Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church
Encyclopedia
Prince George Winyah Church is an Episcopal church in Georgetown, South Carolina
. Prince George Winyah is one of the oldest continuous congregations in South Carolina
, and the church building is one of the oldest churches in continuous service in South Carolina. Prince George Winyah (Episcopal) and Churchyard was named to the National Register of Historic Places
on May 6, 1971.
Starting in 1716, Anglican parishes were electoral and administration units in South Carolina government. Therefore, Prince George Parish and Prince George Winyah Parish can also refer to an electoral and administrative district that had the same geographic boundaries as this church.
, there was a need of a new parish north of the existing St. James Santee Parish. Prince George Parish was established on March 10, 1721. It was named after the Prince of Wales, who became King George II
. There were two potential locations for the church: an inland settlement on the Black River
and Winyah on the Sampit River
and Winyah Bay
at the location of today's Georgetown
. In 1726, a wooden church was built inland on of a bend of the Black River near Brown's Ferry and twelve miles from the present Georgetown.
On April 9, 1734, the parish was divided to form St. Frederick's Parish. The wooden church was transferred to the new parish.
, who was the first Baptist minister in Carolina, and his son Elisha Screven. Construction was begun in the mid 1750s. The cornerstone was laid in 1745.
The church was built of English red bricks with local oyster shell mortar. The cornerstone was laid on October 30, 1745. The nave
has a rectangular plan with five bays. The center bays have side doors with fanlights and the others have windows with fanlights. Brick pilasters flank the side doors and are at the corners of the church. The roof is hipped over the sanctuary and has a Jacobean or Dutch gable
at the entrance. The nave has a plastered, barrel-vaulted ceiling. The pews are paneled, wooden box pew
s. There is a center aisle and a cross aisle at the side doors. The floor is flagstone
. The first service was held on August 16, 1747.
The church was occupied by British troops in the Revolutionary War
. During the occupation, the church's interior was burned. Tradition also indicates that the church was used for a stable.
A chancel
with a semielliptical apse
and a gallery was built about 1809. A vestibule entrance with double doors and a tower was constructed in 1824. The brick tower had a square cross section topped with an octangular section with cupola and large cross. A clock and balustrated belfry is in the upper section. A Mohler organ was installed in 1850.
In 1823, Francis Huger Rutledge was ordained a deacon. He eventually became bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. In 1828, Anthony Toomer Porter, who founded Porter Military Academy
in Charleston
, was baptized.
On February 25, 1865, the Union Navy
occupied Georgetown. The church remained open.
In 1871, the chancel furnishings were replaced and the altar was enlarged. In 1874, the church was given a bell and a clock. A stained glass window from St. Mary's Chapel at Hagley on the Waccamaw was installed.
, who was a patriot
and was elected to the Second Continental Congress
; James H. Trapier
, who was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army, Rev. Dr. Anthony T. Porter; Capt. Roger Shackelford, born in North Carolina
and among the early Shackelford family of Georgetown; and Governor Robert F. W. Allston
.
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
. Prince George Winyah is one of the oldest continuous congregations in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, and the church building is one of the oldest churches in continuous service in South Carolina. Prince George Winyah (Episcopal) and Churchyard was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 6, 1971.
Starting in 1716, Anglican parishes were electoral and administration units in South Carolina government. Therefore, Prince George Parish and Prince George Winyah Parish can also refer to an electoral and administrative district that had the same geographic boundaries as this church.
Early history
As early colonialist spread across the South Carolina lowcountrySouth Carolina Low Country
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
, there was a need of a new parish north of the existing St. James Santee Parish. Prince George Parish was established on March 10, 1721. It was named after the Prince of Wales, who became King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
. There were two potential locations for the church: an inland settlement on the Black River
Black River (South Carolina)
The Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States....
and Winyah on the Sampit River
Sampit River
The Sampit River begins in a swampy area of western Georgetown County, South Carolina, USA. It flows in an easterly direction to Winyah Bay at Georgetown. Only small crafts can navigate the upper parts of the river...
and Winyah Bay
Winyah Bay
Winyah Bay is a coastal estuary that is the confluence of the Waccamaw River, the Pee Dee River, the Black River and the Sampit River in Georgetown County in eastern South Carolina...
at the location of today's Georgetown
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
. In 1726, a wooden church was built inland on of a bend of the Black River near Brown's Ferry and twelve miles from the present Georgetown.
On April 9, 1734, the parish was divided to form St. Frederick's Parish. The wooden church was transferred to the new parish.
Prince George Winyah Church
The earliest vestry records for Prince George Winyah are January 13, 1737. A subscription campaign for a new church at Winyah was begun in 1737. This was supplemented by an import tax at the port and £1,000 from the colonial Assembly. Starting in 1740, the bricks were collected. Land was donated by William ScrevenWilliam Screven
William Screven was a 17th-century Baptist preacher from England who founded the first Baptist church in the South.William Screven was born in England, in 1629 and immigrated to New England in the 1640s...
, who was the first Baptist minister in Carolina, and his son Elisha Screven. Construction was begun in the mid 1750s. The cornerstone was laid in 1745.
The church was built of English red bricks with local oyster shell mortar. The cornerstone was laid on October 30, 1745. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has a rectangular plan with five bays. The center bays have side doors with fanlights and the others have windows with fanlights. Brick pilasters flank the side doors and are at the corners of the church. The roof is hipped over the sanctuary and has a Jacobean or Dutch gable
Dutch gable
A Dutch gable or Flemish gable is a gable whose sides have a shape made up of one or more curves and has a pediment at the top. The gable may be an entirely decorative projection above a flat section of roof line, or may be the termination of a roof, like a normal gable...
at the entrance. The nave has a plastered, barrel-vaulted ceiling. The pews are paneled, wooden box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s. There is a center aisle and a cross aisle at the side doors. The floor is flagstone
Flagstone
Flagstone, is a generic flat stone, usually used for paving slabs or walkways, patios, fences and roofing. It may be used for memorials, headstones, facades and other constructions. The name derives from Middle English flagge meaning turf, perhaps from Old Norse flaga meaning slab.Flagstone is a...
. The first service was held on August 16, 1747.
The church was occupied by British troops in the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. During the occupation, the church's interior was burned. Tradition also indicates that the church was used for a stable.
A chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with a semielliptical apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
and a gallery was built about 1809. A vestibule entrance with double doors and a tower was constructed in 1824. The brick tower had a square cross section topped with an octangular section with cupola and large cross. A clock and balustrated belfry is in the upper section. A Mohler organ was installed in 1850.
In 1823, Francis Huger Rutledge was ordained a deacon. He eventually became bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida. In 1828, Anthony Toomer Porter, who founded Porter Military Academy
Porter-Gaud School
Porter-Gaud School is an independent coeducational college preparatory day school in Charleston, South Carolina. Porter-Gaud has an enrollment of some 870 students in grades 1–12 and located on the banks of the Ashley River...
in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, was baptized.
On February 25, 1865, the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
occupied Georgetown. The church remained open.
In 1871, the chancel furnishings were replaced and the altar was enlarged. In 1874, the church was given a bell and a clock. A stained glass window from St. Mary's Chapel at Hagley on the Waccamaw was installed.
Churchyard
The churchyard is surrounded by a brick wall and contains the cemetery. In addition to parishioners and clergy of Prince George Winyah, the cemetery has the graves of several notable South Carolinians: Paul TrapierPaul Trapier
Paul Trapier was a public official in South Carolina during the American Revolution.Trapier was born Georgetown, South Carolina, and educated in England. During the American Revolution, he served on the Georgetown Committee of Safety and in the South Carolina Provincial Congress. He was a captain...
, who was a patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
and was elected to the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
; James H. Trapier
James H. Trapier
James Heyward Trapier was a career United States Army officer who fought during the Mexican–American War...
, who was a brigadier general in the Confederate Army, Rev. Dr. Anthony T. Porter; Capt. Roger Shackelford, born in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and among the early Shackelford family of Georgetown; and Governor Robert F. W. Allston
Robert Francis Withers Allston
Robert Francis Withers Allston was the 67th Governor of South Carolina. He was born in All Saints Parish, South Carolina in 1801.He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1821....
.