• 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

Providence United Methodist Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / Orangeburg County / Providence United Methodist Church

The history of this church in the unincorporated community of Providence – just outside Holly Hill – dates to 1806 when itinerant preachers traveled circuits spreading Methodism in the United States. A log structure to house the new congregation was built around that time on intersecting Vance Road – then the main highway – about a half-mile away. A churchyard located behind the site of the first church is no longer in use but still maintained by the congregation.

Providence United Methodist Church

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2004 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Around 1810 four acres of land for a new church were donated by Timothy Shuler at the present site. A frame sanctuary was built on the land shortly after the church acquired it; the second church had double entrance doors and a separate entrance in the rear of the church for slaves.

Providence UMC Side

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2004 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The second church was remodeled twice, in 1855 and 1890. In 1916 Providence Methodist Church became part of the South Carolina Conference and received its first station minister, the Reverend P.K. Rhoad. Two years later the church wished to build a large, modern brick church, though transporting brick to the site proved difficult. A logger in nearby Four Holes Swamp, Vernon Crosby Badham, was hired to deliver the materials, which he did by building a railroad spur to the community. The cornerstone of the church was laid in 1919, and by 1920 the present church edifice was complete.

Providence UMC

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

A large portion of the funds used to build the new church were raised by the parishioners. The men of the congregation formed a “Pig Club,” in which members each raised a pig, sold it, and donated the proceeds to the building committee. The women of the church belonged to a similar group known as the “Egg Club,” which sold eggs and donated profits to the church. While these clubs only raised a fraction of the money needed for the church, many members donated privately to the building fund, raising $39,000 of the $41,000 needed.

Providence Methodist Church

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The Neoclassical structure was designed by renowned architect Charles Coker Wilson, who is known for such works as Neville Hall on the campus of Presbyterian College and the South Carolina State House. The stained glass in the church’s imposing Palladian windows (seen below) is said to have come from the studio of Louis Comfort Tiffany, though no church records can be found to confirm the origins of the glass.

Providence Church Window

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The land adjacent to the church is home to two baseball fields, which the church owns, along with an old building that belonged to an Orangeburg County school (seen below). The original baseball field belonged to Orangeburg County School District 3, which allowed the community to use it for Little League baseball. However, the Providence Purple Hurricanes, which included both boy and girl athletes, found themselves without a ball field in 1980 when changes in the school district barred the team from using its facility. In 2005 the church was able to purchase the ball field along with the remaining school buildings, once again bringing Little League baseball to Providence. Land for an additional field was donated by the family of Ken Shuler in 2011. Having a second field enables the team to host tournaments.

Providence School Building

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The marker seen below honors church member Bart Hutto, who died in 2010. Hutto owned land next to the church which was the site of Providence Farmers Supply Company, a company that opened during World War II. Hutto bequeathed $50,000 to the church, which it used to buy his adjacent property. The church then razed the vacant building and installed a historical marker to commemorate Hutto’s generosity towards the church.

Bart's Corner Marker

Ann Helms of Spartanburg, 2010 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Providence United Methodist Church is listed in the National Register:

Providence Methodist Church, constructed in 1919-20, is significant architecturally as an outstanding and remarkable example of an early twentieth-century Neo-Classical sanctuary in rural lower South Carolina. The church was designed by the renowned Columbia, South Carolina architect Charles Coker Wilson, one of the most successful and influential South Carolina architects of the early twentieth century. The church building, inclusive of the sanctuary and rear educational/administrative wings, is laid out in a slightly modified cruciform plan and features a gable-front, temple-form, edifice with a central tetrastyle portico, simplified Roman Doric order limestone columns, pilasters and entablature, a boxed cornice with pedimented gables, numerous bull’s eye windows, and remarkable large stained glass Palladian windows. In particular, its outstanding sanctuary windows, which church members insist were purchased from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studio at the time of construction, make the church a noteworthy property combining Wilson’s fine church architecture with outstanding examples of early twentieth-century art glass. To the rear of the church is a large cemetery that contributes to the significance of the property. It contains the burial plots of more than 400 parishioners and community members dating to 1856, though fewer than fifteen individuals were buried there prior to 1880.

Plan Your Trip: Providence United Methodist Church

Where is Providence United Methodist Church located?
Address: 4833 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059
GPS Coordinates: 33.392647,-80.540619
Website: http://www.providenceumc.com/
What else should I see?
Target United Methodist Church 10.4 miles
Lone Star Barbecue 12.3 miles
Bowman 13.5 miles
Shady Grove Methodist Campground 13.9 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • See other South Carolina National Register
    Providence United Methodist 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!

    $ 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

    Default ThumbnailTrinity United Methodist Church Cattle Creek CampgroundCattle Creek Methodist Campground Lower Long CaneLower Long Cane Presbyterian Church St. Mary's in Aiken, SCSt. Mary Help of Christians Church St. Matthews Church, CharlestonSt. Matthew’s Lutheran Church

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. l. simons says

      October 27, 2018 at 9:37 AM

      Enjoyed reading about your church. We will be attending Providence this evening for the Emmaus Walk service.

      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.

    $ 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

    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.

    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