This church in Lake City was established in 1828 as Bethlehem Baptist Church when the community was still known as Graham’s Crossroads. The congregation originally met in a one-room log cabin. When the city changed its name to Lake City in 1883, the church followed suit and changed its name to Lake City First Baptist Church in 1885.
This brick Classic Revival-style edifice was built in 1920 and incorporates a masonry technique known as raked jointing, meaning that the mortar joints are recessed from the bricks. According to Bill Segars, a frequent South Carolina Picture Project contributor and an expert contractor who focuses on the restoration of historic properties, “The brick work is so impressive on this building. The brick laying has to be perfect to use this jointing technique.” An example of this jointing can be seen below in the detail of the brick columns:
More modern structures were added to the church campus in 1965 and in 2003. Lake City First Baptist Church has been instrumental in forming other Baptist churches in the area and is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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