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Cultural & Heritage Tour
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Soapstone Church, Pickens
Freed men who settled here after the
Civil War built this church in the late 1860s. It is the oldest
African-American Church in the Upstate. The church is still used on a
regular basis for Sunday worship. To view the church from the outside
only, take Hwy 8 North out of Pickens to Hwy 288 and turn right. Go to the
first paved road on your left (Liberia Road), and turn left. The church is
on the right about 1 mile.
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Liberty Presbyterian Church, Liberty |
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Liberty
Presbyterian Church, Liberty
In 1858, a group
of interested persons living near the Liberty Spring area organized a
Union Sunday School with elder Thomas G. Boggs as group leader. Around
1881, some Liberty residents who were Presbyterian, and who held
membership at Carmel Church near the Flat Rock community, desired to have
their own house of worship. Efforts began to obtain a suitable building
for a church and contributions for the proposed structure were received
from the membership and from other religious denominations. By September
29, 1883 the Liberty Presbyterian Church had been completed on the corner
of Palmetto and Main Streets at a cost of five hundred dollars. The new
church had twenty members. The first building was torn down and the
present building with a sanctuary capacity of three hundred fifty was
completed in December of 1913. |
Oolenoy Baptist Church,
Pumpkintown
The original church building, built
of logs around 1695, was on the land near the present day church. A new
church was built of wooden planks around 1840. That building was again
rebuilt around 1945 to become the present day church. This church is still
in use today by many of the same families that used it in the very
beginning of its life. The church is named for Chief Woolenoy, a
well-respected Indian of the Oolenoy Valley. He befriended many pioneers
that settled here. The cemetery includes the graves of some of the first
pioneers of the valley, Revolutionary War veterans, and many other
veterans from the area. A stream-fed outdoor baptistry can still be seen
downhill from the church grounds. To get to the church from Pickens - take
Hwy 8 North to Hwy 135 and turn right. Go about .25 mile to Oolenoy Church
Road and turn left. The church is on the left. You can view the church
from the outside.
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McKinney Chapel,
Pickens
McKinney Chapel was built in 1891. It is
located deep in the Eastatoe Valley. The church was used for regular
services until the late 1930s. Today there are services held one Sunday a
month conducted by Grace United Methodist Church in Pickens. The church
also hosts one of the best old-fashioned Christmas pageants in the area.
The church cemetery has many pioneers of the area buried in it. The
gravesite of Daniel Boone's niece (daughter of Samuel Boone) is said to be
located in the church cemetery. To get to the church, take Hwy 178 North
out of Pickens to Hwy 11, turn left. Stay on Hwy 11 until you get to Roy
F. Jones Hwy. and turn right. Follow that down to Cleo Chapman Hwy. and
turn left. Follow the signs for the church for several miles. The church
is located near the end of the road in Keowee Vineyards. For information
call (864) 878-2161.
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Old Stone Church, Clemson |
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Old Stone Church,
Clemson
Early settlers in the area built this
Presbyterian Church in 1797. Legend has it that the early farmers gathered
stones from their fields, while the women of the area carried sand in
their aprons to be used in the building of the church. The cemetery has
many historical markers, including General Andrew Pickens and John Rusk
(the builder of the church). This was the first church in South Carolina
to allow slaves to be members. According to church records, by 1833 there
were 111 white members and 69 black members. The church was also used as a
school and a fort when needed. Many markers in the cemetery can still be
read almost 200 years later. The church is also an official site along the
South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. It is open daily, weather
permitting, and if not reserved. Old Stone Church is located on Hwy. 76
between Clemson and Pendleton, at 101 Stone Circle. Call (864) 654-2061. |
Freedom's Hill Church,
Central
Located on the Southern Wesleyan
University Campus, this church was built originally in 1847 in Alamance
County, NC. The congregation, founded by Adam Crooks, was the first
Wesleyan Church built in the South. The Wesleyan Methodists withdrew from
the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1843 in protest over Methodism's silence
on the issue of slavery. The new church was called Freedom's Hill because
slaves and non-slaves could worship together in the same church at the
same time. The church was moved to its present location, 725 Wesleyan
Drive, in 1999. Southern Wesleyan University is located just east of the
town of Central near S.C. Highway 93. The church is very near the
administration building. Call (864) 644-5000 for more information.
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Carmel Presbyterian Church, Liberty |
Carmel
Presbyterian Church, Liberty
The congregation
for this Presbyterian Church was originally formed in the mid 1700's.
Carmel is the oldest Presbyterian Church in the old Pendleton District.
The first church was built of logs. The present sanctuary was completed in
1856 and is made of handmade bricks and has a slave gallery with its own
outside entrance. In the early years of the church, Ezekiel Pilgrim, who
donated the land for the church, prohibited a cemetery from being placed
on the same grounds as the church. The early Carmel church members were
then buried at the old church site, which is known as the Pickens
Cemetery. After Ezekiel Pilgrim's death, a cemetery was started at the
church. The earliest marker in that cemetery is 1841. The church is
located south of Liberty at the corner of Hwy. 135 and Flat Rock Road. To
tour the church, please call (864) 843-6827.
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