* 1950 – The Atomic Energy Commission contracts E.I. duPont de Nemours to design, construct and manage the Savannah River Plant. The 300-square-mile site, located in Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties, will be used to produce the basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239. Nearly 6,000 residents of Ellenton and Dunbarton are relocated.
* 1951 – The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory begins environmental studies at the site.