Ben Barron

Background

The second son of Moses, a blacksmith, and Chivia Behrmann Barron of Kovno (now Kaunas), Lithuania In his youth, Ben would remove old horseshoes from horses, so his older brother and father could reshoe the animals.

Career

In 1910 at the age of 14, Ben left home on his own and came to the United States of America. His entire family disappeared during I and they are believed to have perished in The Holocaust. (Behrman Street in Moncks Corner was later named after him).

A young Ben Barron worked in his uncle"s store as a clerk.

During that time, he would attend night school to obtain Citizenship in the United States. With the outbreak of, Ben enlisted as a soldier with the United States Army.

He served with the 317th Field Artillery, 81st Infantry Division (Wildcat) in France with the American Expeditionary Forces. At the close of the war, he was released from duty, June 1919, at Camp Jackson (now Fort Jackson).

Returning to civilian life, Ben continued to work at his uncle"s store for the next 4 years.

In 1923, he purchased a failed business and started his own business Barron"s Department Store. From modest beginnings, his business started to expand with additions and changes that would make Barron"s a part of a household culture and an interwoven attribute in the commercial life of Moncks Corner, South Carolina. Barron"s Department Store became the largest department store in Berkeley County, South Carolina, before he sold it in 1960.

Civic Ben Barron was an organizer of the Bank of Berkeley and served as its first president until April, 1952.

Achievements

• The street Ben Barron Lane in Moncks Corner, South Carolina was named after Ben Barron for his years of outstanding service in the Berkeley County community.

Membership

He was a charter member of the Lions Clubs International, a member and past president of the Chamber of Commerce, a 32nd degree mason, and belonged to the Omar Shrine Temple, and the American Legion Post Number.