At the top of a ridge with views of Sugarloaf Mountain to the north and the Catoctin Mountain and Blue Ridge ranges to the west, Barnesville enjoys a connection with the rhythms of the natural world while being within commuting distance of the nation's capital.
The community was first called South Stream and later changed to honour Thomas G. Barnes, the first postmaster.
Weems was also a regular stock player at the Lakewood Musical Playhouse in Barnesville, Pennsylvania during 1971.
The building sat vacant and was primarily opened for the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival for exhibits on the early years of Barnesville and the history of the railroad and its impact on the town.
State Highway 34 serves as an east–west route between Barnesville, Detroit Lakes, Park Rapids, and Walker in west-central and north-central Minnesota.
Speer was elected as a Republican to the Forty-second Congress and served from March 4, 1871, until his death in Barnesville, Georgia, August 18, 1872.