Church Ruins in the South Carolina Low Country

On my recent trips to South Carolina, I’ve photographed three sets of church and chapel ruins. Until I started photographing these ruins, I’d never photographed anything like them before – and I’m still not totally happy with the photos I’m getting. I’m hoping to get back to a couple of these sites soon – so who knows – maybe you’ll see more photos of them from me.

The first set of ruins I photographed were at the Chapel of Ease on St. Helena Island. In colonial South Carolina, each parish had a church – and then various chapels of ease were organized to meet the needs of people who couldn’t easily get into the main church for services on a regular basis. The Chapel of Ease at St. Helena Island was associated with St. Helena’s Church in Beaufort. The chapel was originally built around 1840 and burned in 1886.

I photographed the ruins on a very glarey day – so lots of sun flare and glare in my photos. This is one spot I really want to get back to

 

 

 

 

I’ve photographed the ruins of Old Sheldon Church in Yemansee a couple of times. You can see my first set of photos in an earlier blog post. These photos were taken quickly one afternoon as it was starting to drizzle. By the time I’d taken the final photo – and was getting ready to explore and take more photos – it started to pour. So I ran for the car – and will head back to Sheldon Church in March.

Sheldon Church was built in the 1750s. It was first destroyed by fire by the British in 1779. In 1865, it was either burned or ransacked by Union troops. Some records indicate it was burned – others imply it was ransacked and later gutted as people took bricks and wood to rebuild their homes after the Civil War.

 

 

The third set of ruins I’ve photographed are at the Pon Pon Chapel of Ease in Adams Run. It was associated with St Bartholomew’s Parish church. The original wooden chapel was built on the site in 1725. The wooden chapel was replaced by a brick chapel that first burned in 1801, and then again in 1832 after being rebuilt.

 

 

 

We’re planning on visiting Sheldon Church and Pon Pon Chapel of Ease during my Springtime in the South photo tour. I’ve still got a few spots open on the tour if you’d like to join us.