Trinity Episcopal

One of the many over 100 year old  churches we saw in Abbeville yesterday was Trinity Episcopal which was founded in 1842 when a small clapboard church was built.  In 1860, right at the start of the War Between the States, the current church was completed made with locally made bricks and covered with a pinkish orange stucco (that red dirt in the region was used to color the stucco).   The pipe organ is the original organ (we could not get inside as workers were working).   The front door was open so we did catch a glimpse of the stained glass window at the altar.  This window was installed in 1863 and the story goes that the ship bringing the window from England was able to avoid capture by the Union army in order to deliver the window.    The bell in the tower is the original also as well as the gold cross on the top of the spire.   We walked around to the back of the church to see if we could get a photo of the window from the outside and their is a barrier of some kind to protect the window.   Probably from sunlight and/or vandalism.   Apparently the light that is shining on the glass is artificial light.  

The church is undergoing some major renovations and as you can see the stucco is crumbling on the sides of the church.  I am sure this is a very costly task and I found there are two groups working to raise funds to do this renovation.  

You can see the spire of this church a good distance from the town as you drive into Abbeville.   I was happy to learn that this church and the town of Abbeville were not in the path of Sherman's army as they marched through South Carolina during the war.    I am sure many of the old churches and the buildings from the early 1800s  would not have survived.

I wanted to share a little South Carolina history so I did this collage and yes,  I broke the rules again!!  New photo for today though even if the photos were taken yesterday!