Barnwell, South Carolina.
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The Barnwell Ring
In 1941 Barnwell County was home to four of the most powerful men in South Carolina government. Serving for a time simultaneously,
Edgar A. Brown, Chm. of the Senate Finance Committee
J. Emile Harley, Governor
Pres. Pro Tem of the Senate
Solomon Blatt, Sr., Speaker of the House,
and Winchester Smith, Chm. of the Ways and Means Com.,
comprised the legendary Barnwell Ring:
Loved, Feared, and Fought!
Was it real or fiction?
Three members of the Ring lived in sight of Collins Park.
Gov. Harley lived across Main Street to the north,
Sen. Brown fifth house west of the Park on Main Street
and Re. Blatt sixth house south of the Park
on Marlboro Avenue.
The Barnwell Ring continues to catch the attention of political scientists, politicians, historians, and the media.
Solomon Blatt
Born February 27, 1895, in Blackville, SC, Barnwell County
Died May 14, 1986
Married Ethel Green, Sumter, S.C., March 18, 1920
1 child, Sol. Blatt, Jr.
Member of the South Carolina
House of Representatives 1933-1986
Speaker Pro Tempore 1935-1937
Speaker 1937-1946, 1951-1973
Speaker Emeritus, July 31, 1973, until his death
Lawyer first with Governor J. Emile Harley in the form of Harley & Blatt, 1917-1934, and thereafter as the senior partner in the firm of Blatt & Fales, 1935-1986.
Trustee, Barnwell School district, 34 years
Trustee, University of South Carolina 1936-1948
Recognized throughout the State of South Carolina as "Mr.Speaker," he loved his State and County, particularly his birthplace, as well as his family and his Alma Mater, the University of South Carolina, where he graduated in Law, 1917. He reputedly served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives longer than any other person had served as presiding officer of any legislative body in America, and, at the time of his death, Speaker Blatt had served a total of 53 consecutive years in the House of Representatives, an accomplishment which won him recognition by the National Council of Governments as the country's longest serving legislator.
Along with "The Bishop of Barnwell," state Senator Edgar Brown, the longtime Senate president pro tempore, Solomon Blatt helped fashion much of South Carolina's modern state government.
In 1982, the House dedicated the legislative session to Solomon Blatt. "I've tried to do the best I could for the state," Blatt responded, "a state I love so much."
Edgar Allan Brown
Born July 11, 1888, in Aiken County
Died June 26, 1975
Married Annie Love Sitgraves
1 child, Emile MaBurney (Mrs. R.M. Jefferies, Jr.)
Court Stenographer, 2nd Circuit, 1908-1918
Member of the House of Representatives, 1921-1926
Speaker of the House, 1925-1927
South Carolina Senator, 1929-1972
Senate President Pro Tempore, 1942-1972
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, 1942-1972
Clemson University
Board of Trustees Member, 1934-1947
Live Member, 1948-1975
President of the Board, 1966-1975
President, S.C. Bar Association, 1947
Chairman, Democratic Party, 1922-1926, 1952-1953
A career of public service dedicated to the people of Barnwell County and the State of South Carolina, whose name is synonymous with fiscal responsibility in government, an efficient highway system, and advanced educational opportunities for people of Barnwell County and the State of South Carolina.
More than any other simple individual through the years, the Senator from Barnwell, for fifteen years now as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has insisted upon spending the taxpayer's money in the right places at the right times in the right amounts. Much more often then not, he determined efforts to keep not only the State budget in balance, but a better balanced State economy have been successful. The Hon. Sol. Blatt at Senator Brown's Senate Portrait Unveiling.
Known affectionately as:
Colonel
"Senator"
That Man Brown
Kingfish
Mr. Prime Minister
and
The Bishop from Barnwell
Joseph Emile Harley
Born, September 14, 1880, in Williston, South Carolina
Died February 27, 1942,while serving as Governor
Married Agnes Richardson
3 children, Joseph Emile Harley, Jr., William Hummel Harley and Martha Jaudon Harley Piper
Veteran, Spanish-American War, 1989
Member, South Carolina House of
Representatives, 1905-1908
Re-elected, 1927-1930
Mayor, City of Barnwell, 1910-1920
Chairman, House Judiciary Committee, 1929-30
Elected Lt. Governor, 1934
Re-elected Lt. Governor, 1938
Appointed Governor, 1941-42
Special Judge by Appointment of the Supreme Court
Staff of Governor Thomas McLeod
For many years, Joseph Emile Harley was one of the leading lawyers of the State and was prominently active n public affairs.His record as a legislator is one of effective and useful service. Much od his work represented a definite constructive contribution to civic programs.
Emile Harley was a public servant in the truest sense of the term. He was a man of utmost honesty and integrity who was a friend to all. His home on the corner of Main Street and Marlboro Avenue was always open to anyone who needed his help.
Winchester C. Smith, Jr.
Born August 15, 1896,in Williston, South Carolina
Died June 1, 1972
Married Helen Willis
3 children, Norman M. Smith II, Winchester C. Smith III, and Thomas W. Smith
Farmer at Williston, South Carolina
Member of S.C. House of Representatives, 1930-1942
Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee, 1938-1942
Member, State Budget Commission
Chairman, State Democratic Party, 1946-1952
Delegate to Democratic National Convention
Commission, 1942-1962
Life Member, Clemson University
Board of Trustees, 1954-1972
Member, Barnwell County Hospital Board of Trustees
Known locally as "Win" or "Mr. Win," he was a man without pretension. His legislative biography simply states, "Farmer at Williston." His greatest joy was to be able to help the Barnwell County people that he loved and served, and he would often ride the countryside asking what he could do to help.
(Notable Persons) Includes location, directions, 12 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
The Barnwell RingIn 1941 Barnwell County was home to four of the most powerful men in South Carolina government. Serving for a time simultaneously,
Edgar A. Brown, Chm. of the Senate Finance Committee
J. Emile Harley, Governor
Pres. Pro Tem of the Senate
Solomon Blatt, Sr., Speaker of the House,
and Winchester Smith, Chm. of the Ways and Means Com.,
comprised the legendary Barnwell Ring:
Loved, Feared, and Fought!
Was it real or fiction?
Three members of the Ring lived in sight of Collins Park.
Gov. Harley lived across Main Street to the north,
Sen. Brown fifth house west of the Park on Main Street
and Re. Blatt sixth house south of the Park
on Marlboro Avenue.
The Barnwell Ring continues to catch the attention of political scientists, politicians, historians, and the media.
Solomon Blatt
Born February 27, 1895, in Blackville, SC, Barnwell County
Died May 14, 1986
Married Ethel Green, Sumter, S.C., March 18, 1920
1 child, Sol. Blatt, Jr.
Member of the South Carolina
House of Representatives 1933-1986
Speaker Pro Tempore 1935-1937
Speaker 1937-1946, 1951-1973
Speaker Emeritus, July 31, 1973, until his death
Lawyer first with Governor J. Emile Harley in the form of Harley & Blatt, 1917-1934, and thereafter as the senior partner in the firm of Blatt & Fales, 1935-1986.
Trustee, Barnwell School district, 34 years
Trustee, University of South Carolina 1936-1948
Recognized throughout the State of South Carolina as "Mr.Speaker," he loved his State and County, particularly his birthplace, as well as his family and his Alma Mater, the University of South Carolina, where he graduated in Law, 1917. He reputedly served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives longer than any other person had served as presiding officer of any legislative body in America, and, at the time of his death, Speaker Blatt had served a total of 53 consecutive years in the House of Representatives, an accomplishment which won him recognition by the National Council of Governments as the country's longest serving legislator.
Along with "The Bishop of Barnwell," state Senator Edgar Brown, the longtime Senate president pro tempore, Solomon Blatt helped fashion much of South Carolina's modern state government.
In 1982, the House dedicated the legislative session to Solomon Blatt. "I've tried to do the best I could for the state," Blatt responded, "a state I love so much."
Edgar Allan Brown
Born July 11, 1888, in Aiken County
Died June 26, 1975
Married Annie Love Sitgraves
1 child, Emile MaBurney (Mrs. R.M. Jefferies, Jr.)
Court Stenographer, 2nd Circuit, 1908-1918
Member of the House of Representatives, 1921-1926
Speaker of the House, 1925-1927
South Carolina Senator, 1929-1972
Senate President Pro Tempore, 1942-1972
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee, 1942-1972
Clemson University
Board of Trustees Member, 1934-1947
Live Member, 1948-1975
President of the Board, 1966-1975
President, S.C. Bar Association, 1947
Chairman, Democratic Party, 1922-1926, 1952-1953
A career of public service dedicated to the people of Barnwell County and the State of South Carolina, whose name is synonymous with fiscal responsibility in government, an efficient highway system, and advanced educational opportunities for people of Barnwell County and the State of South Carolina.
More than any other simple individual through the years, the Senator from Barnwell, for fifteen years now as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has insisted upon spending the taxpayer's money in the right places at the right times in the right amounts. Much more often then not, he determined efforts to keep not only the State budget in balance, but a better balanced State economy have been successful. The Hon. Sol. Blatt at Senator Brown's Senate Portrait Unveiling.
Known affectionately as:
Colonel
"Senator"
That Man Brown
Kingfish
Mr. Prime Minister
and
The Bishop from Barnwell
Joseph Emile Harley
Born, September 14, 1880, in Williston, South Carolina
Died February 27, 1942,while serving as Governor
Married Agnes Richardson
3 children, Joseph Emile Harley, Jr., William Hummel Harley and Martha Jaudon Harley Piper
Veteran, Spanish-American War, 1989
Member, South Carolina House of
Representatives, 1905-1908
Re-elected, 1927-1930
Mayor, City of Barnwell, 1910-1920
Chairman, House Judiciary Committee, 1929-30
Elected Lt. Governor, 1934
Re-elected Lt. Governor, 1938
Appointed Governor, 1941-42
Special Judge by Appointment of the Supreme Court
Staff of Governor Thomas McLeod
For many years, Joseph Emile Harley was one of the leading lawyers of the State and was prominently active n public affairs.His record as a legislator is one of effective and useful service. Much od his work represented a definite constructive contribution to civic programs.
Emile Harley was a public servant in the truest sense of the term. He was a man of utmost honesty and integrity who was a friend to all. His home on the corner of Main Street and Marlboro Avenue was always open to anyone who needed his help.
Winchester C. Smith, Jr.
Born August 15, 1896,in Williston, South Carolina
Died June 1, 1972
Married Helen Willis
3 children, Norman M. Smith II, Winchester C. Smith III, and Thomas W. Smith
Farmer at Williston, South Carolina
Member of S.C. House of Representatives, 1930-1942
Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee, 1938-1942
Member, State Budget Commission
Chairman, State Democratic Party, 1946-1952
Delegate to Democratic National Convention
Life Member, Clemson University
Board of Trustees, 1954-1972
Member, Barnwell County Hospital Board of Trustees
Known locally as "Win" or "Mr. Win," he was a man without pretension. His legislative biography simply states, "Farmer at Williston." His greatest joy was to be able to help the Barnwell County people that he loved and served, and he would often ride the countryside asking what he could do to help.
(Notable Persons) Includes location, directions, 12 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Near this site was established 
This area was named in honor of the large and loud frog population around Little Bennett Creek. Before Kingsley School was built, white children living on nearby. were sent to neighboring community schools. With no bus transportation, students had to walk quite a distance through back woods to get to school. The local African American children attended classes at the old Hyattstown Christian Church since public facilities were segregated by race in Montgomery County until 1961. 
The Chesapeake has long been a place to enjoy. This small waterside bath house came complete with men's and ladies' changing rooms, electricity and plumbing, Unusual for any structure in this part of Calvert County in the early 1930s. This was Mr. Patterson's first building at Point Farm, and he stayed here on his visits while the main house was under construction.
The Washington Spa Spring & Gretta Railroad (WSSGRR) was a streetcar that served Berwyn Heights, 1912 – 1921. Incorporated in Maryland in 1905, WSSGRR started running from 15th and H Street, NE to Bladensburg in 1910. An extension to Riverdale and Berwyn Heights opened in 1912, using novel Edison-Beach storage battery cars.
The Original Cut Foot Sioux Ranger Station is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the eastern Forest Service region. Constructed in 1908, it is the first ranger station established on the east side of the Chippewa National Forest. At that time, there was a great need for a station in this area, as the focus of logging on the forest was moving east from the Cass Lake-Bena area. Forest Supervisor Ed Marshall chose the location and sent three men, Horace Lydick, Billy McKinnon and Sewell Tibbetts by boat to build this station using pine logs cut right from the site.
On March 4,1908, heavy rains on top of 24” of snow followed by a thaw caused the rivers to spill over 4” above their highest known levels, submerging large sections of the village. The Broadway Bridge collapsed into the swollen river and was swept a few hundred yards downstream before sinking. Over the years silt and debris built up over it and created this island
The first wooden bridge was built across the Coldwater River in 1843 with a steel bridge erected about 1895. The current bridge was constructed in the late 1950s. The Coldwater River starts from Coldwater Lake and meanders northwest 29.5 miles before emptying into the St. Joe River just ahead. Slaves
followed the Coldwater River to Union City as part of The Underground Railroad. In the 1850s, John D. Zimmerman , a local blacksmith, was the self-appointed station-master on what became the 2nd station on The Underground Railroad.
The Union City Creamery was established in July 1901 as a
co-operative enterprise between fifty local farmers and a handful of businessmen on capitol stock of $10,000. In 1902, the model plant managed by Mrs. C. B. Spoor averaged milk
receipts of 12,000 lbs. from surrounding farms while churning out 500 lbs. of butter daily. Local butter brought the highest “fancy” prices in Cleveland and Philadelphia. The property was most recently Union City Industries Lab.
Organized in 1923, The Women’s
Tuesday Club was committed to “the
promotion of
literary, scientific, social and civic
pursuits . . .” In 1957, under the leadership of Lillian Schwendener, they began realizing a dream of a family-type park. Using $900 accumulated for a community betterment project. they purchased 2.5 acres of weed and mosquito-infested lowland along the river and beside the site of the former Randall Mill. With tons of fill and thousands of hours of donated labor, this park took shape. A park board was established and land owned by the township and village was also added to this cooperative project. The park was dedicated on May 30, 1958. In 1960, a scrapbook history of the club’s work on this project won a $300 Sears and Roebuck award for civic improvement. While the Women’s Tuesday Club no longer exists, the Green Thumb Garden Club helps maintain this lovely park. Paddlers are invited to pull out here for a break.
There was a trestle here for a narrow gauge railway from Turtle Lake, 2 miles to the north, to the cement factory in the SE corner of town for transporting marl. The railway crossed both the St. Joe and Coldwater Rivers. Peerless Portland Cement was the oldest company of its type in Michigan and was
started in 1896 with a capital of $250,000 and reconstructed again in 1902 with $350,000. It had a capacity of 7,200 bags of cement a day. In 1909, Woodward Avenue in Detroit boasted the first mile of concrete paving in the U.S., and the Union City factory was the producer of that
material.
Dedicated in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), a hero of the American Revolution, defender of liberty, statesman, and good friend of George Washington.
Used in 1880s for travel on Ballinger–San Angelo Road. Rates fixed by the county court ranged from one cent for a head of livestock to one dollar for 6 horses and a wagon.
On July 26, 1886, soon after the railroad town of Ballinger was founded, a Presbyterian church with nine charter members was organized at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Burt. A small frame sanctuary served the congregation until this structure was built in 1891. Constructed of native stone during the pastorate of the Rev. C.L. Ewing, it features a corner tower and steeple. Additions have been made over the years to serve a growing congregation.
Early Roman Catholic worship services in Ballinger were held by missionaries in a church building constructed in 1895. In 1910, during the pastorate of the Rev. J.B. Frigon, this building was completed to serve the congregation. Constructed of native rock quarried from nearby stone deposits, the Gothic Revival building is a good example of the work of local craftsmen. A Ballinger landmark, it features a single square tower on its three-part facade.
Long before the railroad, airplane, and automobile; the desire to develop the West brought explores, mountain men, fur trappers and a few brave settlers into Wyoming. Later this would be followed by miners, farmers and ranchers, and hundreds of thousands of settlers to California, Oregon and Utah. Many of the routes that would eventually become prominent trails were developed by Native Americans as they followed the natural migration routes of Bison, Elk and other prairie animals as they moved from winter camps to spring and summer hunting grounds. In this semi-arid region water was a major consideration in trail selection, most major trails followed primary rivers. Another key factor in trail selection was the need to cross mountain ranges and rough terrain with loaded wagons, coaches or while driving cattle long distances. 
was erected on this site in 1882. For twenty years, it was the center of civic and cultural activity. In 1902, a fire destroyed the auditorium and stage of the building. In 1905, the annex was built on the site adjoining the remaining portion of the opera house. The two buildings were razed in 1961.
Twenty-five Big Boys, the world's largest steam engines, were built exclusively for Union Pacific by the American Locomotive Company in Schenectady, New York between 1941 and 1944. Each locomotive was 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the the Big Boys were "hinged" or articulated to allow them to negotiate curves. During construction of the first engine, a worker chalked "Big Boy" on the smoke box door, and the nickname was adopted. The massive engines normally operated on the rugged run between Cheyenne and Ogden, Utah. 
