"B" is for Bamberg [population 3,733]. Bamberg, the county seat of Bamberg County began as a water-refilling stop on the South Carolina Railroad. The little settlement was incorporated in 1855 and named in honor of William Seaborn Bamberg who had acquired the site. During the Civil War Union cavalry destroyed the railroad depot and tracks. After a postwar recovery, by the 1880s, the town was prospering and by the early 20th century was the most active cotton market between Augusta and Charleston. Successful residents built homes on Railroad Avenue and adjacent streets. In 1892 the state's Methodists opened Carlisle Fitting School as a preparatory school for Wofford College. Later the institution became Carlisle Military School until it closed in 1977. Until the coming of interstate travel, Bamberg remained a popular overnight stop of U.S. Highway 301.