SC Picture Project » Churches

St Matthews Lutheran Church

SCIWAY — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:52:40 +0000

A fierce summer storms rolls through Charleston, creating an ominous gray background behind the beautiful St Matthews Lutheran Church located across from Marion Square. The church was built between 1867 and 1872 and designed by John Henry Deveraux, who was a well-known architect in Charleston during this time. St Matthew’s steeple soars 297 feet into the sky and is one of the tallest in the city!

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent

SCIWAY thanks E. Karl Braun of North Charleston for this picture taken in July 2012.

Learn more about the history of St Matthews Lutheran Church.

Salem Methodist Church

SCIWAY — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:57:41 +0000

The Salem Methodist Church can be found near the small town of Hilda in Bamberg County. Long ago this beautiful church taught and nurtured a boy named Holland McTyeire who went on to become a Methodist bishop. In 1873 he founded a small college in Nashville that eventually became Vanderbilt University!

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

SCIWAY thanks Andy Hunter of Denmark for this information and great picture taken in August 2012.

Click here for more information about Holland McTyeire and Bamberg County history.

Symmes Chapel

SCIWAY — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:54:34 +0000

Also known as “Pretty Place,” the Symmes Chapel is part of YMCA Camp Greenville, a branch of the YMCA of Greenville near Caesars Head State Park.

Fred Symmes gave the chapel to the YMCA so that its campers could enjoy its beautiful view all summer long. Camp Greenville spans 1,600 acres and serves as a summer camp, conference center, and environmental education facility. Symmes Chapel is a popular wedding venue and worship site, and visitors are welcome except when it is in use for events. It is strongly advised to call ahead and check the schedule before planning a visit! Visit the Pretty Place webpage to find news and events going on at the chapel.

Columbia Mormon Temple

SCIWAY — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:49:06 +0000

The Columbia Mormon Temple is actually located in nearby Hopkins at 2905 Trotter Road. It opened in 1999 with much celebration, and is over 10,000 square feet big! People of Mormon faith from across our state come here to celebrate and worship. If you are interested in learning more about the temple, please visit its website here.

SCIWAY thanks frequent contributor Larry Gleason of Aiken for these great pictures!

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

Bethel AME Church

SCIWAY — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 18:48:38 +0000

The Bethel AME Church is located at 369 Drayton Street in McClellanville, a historic fishing village about 24 miles south of Georgetown. Constructed in 1872, this Gothic Revival style church is one of the oldest African American churches in the area. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

Special thanks to photographer Vanessa Kauffmann — you can purchase this photo and others on Vanessa’s website.

St. Mary Help of Christians Church

SCIWAY — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:51:50 +0000

The historic St. Mary Help of Christians Church is located on the corner of Park Avenue and York Street in downtown Aiken. The church was constructed in 1905 to serve the growing Catholic population in Aiken. Also located on the grounds is St. Claire’s Chapel, which dates back to 1879. The entire church complex was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. For additional information and service times, please visit the church’s website.

SCIWAY thanks Steven Faucette of Williamston for these pictures he took in 2012.

St. Helena’s Church

SCIWAY — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:31:16 +0000

St. Helena’s Church is located at 505 Church Street in historic downtown Beaufort. While the congregation dates back to 1712, the church was not completed until 1724. It is one of the oldest active churches in the country.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

For more information, please visit the church’s website.

SCIWAY thanks Sandy Dimke of Beaufort for sharing this photo she took in 2011.

St. James the Greater Catholic Church

SCIWAY — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:47:29 +0000

St. James the Greater Catholic Church is located just south of Walterboro in the small community of Ritter. This African American congregation dates back to 1826, but the first church wasn’t built until 1833. The current church (pictured below) was completed in the late 1930s and is the third to serve the congregation.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

SCIWAY thanks Thomas Moorer of Mount Pleasant for sharing this picture he took in June 2011.

Grace Episcopal Chapel

SCIWAY — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:50:09 +0000

Grace Episcopal Chapel is located in Rockville, a small town just south of Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

Originally called Church on the Rock, the chapel was built in the late 1830s to serve Wadmalaw plantation owners who spent their summers in Rockville to escape the heat and threat of malaria. Unlike many nearby churches, Grace Episcopal was spared during the Civil War.

Several improvements were made to the chapel after the war, including the addition of the chancel which was built in 1890. Following the devastating Sea Islands Hurricane of 1893, the chapel was used as a meeting place by American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, who came to Rockville to organize recovery efforts.

The chapel is included in the Rockville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Many thanks to David Seamon of Mount Pleasant for sharing this photo he took in 2009.

St. Philip’s Church

SCIWAY — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:07:34 +0000

Established in 1680, St. Philip’s Church is home to the oldest congregation in South Carolina. The current church, located at 146 Church St in Charleston‘s French Quarter neighborhood, was completed in 1838 and is the third to serve the congregation.

This image is copyrighted. You may not use it without written consent.

The first church was a modest, wooden building constructed in 1681 on the present-day site of St. Michael’s. With the congregation growing, a larger brick church was authorized to be constructed on the current site in 1710. It wasn’t completed until 1723 due to Indian wars and damage from hurricanes. This church would house the congregation for over a century, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1835. Work on the present church began later that same year.

After the fire, the congregation moved into its temporary home in the Tabernacle at Cumberland Street Methodist Episcopal Church. They remained there until 1838, when their new church was finished. The steeple (pictured above), designed by noted architect Edward Brickell White, wasn’t completed until 1850.

Several notable South Carolinians, including governors Charles Pinckney and Edward Rutledge, are buried in the St. Philip’s cemetery. In 1973 St. Philip’s was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.

For more information and service times, please visit the church’s website.

SCIWAY thanks John Birkenheuer of Charleston for sharing this photo he took in 2009.