Bamberg

Bamberg, county, south-central South Carolina, U.S. Bordered to the northeast by the South Fork Edisto River and to the southwest by the Salkehatchie River, it is also drained by the Little Salkehatchie River. The county is largely agricultural, with wetlands in the Coastal Plain. The Cathedral Bay Heritage Preserve, a Carolina bay (isolated swampy area), is located there.

During the American Civil War the area was in the path of the Union army’s sweep, led by General William Tecumseh Sherman, from Savannah, Georgia, to Columbia, South Carolina. Rivers Bridge State Park commemorates the site where a Confederate artillery emplacement temporarily halted Union forces. Bamberg county was formed in 1897 and named for a family of early settlers. The town of Bamberg is the county seat. Denmark, the other large town, is the site of Denmark Technical College (founded 1948) and Voorhees College (1897).

The county’s farm produce is varied, including livestock, milk, watermelons, grains, and soybeans. Textiles, vehicle parts, and fabricated metal products are its chief manufactures. Area 393 square miles (1,019 square km). Pop. (2000) 16,658; (2010) 15,987.