• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SC Picture Project

The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

  • FIND A LANDMARK
    • BY CITY
    • BY COUNTY
    • BY CATEGORY
    • BYGONE LANDMARKS
  • ADD IMAGES
  • VOLUNTEER
  • SPONSORS
  • DONATE

Swallow Savannah Methodist Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT 3 Comments

SC Picture Project / Allendale County / Swallow Savannah Methodist Church

This church literally has a storybook name – in 2008 Charleston-based author Ken Burger published a book titled Swallow Savannah set in a fictional place near the Savannah River, similar to the town of Allendale. Swallow Savannah Methodist Church, however, tells a different story, and is perhaps one of South Carolina’s oldest Methodist churches.

Swallow Savannah Methodist Church

Andy Hunter of North Augusta, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

It is likely that the first Methodist preacher to reach this area was Thomas Darby, who came to South Carolina as a chaplain for the British during the Revolutionary War. He remained after the war, preaching in his territory, which included the Georgia Conference. Possibly as a result of Darby’s influence in the area, Swallow Savannah Church was formed. The church initially was a log structure built in 1815 about 700 yards northeast of a body of water known as the Swallow Savannah Pond in a rural area near present-day Allendale, giving the church its name.

The church moved to three different nearby locations over the years before relocating to downtown Allendale as a result of the new Augusta and Port Royal Railroad, which brought more people to the town. The congregation built a structure on the site of what is now the Allendale Cemetery before moving to its current location on land donated by Lawrence Williams. Williams gave the land to the church with the provision that the church always retain the name Swallow Savannah Church.

The congregation met in Union Church, a nondenominational church that allowed different churches to meet in its building on a rotating schedule, while its new church was under construction. Finally in the late 1800s a “large white wooden structure” was completed on the present site. Today a brick church welcomes worshipers under its original name of Swallow Savannah Methodist Church.

If anyone has any further details on Swallow Savannah Church, please share it with us!

Plan Your Trip: Swallow Savannah Methodist Church

Where is Swallow Savannah Methodist Church located?
Address: 412 Walnut Street West, Allendale, SC 29810
GPS Coordinates: 33.008545,-81.311526
What else should I see?
First Baptist Church 0.1 mile
Allendale Presbyterian Church 0.2 mile
Happy Home Baptist Church 0.2 mile
Historic Downtown Allendale 0.3 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Allendale Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Churches
    Swallow Savannah Methodist Church Map

    Please Help Us Stay Online

    We’d like thank everyone who generously supports the South Carolina Picture Project. You provide us with the inspiration and financial support we need to keep doing what we do. Every reader’s contribution, larger or small, is valuable. If you have enjoyed this website or found it helpful, please pitch in. Each donation helps – and it only takes a minute. Thank you!

    Support the SC Picture Project!

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    You may also like

    You may also like

    Happy Home ChurchHappy Home Baptist Church Smyrna Baptist ChurchSmyrna Baptist Church Antioch Church AllendaleAntioch Christian Church First Baptist AllendaleFirst Baptist Church Mount Arnon Baptist ChurchMount Arnon Baptist Church

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JANICE ALLEN says

      January 22, 2018 at 11:14 AM

      Whom do I contact regarding maintenance of a grave at Swallow Savannah Cemetery. My children and I will be visiting there in March in order to leave my late husband’s ashes. His parents were Major Woodward Allen and Frances Allen, buried in that cemetery.

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        January 23, 2018 at 12:15 AM

        We are sorry to hear of your loss, the best bet would be perhaps getting in touch with the church of the same name at this phone number (803) 584-2363 (found on Google) to see if they have information on who maintains the cemetery grounds. We hope this helps!

        Reply
    2. Kirk J Williams says

      April 23, 2016 at 7:41 PM

      Two corrections on Swallow Savannah Methodist Church. The correct names of the individual who donated the land was James Lawrence Williams. The second is that the church could use the land unless they planned to move the church and sell the land, then the land was to be given back to the Williams Family.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FIND A LANDMARK

    Why This Site Matters

    Help Keep This Site Online

    We depend on the support of today’s readers to document South Carolina’s landmarks for future readers. Please help us continue this important work by making a donation below.

    $ 50.00
    Select Payment Method
    Personal Info

    Credit Card Info
    This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.

    Donation Total: $50.00

    Recent Posts

    • H.L. Hunley
    • Strand Theater
    • Camden Depot
    • Charleston City Marina
    • Secession Hill

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    Footer

    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

    CONTACT US

    We’d love to hear from you! Send us a quick email at share@scpictureproject.org.

    If you are looking for permission to use a photo, please reach out directly to the photographer listed in the image’s credit.

    JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

    The South Carolina Picture Project has two Facebook groups. One is dedicated to SC Historic Landmarks and Iconic Landscapes, and the other is dedicated to SC Nature and Wildlife.

    South Carolina Picture Project © 2022 · All Rights Reserved