Patrick Prather built the Tugaloo Church in 1856 near Cross Roads, South Carolina. In 1870, it was moved to its current location near the Tugaloo River. The Presbyterian church was active until 1968.
Tugaloo Church of Madison, South Carolina
Tag Archives: South Carolina
Once the Home of the Redneck Shop and KKK Museum, the Echo Theater Has a New Future
The Echo Theater was built in 1910. Like many theaters in the Jim Crow South, it was segregated. In 1996, it became the site of the Redneck Shop and the world’s only KKK Museum. Protests ensued, but the shop and museum were allowed to stay open.
Local minister and activist Rev. David Kennedy befriended one of the theater’s owners, Michael Burden, who lost his apartment inside the theater. Burden eventually denounced his beliefs and sold the theater to Kennedy for $1,000. Unfortunately, the other owner would not leave the premises until years later after the court ordered him to do so.
The site is now known as the Echo Project, where it will eventually evolve into a museum and diversity center. It has been designated an International Site of Conscience, a place that promotes the history of a site and “justice and a culture of human rights.”
At the moment, there is no projected date of opening.
McBee Chapel Honors the “Father of Greenville”
Along the Reedy River in Greenville County, South Carolina, is the mill town of Conestee, founded in the 1830s. The McBee United Methodist Church, designed by John Adams and built in 1841, is located there. Adams utilized the octagonal design to allow for more seating space. At one point, a slave gallery was built above the floor seating. It was removed after the Civil War.
The church was named after Vardy McBee and his son Alexander, who donated money and land for its construction. In 1815, Vardry McBee purchased 11,000 acres in the area now known as Greenville and built a sawmill, brickyard, and ironworks.
Retreat Presbyterian Church-Bachelor’s Retreat Community, South Carolina
Bachelor’s Retreat was established by John Verner in 1812. He had three sons, Ebenezer, Limuel, and David, who were bachelors well into adulthood. Ebenezer and Limuel eventually married, but by that time, the community was coined “Bachelor’s Retreat.” The bachelor part was eventually dropped, and the area is now known as Retreat.
Retreat Presbyterian Church is believed to have been started in 1836. some sources list the date as newer. Land was donated in the 1850s to build a house of worship, which was completed in 1860. Despite struggling to maintain members, the church remained active until 1968. The church has fallen into disrepair a couple of times, and it has been restored at least twice. The grounds are well-maintained. I did not venture up the steps of the Greek Revival building.
Built in the 1840s, Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church Still Stands Today in Greenville County
The Cool Springs Primitive Baptist Church was organized in the 1830s, and by the 1840s, this wood-frame church was built. The church used this building until the 1950s when a brick church building was erected to replace the wooden building.
Our Lady of Vietnam Park-Greenville County, South Carolina
North of Greer, South Carolina, is the unexpected Our Lady of Vietnam Park, built by Catholic refugees from Vietnam. It features the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child and was dedicated on November 24, 1991, during the Feast of the Holy Martyrs. The event remembers the 117 Vietnamese martyrs who were persecuted for their Catholicism during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
According to Wikipedia, Buddhism and Catholicism are the largest organized religions in the country. Still, most people in Vietnam either follow an unorganized faith tradition, are classified as Vietnamese folk religion, or are atheists. There are approximately 7 million Catholics in Vietnam and 1 million Vietnamese Catholic expatriates.