The Old Sheldon Church Ruins

About two miles from the combined U.S. highways 17 and 21, near Sheldon, South Carolina, lie the ruins of the Prince William's Parish Church, known as the Old Sheldon Church.  The surrounding grounds includes gravestones, crypts, and numerous trees.  The front of the church includes four columns, which like its arched walls, are made of bricks and mortar.

This shot shows the right side and the back.  Though the arched openings, the inner left side may be seen.

Behind the church are several above-ground crypts.

In another part of the grounds are these gravestones.

Here's a shot of the front, showing the columns and the entrance.

According to this plaque, the church was originally built between 1745 and 1755, burned by the British in 1779, rebuilt in 1826, and burned again in 1865 by General Sherman's Union troops.  On the other hand, another tradition says that the church was not burned by Sherman's troops, but had its materials scavenged to rebuild homes which the troops had burned down.  I guess you could say that the church suffered indirectly from burning, if this alternative tradition is correct.  (As anyone familiar with Civil War history might understand, Sherman is not popular in this area.)

From inside the church, this shot shows the large opening in the back wall.  The grave in front of what might be a small altar contains the remains of William Bull, who organized and financed the construction of the church, and whose plantation was located on adjacent land.  The name Sheldon comes from his family's ancestral home in England.

The inside left wall was in sunlight, and thus was an easy subject to photograph.

On the other side of the road from the church is a large flat open area, you might say a de facto parking lot, of which this is part.

To learn more about the Sheldon Church ruins, go to SC Picture Project, Eat Stay Play Beaufort, Discover South Carolina, Atlas Obscura and Only In Your State.