Founded on land donated to the Wilcox County Commission for a new county seat by Thomas Dunn and his wife Martha Hobbs on Sept. 14, 1832, Camden became the county seat after it was moved from Canton in 1833. The community was first called Wilcox Courthouse and later named Barboursville for Sen. Phillip P. Barbour of Va. In 1841 it was incorporated and renamed Camden by Dr. John D. Caldwell in honor of Camden, S.C. It was the home of Gov. Arthur P. Bagby, Rev. Ebenezer Hearn, Deforrest Richards, Gen. R. C. Jones, Miss Sallie Jones, Dr. E. D. McDaniel, Hon. Sol. D. Bloch, Dr. Emmett Kilpatrick, Gov. B. M. Miller, and Dr. J. Paul Jones.