• 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
  • Black History

Johns Island Presbyterian Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT 2 Comments

SC Picture Project / Charleston County / Johns Island Presbyterian Church

Though the age of this Johns Island church remains controversial, the congregation was founded in 1710 by the Reverend Archibald Stobo. Stobo was a Presbyterian minister from Scotland who arrived in Charleston while traveling home from Central America after a failed mission trip. His ship, anchored for supplies, was destroyed in port during a hurricane. He remained in the city and eventually led the Circular Congregational Church before leaving to form five local churches, including Johns Island Presbyterian (originally called Johns Island and Wadmalaw Church) and nearby James Island Presbyterian. The Reverend Stobo also founded the Charles Town Presbytery in 1722.

Johns Island Presbyterian Church

John Kirkland of Augusta, GA, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The first church to house the Presbyterian congregation on Johns Island was a meeting house built in 1719. Many local residents, including church leaders, claim that the present building is the original church, though it was only one story at the time. The second-floor slave gallery, they say, was added around 1823.

The National Register, conversely, notes that the Court of Chancery in South Carolina states in 1840 and again in 1842 that a church at this site was torn down and replaced with another church in 1822. The official church records burned in 1855, leaving the church’s construction date a source of debate. (We are unable to find primary source records to support either story; if you have information that might help, please contact share@scpictureproject.org. Thank you!)

Johns Island Presbyterian Interior

Kenneth Dodds of Charleston, 2014 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Older features of the church remain, such as the box pews, while modern additions to the historic church have altered its appearance in the twentieth century. An educational building was added to the rear of the church in 1935, which created the structure’s current T-shape. The churchyard for St. Johns rests behind the church building. The congregation remains active today and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, or PC (USA) denomination.

Johns Island Presbyterian Churchyard

John Kirkland of Augusta, GA, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

George LaGrange Cook was the son of George Smith Cook, a popular Civil War photographer in the Lowcountry. George LaGrange Cook, who took the photo of Johns Island Presbyterian below, would go to become a popular photographer as well and was well known for his images he took of the Charleston Earthquake of 1886.

Johns Island Presbyterian Church

George LaGrange Cook | South Caroliniana Library USC, 1880-1895

Johns Island Presbyterian Church is listed in the National Register:

Originally called Johns Island and Wadmalaw Church, the name was shorted to Johns Island Presbyterian Church in 1925. The date of the present church building is under dispute. According to local tradition it was built in 1719 and remodeled in 1792. However, Chancery Court proceedings of 1840 and 1842 refer to pulling down an old church and rebuilding a new one in 1822. A church school addition was built across the rear of the church in 1935. The frame meeting house church was one of the most prevalent styles of early church architecture in South Carolina. Containing refinements such as fanlights, arched windows, and interior balcony paneling, the church gives evidence of the builder’s attention to details and the wealth and prominence of its members, lowcountry planters. The front façade of this T-shaped clapboard structure consists of two front entryways with three-paneled double doors. Centered between the doors is an arched window with panel shutters. The spoked arch of the window is repeated in the fanlights of the doors. Centered in a boxed gable end is a semi-elliptical wooden fan. The church has beaded siding. The steeply-pitched roof has been covered with asbestos shingles. The church is surrounded by an open grassy area, part of which is the cemetery.

More Pictures of Johns Island Presbyterian Church


Johns Island Presbyterian Church

Benton Henry of Latta, 2017 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: Johns Island Presbyterian Church

Where is Johns Island Presbyterian Church located?
Address: 2550 Bohicket Road, SC 29455
GPS Coordinates: 32.686381,-80.082047
Website: http://www.jipc.org/
What else should I see?
St. John's Parish Church 3.4 miles
Angel Oak 3.4 miles
Progressive Club 4 miles
Mount Zion Church 4.9 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • Johns Island Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina National Register
    Johns Island Presbyterian 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!

    $3,160 of $12,500
    105 Donations
    $ 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

    Moving Star Praise HallMoving Star Hall Trinity Church EdistoTrinity Episcopal Church Bethel Methodist CharlestonBethel United Methodist St. Mary's CharlestonSt. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church St. John's Lutheran GatesSt. John’s Lutheran Church

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tina Marshall says

      December 23, 2017 at 8:25 AM

      Can you tell me why a picture of another church is on the Johns Island Presbyterian Church site? The obvious clue is that the church has a steeple and JIPC did not ever have one. Can this wrong picture be removed? If you want to know more about the history of this church, I give tours every Wednesday, 10am-12:30pm. Thanks, Tina Marshall

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        December 25, 2017 at 11:12 PM

        It was added incorrectly, thanks for letting us know. It has been removed.

        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.

    $3,160 of $12,500
    105 Donations
    $ 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

    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