• 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. Ann Catholic Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT Leave a Comment

SC Picture Project / Williamsburg County / St. Ann Catholic Church

This house of worship in Kingstree now serves a Catholic church, but it was built in 1948 as a synagogue. Both congregations have storied histories, beginning with Kingstree’s first Jewish resident, a lawyer named Melvin J. Hirsch. Hirsch joined the Confederate army during the Civil War and later held various positions of leadership in Kingstree following Reconstruction. Another Jewish resident, Louis Jacobs, immigrated to Charleston from Prussia and also served in the Confederate army. Jacobs relocated to Kingstree after the Civil War and became a merchant. During the turn of the twentieth century, several more Jewish families moved to Kingstree.

St. Ann Kingstree

Linda Brown of Kingstree, 2013 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Though the number of Jewish families residing in Kingstree grew in the early 1900s, there was no central place to gather for prayer. Many would travel to people’s homes in nearby Georgetown for services or attend synagogue in Charleston or Sumter. Finally, this synagogue was built in 1948 to house the Jewish congregation of Kingstree, called Temple Beth Or. However, as children grew and left the Kingstree area over the following decades, membership declined. As a result, the congregation dissolved in 2004 and sold its building to a local Catholic church, St. Ann, in 2005.

Our Lady Shrine

Bill Segars of Hartsville, 2006 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

St. Ann Catholic Church did not form until 1947. Prior to that year, Catholics in the area met in private homes, much like the local Jewish families had done. Area Catholics suffered discrimination during their early years in Kingstree, including the burning of crosses on Catholic property. Undeterred, the Catholic community grew, and a chapel, seen above, was built for St. Ann on Main Street. As the congregation was considering renovating the original building in the early years of the twenty-first century, it learned that Temple Beth Or was for sale. St. Ann purchased the synagogue and relocated there, holding its first Mass in the building in 2006. The former St. Ann building on Main Street is now the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of South Carolina, Our Lady of Our Joyful Hope.

Plan Your Trip: St. Ann Catholic Church

Where is St. Ann Catholic Church located?
Address: 107 Hirsch Street, Kingstree, SC 29556
GPS Coordinates: 33.673899,-79.836293
Website: http://stannkingstree.org/
What else should I see?
Battle of Kingstree 0.4 mile
Kingstree United Methodist Church 0.4 mile
Williamsburg Presbyterian Church 0.7 mile
Kingstree First Baptist Church 0.7 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Churches
  • Kingstree Historic Sites
  • See other South Carolina Synagogues
    St. Ann Catholic 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 ThumbnailWilliamsburg Presbyterian Church Default ThumbnailSt. Alban’s Episcopal Church Default ThumbnailKingstree United Methodist Church Default ThumbnailKingstree First Baptist Church Default ThumbnailBethesda United Methodist 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