• 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

St. Thomas’ Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT Leave a Comment

SC Picture Project / Richland County / St. Thomas’ Church

This simple frame church in the Richland County community of Eastover was founded in the 1870s as a mission church for freed African-Americans following the Civil War. Prior to Emancipation, slaves attended worship services with their white owners. Once they were free to worship on their own, many former slaves established their own churches, and the number of African-Americans attending Protestant Episcopal (now simply called Episcopal) services suffered a significant decline.

St. Thomas' Church

Bill Fitzpatrick of Taylors, 2012 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

In 1871 Bishop William Howe spearheaded an effort by the Protestant Episcopal Church to establish mission churches in the Episcopal denomination for newly-freed black South Carolinians. The Reverend Thomas Clarkson, son of a wealthy planter, was charged with ministering to former slaves in lower Richland County. After his family sold their plantation, Middleburg, Clarkson and his wife, Septima Clarkson, relocated to the Eastover area where Septima Clarkson began a Sunday School for local African-American children.

In 1885 a chapel was constructed in the community with funds donated by the Reverend John Saul of Philadelphia. The small church was called Saul Chapel for its benefactor, and the Reverend Clarkson served as its minister. The Saul Chapel burned in 1891, and this small structure was built in its place in 1893. It was named St. Thomas’ Protestant Episcopal Church, and a mission school by the same name was established on the site and operated by the Clarksons until the 1940s. Following the 1911 death of Septima Clarkson, the Clarksons’ daughter, Julia, became the school’s teacher. St. Thomas’ Church retains an active congregation, and both black and white priests have served the church over the years.

St. Thomas’ Church is listed in the National Register:

St. Thomas’ Protestant Episcopal Church is significant for its association with the mission work of the Protestant Episcopal Church among the black population of lower Richland County following the Civil War. Architecturally it is significant as an unusually intact late nineteenth century vernacular church building featuring influences of the Gothic Revival style. The interior is particularly noteworthy. Constructed in 1892-1983, St. Thomas’ Protestant Episcopal Church is a simple, one-story, frame church building displaying elements of the Gothic Revival style. Despite minor alterations, the church retains the ability to convey its historical and architectural significance. The façade features a one-bay, gable-roofed porch supported by wooden posts. The rear elevation features a large tripartite lancet window flanked by smaller single lancet windows. The interior of the church features a ceiling with exposed beams and trusses and beaded-board wainscoting. The nominated acreage, which is located in an undeveloped area in the Sandhills, also contains the associated cemetery, site of St. Thomas’ Mission School, and a modern concrete parish house.

Plan Your Trip: St. Thomas’ Church

Where is St. Thomas’ Church located?
Address: South Carolina Highway 263, Eastover, SC 29044
GPS Coordinates: 33.903560,-80.676909
What else should I see?
Zion Episcopal Church 3 miles
St. Phillip School 6.5 miles
Wateree Country Store 11.4 miles
Grovewood Plantation 11.6 miles
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • See other South Carolina National Register
    St. Thomas’ 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 ThumbnailHistoric Bethel AME Church First Presbyterian Columbia SCFirst Presbyterian of Columbia First Baptist ColumbiaFirst Baptist Church of Columbia Default ThumbnailChurch of the Good Shepherd Hopkins Presbyterian Richland CountyHopkins Presbyterian Church

    Reader Interactions

    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