Collins Park

This park was given to the City of Barnwell by the Robert O. Collins Family in 2000. It was once the site of the home of William Gilmore Simms and his wife, Emma Hertzog Simms. The property, purchased by Joseph Allen Porter in 1919, remained in the Porter family and was ultimately purchased by Robert O. Collins.<br><br> During the first half of the 20th century, this corner of Main Street and Marlboro Ave. became a meeting place for neighborhood nurses and their young charges. The nurses sat on the walls surrounding two sides of the property and exchanged household and community news while the children played.<br><br> Many affectionately remember this location as "Porter's Corner," which provides cherished memories of a by-gone era. The Park, designed by Robert Marvin and open to the public, has been dedicated to the famous sons and daughters of the City.