Posted in South Carolina
July 24, 2017
The Abandoned Town In South Carolina That Most People Stay Far, Far Away From
If this were Nevada, we’d be writing about an abandoned, haunted old ghost town in the desert – where the biggest worry to any visitor would be encountering a friendly ghost or the exact opposite: a chainsaw-bearing zombie itching to start the apocalypse. But this isn’t Nevada, and we all know that our ghosts in South Carolina would never start the apocalypse.
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. While we continue to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, please take proper precautions or add them to your bucket list to see at a later date. If you know of a local business that could use some extra support during these times, please nominate them here: onlyinyourstate.com/nominate
But for some residents in the state it sure may feel like the apocalypse. To the former residents of Ellenton -- and the five other nearby small towns the U.S. government "acquired" in 1950 -- being kicked off your family's land and forced to move against your will is bad enough.
But it gets worse. For all these years, the residents of Ellenton have been allowed on specified rare chaperoned occasions to return to the area they once called home. They can walk down what used to be Main Street, reminisce about the old Cassells Co. store and the Esso gasoline they used to fill their cars with.
But it's getting harder and harder to justify going home to Ellenton, even if only for a short walk down Main Street.
Over the decades, more than just the landscape has changed. By the very nature of the business that moved into town, the place has become a toxic hazard.
The folks at the Savannah River Site have really stepped up over the years trying to make good for the disruption wreaked upon the residents of Ellenton. They've created foundation after foundation and even granted access in 2015 for a heritage trail walk through Ellenton - an event that seems to have all but disappeared, at least from the Internet that promoted its beginning.
What's more, now that the Savannah River Site has been dubbed the Most Radioactive Toxic Waste Polluted Place on Earth, those same residents might want to reconsider their nostalgic walks down Main Street in Old Ellenton anyway.
What's more, now that the Savannah River Site has been dubbed the Most Radioactive Toxic Waste Polluted Place on Earth, those same residents might want to reconsider their nostalgic walks down Main Street in Old Ellenton anyway.
Today, you can't get all the way into what used to be Ellenton. But if you drive on Highway 125 several miles south of Beech Island, you'll encounter an Ellenton marker that's close to the old town. But close only counts in the game of horseshoes. For the families who were displaced in the early 50s, close to home still isn't home. But is radioactive waste enough to keep people away? It should be - and if not, there's always that little caveat that creeps up when someone tries to enter any part of the Savannah River Site without a proper access badge. It's called "the law."
Watch 2015 interviews of some former residents of Ellenton in this promotional video that was released when the SRS announced the approval of the Ellenton Heritage Trail. The following three minute video is from YouTube user Savannah River Site:
Watch 2015 interviews of some former residents of Ellenton in this promotional video that was released when the SRS announced the approval of the Ellenton Heritage Trail. The following three minute video is from YouTube user Savannah River Site:
In 1950, the federal government earmarked approximately 300 square miles on which to build a new kind of facility (shown above under construction in the 1950s). Later that same year, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the E. I. du Pont de Nemours Company introduced the concept of the Savannah River Site, a production facility to make plutonium and tritium for the H-bomb.
In all, approximately 6,000 people were moved or forced to move by the government; nearly 700 of those displaced citizens were living in the town of Ellenton.
In all, approximately 6,000 people were moved or forced to move by the government; nearly 700 of those displaced citizens were living in the town of Ellenton.
After 50 plus years of operation, the Savannah River Site (shown above in 2010 in a demolition project) is considered to be one of the most contaminated sites in the world. The ground, the streams, the ponds, even the turtles all test positive for high levels of toxic waste.
Would you want to explore the old Ellenton or any of the other abandoned towns now within the Savannah River Site’s boundaries? Or would you choose to stay far, far away?
Want to learn about seven of the most deadly and dangerous places in South Carolina? Keep reading here.
