Aiken County ScArchives News.....Barwell in a Blaze. April 13, 1866
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The Aiken Recorder April 13, 1866
Barnwell in a Blaze.

Barnwell, C.H., April 8, 5:30a.m. The embers are smoking over the most 
destructive fire that has occurred in Barnwell since Sherman visited it in 1865. 
It originated in a corner of Mike Brown's store about 2:30 a.m. and was not 
discovered until the whole corner of the building was in flames. All the 
buildings in this section of the town being of wood and built close together the 
flames spread from building to building until they destroyed Mike Brown's main 
store building, his furniture store, stables, grain store and mess hall for his 
clerks, Ge, J.C. Davant's law office, and the uptown telegraph office. Charles 
Carroll Simms and W.A. Holman had a law office over Browns furniture store, and 
only the books and papers of Mr. Simms were saved; his office furniture and 
everything that was in Mr. Holman's office was destroyed. The furniture in 
Brown's furniture store, and the books and furnitire of Gen. Davants were saved. 
It was with great difficulty that the store of Hagood Bros., the law office of 
Col. W.H. Duncan, the store and billiard saloon of Johnson Tobin, the bakery of 
G,K, Ryan, and the frame of the Methodist Church, which is being built, were 
saved. Every one of these building caught on fire, but, were saved by the tinely 
exertion of the citizens. Charlie Califf, one of Brown's clerks had to jump out 
of a second story window to escape, but fortunately the story was not high and 
he escaped uninjured.

The principle loss falls upon Mike Brown, being estimated at $21,000 and insured 
fro $11,000; no other insurance. The total loss, including the insurance is 
about $22,000. It is thought by Mr. Brown's clerks that the fire was the work of 
an incendiary, as no fire has been used in that part of the store where it 
originated, it being the place where the flour was stored. This is the third 
time this section of the town has been swept out by fire -in 1836, then by 
Sherman in 1865, and this which has just occurred.

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