The Church of the Holy Cross is an historic Anglican church at 335 North Kings Highway in Stateburg, South Carolina. Built in 1850-52 to a design by noted South Carolina architect Edward C. Jones, it is a notable example of rammed earth construction with relatively high style Gothic Revival styling. It was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architecture in 1973. The current minister is Fr. Michael E. Ridgill.
Description and history
The church stands on the east side of North Kings Highway, west of the city of Sumter. Its walls, constructed of yellow rammed earth, stand 40 feet (12Â m) tall, and are covered in stucco, with buttressing at the corners and long sides of its cruciform plan. A tower stands attached to one end, and the steeply-pitched roof is finished in tile. Window and door openings are in the shape of Gothic arches. The church interior is painted gray in a manner resembling stone.
The church was built in 1850-52 on land donated earlier by American Revolutionary War General Thomas Sumter. It was designed by Edward C. Jones, one of South Carolina's leading architects; a prolific designer, only a relatively small number of his works now survive. Across the road from the church is Borough House Plantation, the home of Dr. William Wallace Anderson, chairman of the committee that built the church. In 1820, Dr. Anderson had built his own house of rammed earth on the plantation. With its additional rammed earth outbuildings, the plantation complex is also a National Historic Landmark, and both form part of the Stateburg Historic District.
The Church of the Holy Cross is still an active Anglican parish in the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. The church still has its original Erben pipe organ installed in 1851.
An 18-month, $2.3 million restoration to repair extensive termite damage was completed late January 2010 under the then-rector the Rev. Fr. Thomas W. Allen.
Notable burials
- Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779 â€" December 12, 1851), physician, botanist and American statesman. The Poinsettia is named for him.
- George L. Mabry, Jr. (September 14, 1917 â€" July 13, 1990), Major General, U.S. Army. Medal of Honor recipient.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Sumter County, South Carolina
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
References
External links
- Church of the Holy Cross, Anglican, Stateburg website
- Church of the Holy Cross, Sumter County (SC Hwy 261, Stateburg vicinity), including 8 photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History
- History of Church & Joel R. Poinsett
- Paper on Rammed Earth with a History of Church of the Holy Cross
