John's Island Presbyterian Church
National Register Listing
Street Address:
10 mi. W of Charleston on SR 20 (Charleston County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817710093
Description and Narrative:
Originally called John’s Island and Wadmalaw Church, the name was shorted to John’s Island Presbyterian Church in 1925. The date of the present church building is under dispute. According to local tradition it was built in 1719 and remodeled in 1792. However, Chancery Court proceedings of 1840 and 1842 refer to pulling down an old church and rebuilding a new one in 1822. A church school addition was built across the rear of the church in 1935. The frame meeting house church was one of the most prevalent styles of early church architecture in South Carolina. Containing refinements such as fanlights, arched windows, and interior balcony paneling, the church gives evidence of the builder’s attention to details and the wealth and prominence of its members, lowcountry planters. The front façade of this T-shaped clapboard structure consists of two front entryways with three-paneled double doors. Centered between the doors is an arched window with panel shutters. The spoked arch of the window is repeated in the fanlights of the doors. Centered in a boxed gable end is a semi-elliptical wooden fan. The church has beaded siding. The steeply-pitched roof has been covered with asbestos shingles. The church is surrounded by an open grassy area, part of which is the cemetery. Listed in the National Register November 3, 1975.
Period of Significance:
circa 1719;1792;1822;18th century;19th century
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Education;Politics/Government;Religion;Social History
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
November 3 1975
