The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-08-31
An Old Church at Sheldon, S. C.
By n. L. Willet.

| Europe and to visit and enjoy them
shows refinement, culture and imagi-
nation. Here in America we do not
set up shrines nor visit them-except
| in Massachusetts. But there is more
ancient and honorable history around
Beaufort, South Carolina, than OBJ
tains anywhere in Massachusetts. But
Beaufort has no historian, while on
the contrary, the nationalized shrines
at Plymouth, Lexington and Concord
are visited yearly by thousands of
devotees. While there are several
old forts, Spanish and French, at
Beaufort that antedate probably
anything in America and which car
ry wondrous histories, yet If Beau
fort could only have two shrines Of
publicity and nationalized I should
give preference to the ruins of the
old French Huguenot fort known as
Charles Fort on Paris Island, and
erected in 1862, and the ramarka-
BILE ruins known as the Sheldon Par
ish church, located in the old days
in Prince William parish and init
mately connected with her sister
parish nearby, st. Helena, at Beau
fort. The fort is the oldest ruins
in America as built by immigrants
and the latter is probably the oldest
and certainly the most weirdly beau
tiful of all ecclesiastical ruins in the
United States. Indeed, saw moth
ing in Europe that carried such an
appeal to me as this old Sheldon
church.
The Church.
The church took its name from
the bailiwick in which it was built.
Sheldon stood several acres south
Of the church and was named from
the family seat Of the Bulls in Eng
land and it's pretentious architectu-
raj plan was identical with the fam
lily seat in the mother country. Be-
sides two colonial governors the Bull
family furnished one surveyor gen.
eral to the colony Of Carolina. The
Bull grants extended from the Sa-
vannah to the Combahee river. They
were great patrons Of the Sheldon
church. They presented it with the
silver plate which is still in use at
the Episcopal church at Mcpherson
vile. It is said that General Steven
Bull entertained at his place every
Sunday sixty or seventy gentlemen
from the surrounding country. The
church every Sunday was heavily at
tended and one not infrequently saw
on Sunday sixty or more closed fam
lily coaches drawn up in front Of the
church, each with its coachman and
it's footman on the little dickey seat.
It was known as being undoubtedly
a swell place of worship and every
soul in Prince William parish made
it a point every Sunday to worship
in this church.
Its Burning.
During the revolutionary war the
woodwork of the church was par
TALLY destroyed by an accident on
the part of General Tarleton's troop
ers. The woodwork Of the house
again was burned later by either 10y
alists or patriots, it is not known
which, the Bull family thus being
divided in their allegiance. But the
church and the Bull residence we're
again rebuilt, but both were again
burned during the civil war, this
time Intentionally by Sherman's raid
ars. At the time Of the revolution
there stood in front Of the church
leaden equestrian statue Of William.
Duke Of Orange, after whom the par
ish was named. Around the old
church are glebe lands, ecclesiastical
and non-taxable. Twenty years ago
there was a caretaker for these old
ruins who used, rent free, these
glebe lands. One cannot understand
why the Episcopal church of the
south, is it ought to do, has not TAX
en- over these old ruins and put them
in order and put caretaker for
them.
Its Furniture.
The brick and furniture for the
church were all brought from Eng
land. The walls are remarkably
thick, three and one-half to four feet,
and are in perfect repair. The door
way and the chancel windows were
immense affairs, taking up nearly
all of the front and rear ends of the
church. Along the two sides were
large windows and into these side
walls were built semi-curcular bas-
tions of brick that extended from the
top to the bottom, givingit somewhat