History in Our Own Backyard: Sheldon Church

By Donna Brooks

There is something peaceful about the centuries-old ruins of Sheldon Church. I arrived there early one summer morning with camera in hand to see for myself the former house of worship that I had heard so much about. The beauty of the place with its grand live oaks draped in Spanish moss took my breath away.

Sheldon Church, located in northern Beaufort County near Yemassee, has a storied history. Established in 1745 as the church of Prince William’s Parish, the church building was constructed between 1751 and 1756 on donated land. It is thought to be one of the earliest examples of classical Greek architecture in America.

In 1779, during the American Revolution, British troops, under the command of General Augustine Prevost, burned the church. It lay in ruins until it was restored in 1825, serving as a parish of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. Then in 1865, during the Civil War, the church was reportedly burned again by Union troops under the orders of General William Sherman.

According to an official South Carolina report, “All that was combustible was consumed ... its massive walls survive the last as they did the former conflagration,” Bishop Thomas wrote, “Exactly as it happened a hundred years before in 1779, when General Prevost, marching from Savannah into South Carolina burned the Church, so now in February 1865, General Sherman marching from Georgia into South Carolina, burned it a second time.”

A letter written by Milton Leverett in 1886, however, had a different view of what happened: “Sheldon Church not burn’t. Just torn up in the inside, but can be repaired.” According to the letter, the church was gutted, and the materials were used to rebuild homes damaged or destroyed during the war.

The church would never again be restored, and the ruins are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Protestant Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina transferred ownership of the church to the Parish Church of St. Helena in 1971. Every year, St. Helena’s holds a service at the ruins, continuing its legacy.

Today, visitors to the site will find a fence that was erected around the historic structure to protect and preserve it from decay and vandalism. In the future, the Parish Church of St. Helena hopes to have docents who will guide people on a pathway through the archways of the ruins. But for now, visitors can still admire Old Sheldon Church from the outside. It’s still a beautiful sight to see. 

Donna Brooks is a freelance writer and editor and the owner of Red Clay Editorial Services in Bluffton, South Carolina. In her free time, Donna is an avid runner, reader, photographer and traveler.

References:

Parish Church of St. Helena
https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/09fbc323/files/uploaded/Historic%20Properties.pdf

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Sheldon_Church_Ruins