Horn Creek Baptist Church — Edgefield, South Carolina

Endangered SC Churches Need Our Help!

The story below follows Horn Creek Baptist Church from its inception in 1790 through its restoration in 2010s. As seen below, the church was near ruin just a few short years ago. Since then, it has made a remarkable recovery, thanks to the support of the local community and a loving caretaker name Barney Lamar.

Together with Preservation South Carolina and author and photographer Bill Fitzpatrick, we are working to help raise funds for other endangered churches in our state in the hopes that they also can be lovingly restored. Please join us by clicking this link or on the banner below.

A Brief History of Horn Creek Baptist Church

Horn Creek Baptist Church in Edgefield was founded in 1790, shortly after a Revolutionary War skirmish took place on this site. The simple meeting house was built for the congregation in 1822. Horn Creek is one of the oldest Baptist churches in the upper part of South Carolina, and the church structure reflects the uncomplicated style of early Baptist settlers.

Despite its simplicity, the church bears a coupe of unusual features. First, the ceiling features a flourish of decorative painted designs, as well as a small angel painted in each of its four corners. Second, the ironwork surrounding the graveyard is more ornate than the typical fences of rural churches from this time.

A single door behind the pulpit (seen below) leads to the church’s namesake creek, which was used for baptizing members. In 1781, during the American Revolution, a Patriot regiment led by Captain Thomas Kee defeated a group of Tories at Horn Creek, killing their leader, Captain Clark, and imprisoning his troops.

Today the church is owned by the Edgefield County Historical Society, which recently led an effort to restore the old building. A cottage was begun on the property in 2104 to house a caretaker to both work on the church and prevent future vandalism. The cottage was dedicated roughly a year later, on March 29, 2015.

The Historical Society hired Mr. Barney Lamar, an experienced reservation expert, to serve as the caretaker. Under his watch, the church and its grounds have come full circle, and the church was again in use by 2018.

Horn Creek Baptist Church is listed in the National Register:

One of the oldest Baptist churches in the South Carolina Upcountry, Horn Creek was incorporated in 1790. Today it is one of the few remaining meeting house style churches in the area reflecting austere simplicity and manifesting frugality of early settlers. The one-roomed church is supported by fieldstone foundation piers and has wooden steps leading to two front doors that are hinged to fold in the center. A door behind the pulpit leads to a creek for baptizing.

The church’s adjoining cemetery has excellent iron work including a cast iron gate at the Bettis plot which has a design that incorporates a Palmetto tree flanked by lambs and roses. A wooden fence next to the Bettis plot surrounds fieldstone markers. Revolutionary War activity in the Horn Creek area included a 1781 skirmish in which patriot Captain Thomas Kee of Colonel Leroy Hammond’s regiment, attacked a Tory party under Captain Clark. Clark was killed and the entire company was made prisoners.

Horn Creek Baptist Church – Additional Images

Endangered SC Churches Need Our Help!

While Horn Creek Baptist Church is no longer in danger, many other rural churches in South Carolina are still in desperate need of care. Bill Fitzpatrick, who serves as a member of the South Carolina Picture Project board, has partnered with Preservation South Carolina to help save endangered churches such as Lower Long Cane. Their beautiful book, South Carolina’s Sacred Spaces, highlights the challenges facing many of our state’s historic churches going forward.

This generously-sized volume, which features 254 pages of extraordinary images and Bill’s personal accounts of the churches and their histories, is a wonderful way for us, as ordinary citizens, to help save some of our state’s most cherished landmarks. 100% of the proceeds go to a building fund to help maintain and protect these churches. Please treat yourself to a copy today!

Horn Creek Baptist Church Map

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