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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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Bethel Lutheran Church

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SC Picture Project / Richland County / Bethel Lutheran Church

The congregation of Bethel Lutheran Church in White Rock – just outside of Columbia – was founded around 1762 when a group of Dutch settlers established a colony along the Broad and Saluda rivers. The area where the Lutherans settled was called High Hill Creek for a nearby stream, and the original name of the church was the German Lutheran Church of Bethel on High Hill Creek. The name was later abbreviated to Bethel Lutheran Church.

Bethel Lutheran Church

Jackie Thompson of Irmo, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The congregation first met in a log cabin a little over three miles from this site at present-day Lake Murray. Three other churches housed the group along High Hill Creek as the congregation grew, built in 1800, 1843, and in 1881. In 1824 the South Carolina Lutheran Synod formed and first met at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pomaria; Bethel Lutheran Church was an original member of the synod.

Bethel Lutheran Marker

Jackie Thompson of Irmo, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

The church was forced to relocate from High Hill Creek in 1929 to make way for the construction of Lake Murray. A Lutheran church in White Rock had formed in 1893, called Mount Vernon, and the two congregations merged when Bethel’s sanctuary was condemned. The present brick Gothic structure was completed in 1930 for the newly-consolidated congregation, and the name of Bethel was retained from the High Hill Creek church.

Bethel Lutheran Marker Back

Jackie Thompson of Irmo, 2016 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: Bethel Lutheran Church

Where is Bethel Lutheran Church located?
Address: 2081 Dutch Fork Road, White Rock, SC 29177
GPS Coordinates: 34.144077,-81.274254
Website: http://www.bethelwhiterock.com
What else should I see?
Lindler House 5.5 miles
St. Michael's Lutheran Church 8.5 miles
Chapin Depot 9.4 miles
Bomb Island 10 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
    Bethel Lutheran Church Map

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    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.

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    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.

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