Appleby’s Methodist Church – Dorchester County, South Carolina

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Appleby’s Methodist Church in Dorchester County was built between 1840 – 1850. The building is an excellent example of the Greek Revival meeting house style of church architecture. It is original, not a restoration, and remains in unusually good condition for a wooden structure of its age.

The church was named for the area’s prominent Appleby family. In 1862 Capt. Morgan T. Appleby used the churchyard as the muster grounds when he organized local men for a new infantry company. The unit went on to fight throughout the southern states between 1862 – 1865. After the war, Capt. Appleby left his military post to serve in the South Carolina Senate.

The cemetery dates from the late 1800s and contains some slave graves as well as many from local families and church founders. Records indicate that, inside the church, two rows of pews were divided by a center aisle. The northern area was for “gentlemen”, the southern area was for “ladies and courting couples,” and the area closest to the pulpit was the “Amen Corner.”

Special thanks to Ann Helms of Spartanburg for sharing this photo, taken in 2008.