean annual rainfall is 45.16 inches, and the rainfall is well distributed throughout the year. It is heaviest in June, July, and August. Hurricanes occur in July, August, and September, but much of the rain that falls during these storms is lost as runoff. Many kinds of soils occur in Bamberg County. These soils range from dry to wet. Texture of the surface soil ranges from sand to clay loam, but the dominant soils are loamy sand to sandy loam. The soils developed from marine deposits consisting of beds of sand and sandy clay. In much of the county, marl underlies the marine deposits. Different soils are on uplands, on stream terraces, on first bottoms, and in small areas of local alluvium. Because of the heavy rainfall, the soils have been severely leached of plant nutrients and contain a medium to very small amount of organic matter; they are medium to strongly acid. The county is agricultural. The chief crops are corn, wheat, soybeans, and rye grazing. Cotton began making a comeback in the last few years. The climate is suitable for growing tobacco, but only a small amount is produced. Watermelons and cantaloupes are planted. About half of the county is wooded. Many farmers have planted pine trees under the government program. Bamberg County, next to the smallest county in area in South Carolina, is bounded by the South Fork of the Edisto River on the north. Edisto was the name applied by the Indians to the country adjacent to the lower part of the river that now bears that name. The Indian name for the river itself was Ponpon. The Edisto is formed by two branches, North Edisto and South Edisto, which have their sources in the sand hills of the middle section of South Carolina. These rivers unite about seventy-five miles above the sea. About fifteen or twenty miles from the sea the river forks again, the south fork being known as South Edisto and the north fork as Dawhoo River. Dawhoo unites with Wadmalaw River and forms the North Edisto. The island formed by these forks and the sea is known as Edisto Island, and was once noted for producing the finest grade of long staple cotton known to the cotton trade. The main river through Colleton County is still called Ponpon. The North Edisto of the sea forks was called Grandy in 1664. The Edisto River has its beginning along the ridge section of Edgefield and Saluda counties. The ridge, running on an east-west axis, forms a watershed and rainfall, flowing south, is joined by a number of natural springs. The North and South Forks in Bamberg County merge at Embree near Branchville. The larger fork is the South Fork which is navigable as far as Edgefield County, and it is steeped in the history of irrigation, fishing, limited travel, and transportation, and of rafting timber to the ocean in the early days of settlement. Map of Water Courses: Based on Mills Atlas (1825), U.S. Geological Survey Map (1985), and an old Barnwell County Geological and Agricultural Map (undated). Not drawn to scale. The Edisto with its branches is considered the fourth largest river system in South Carolina. It is the longest free-flowing blackwater river in the United States, and drains portions of twelve counties in south-central South Carolina, stretching from Saluda and Edgefield counties down to Colleton and Charleston. The basin area includes coastal marshes, lush wetlands, and large tracts of forest and offers many nature-based recreation opportunities to attract tourists. The southern boundary of the county follows the Big (sometimes called Great) Salkehatchie. It is thought the original Indian word was Sadkeche, but various records give the name as Saltcatcher, Salketcher, Salkehatchie, Salkehachie, Saltketcher, and Saltkatchers. Hatchie is an Indian word for stream or creek. The river rises in Barnwell County and is joined not far below the Colleton County line by the Little Salkehatchie, one of its branches in Bamberg County. After the Big and Little Salkehatchie merge in Colleton County, it is then known as the Combahee until it joins the Atlantic Ocean. In the 1800s the Big Salkehatchie was considered to be navigable for boats to Barnwell Courthouse by merely removing logs that obstructed it, but now it has been reduced in width and strength to a very small, swampy stream. The Little Salkehatchie also flows through the entire county, beginning in Ghent’s Branch above the Barnwell County line. Lemon Creek, which created a large area known as Lemon’s Swamp, runs through half of the county, ending in Grapevine Creek west of U.S. Highway 301. Crossing Bamberg County north to south is U.S. Highway 301, while U.S. Highway 78 runs east to west through the northern portion. U.S. Highway 601 from Hampton, S.C., to Bamberg is also another principal highway in the eastern portion of the county, while U.S. 321 runs through the western portion. Probably the oldest road in the county is the old Charleston-Augusta stagecoach road between the Southern Railroad tracks and the Edisto River, the original path of which was created by Indians and buffaloes. Portions of another old stagecoach road from Walterboro to Barnwell, which may predate the Charleston-Augusta road in the southern portion of the county, still exist. According to the late Laurie P. McMillan, the center of Bamberg County is the site of old Orange Grove Church. The church was located about a mile and a half from the store on U. S. Highway 301 operated by McMillan during his lifetime, and a government marker, a metal pipe with a cap on it, was driven into the ground there a number of years ago designating the center of Bamberg County. The eastern boundary of the county is the Colleton County line, and a line running from George’s Creek to the Edisto River forms the western boundary of the county.
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