Hopkins was named for John Hopkins, a Virginian who obtained a royal land grant in 1764. The town was originally Hopkins Turnout, as the railroad had a turntable here before the line to Columbia was completed. Trains ran from Charleston to Hopkins, and passengers continued to Columbia by stagecoach. Hopkins is home to the Congaree Swamp, originally inhabited by the Congaree tribe; they were reduced greatly by smallpox, but the area retained their name. Now a national monument, this biosphere boasts one of the most diverse forest communities in the country. Hopkins is also home to structures on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Harriet Barber House (c. 1880), the Hopkins Presbyterian Church (c. 1891), and the remains of the Hicks Chappell House (c. 1781), which burned in 2008.