Central Baptist Church — Darlington, South Carolina

The congregation of Central Baptist Church in Darlington was organized in 1915, and this Georgian Revival-style church building was completed in 1918. By the 1960s the congregation had outgrown the one-story church. The members sold this building to the Darlington County School District in 1966 and moved to another location. Today the brick edifice serves as administrative offices for the school district.

Central Baptist Church is listed in the National Register as part of the St. John’s Historic District:

The St. John’s Historic District contains a concentration of late nineteenth and early twentieth century vernacular buildings, including residential, religious, and educational examples. The majority of the buildings were erected by local contractors without the help of an architect. The district consists of approximately nineteen properties of particular historical or architectural significance and thirty-six supporting properties.

The focal point of the district is St. John’s School complex and campus, the Academy Green. The properties in the district are located in approximately five block area of oak lined streets. Approximately 75 percent of the buildings were constructed prior to 1925. Most of them were built between 1880 and 1925 during a period of unprecedented agricultural prosperity and reflect the architectural characteristics of that era, including Victorian, Neo-Classical, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow. The majority of the buildings in the district have been continuously used and have been kept in good repair.

Central Baptist Church Map

---