Jack’s Lookout Road — Galivants Ferry, South Carolina

This quiet stretch of road between Pee Dee Highway and South Carolina Highway 129 in Galivants Ferry is known as Jack’s Lookout Road. Relics of the past dot this sandy path reminding us of the ways of tobacco farming. Abandoned buildings, including this collapsing packing shed, are all that remain besides a few residences scattered throughout. This road is named, from local lore, for a church that once stood along the road. The congregation was African-American, and it is said that while preaching, the pastor would watch for members of the Ku Klux Klan through the sanctuary’s windows in order to protect his flock.

Jack’s Lookout Church dates at least back to 1938, when it was listed on a map of Horry County created by the South Carolina Department of Transportation. In 2010, B.R. and Patsy Gaskin, both of whom grew up in the area, gave this account in an interview with Christy Douglas:

Well, you see, in my father’s & grandfather’s years, times were hard. This road wasn’t even here yet. It was over there. That was when there were only wagons and mules. There’s a slew of the swamp over there and you had to go through mud to go anywhere. Right ’round the corner, there was a church. ‘Cause we had colored folks workin’ the farm, they needed a church. It was built right there. See how there ain’t no trees? That’s where they had their church. Like I said, times were hard. People were rough. The Klu Klux Klan had a lot of power, and lynchin’ was common. In order for the preacher, whose name was Jack, to watch out for his flock, he’d open all the wood-plank windows. You know, the kind with hinges. That way, he could see outside so he could ‘look out’ for his congregation in case someone from the Klan was tryin’ to sneak up on them. That’s why they call this road Jack’s Lookout Road.

Note: We have researched Jack’s Lookout extensively, both the church and the road, and we are actively seeking more information or personal accounts. If you can add to this entry in the South Carolina Picture Project, please let us know. Thank you!

More Pictures of Jack’s Lookout Road

Jack’s Lookout Road Map

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