Christ Episcopal Church, Mars Bluff
National Register Listing
Street Address:
NE of Florence on SC 327, Florence, SC Vicinity of City (Florence County)
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817721004
Description and Narrative:
Christ Episcopal Church was constructed in 1859 and is an excellent vernacular example of the “Carpenter Gothic” (Gothic Revival) style of architecture. Cruciform in plan, the church is of board and batten construction and rests upon low brick piers. The roof is steeply pitched with simple wooden brackets supporting the eaves. Windows and doors are pointed-arched and feature simple wooden tracery. The church is exemplary of the small and frequently isolated churches in South Carolina which have played an important part in the religious and social life of their surrounding communities. The history of Christ Episcopal Church began ca. 1843 when Dr. Edward Porcher, formerly of the lower part of the state, was successful in arranging for Episcopal services to be held in the Mars Bluff community. In 1859, Dr. Porcher gave two acres of land on which the present church was erected. Families associated with the church included Greggs, Bacots, Ashbys, Harllees, Rogers, and McCalls. Adjacent to the church and included in the nominated acreage is a cemetery that contains the graves of many of the original parishioners and their descendents. Listed in the National Register November 14, 1978.
Period of Significance:
1859
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Religion;Architecture
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
November 14 1978
