Beaufort County, South Carolina, c. 1751
9 minute read
Along Old Sheldon Church Road in Yemassee, South Carolina, history intertwines seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Given the sights and sounds you’ll find along the way to the pre-Revolutionary War era ruins of The Old Sheldon Church, it comes as no surprise it’s been designated as one of South Carolina’s scenic byways.
Maritime forests shade a leisure drive with Spanish moss-draped live oaks, palmettos, ferns, and other subtropical vegetation. You’ll pass salt marshes, tidal creeks, and swamps dotted with American Alligators, Great Blue Herons, Cottonmouths, and blue crabs.
The hot, humid summers are thick with buzzing mosquitos and tree frogs that add to the chorus with their chirps and trills. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Old Sheldon Church Ruins are as picturesque as any I’ve seen, and its history is finely woven into the fabric of some of Charleston’s most prestigious families.
The Bull Family of South Carolina
In order to fully understand the history of the church and how its name came to be, you have to rewind to the 1670’s, when Stephen Bull, the Immigrant, arrived in Carolina. Bull was among the earliest English settlers of the Colony and helped found the first permanent European settlement there. As a Deputy to Lord Ashley, one of eight Lords Proprietors of the Province of Carolina, he helped select the site of Charles Town (later, Charleston, South Carolina). Bull played a leading role in many aspects of Carolina government and military affairs, setting a standard for his descendants to follow.1
In 1671, Stephen was granted 400 acres of land along the fertile banks of the Ashley River, where he established one of the first plantations in South Carolina, Ashley Hall. He built a small, single-story, brick dwelling on the property, which still stands today as one of the oldest surviving structures in the state.2
William Bull (1683 – 1755), a Planter Elite
Born in 1683, William was the oldest son of Stephen Bull and inherited Ashley Hall in 1704. He built an impressive brick mansion next to his father’s home on the property, alongside his relatives, the Draytons and the Middletons. Bull was the founder of a political dynasty that intertwined with other influential Charleston families. He and his wife, Mary Quintyne, had five children, including sons Stephen and William, and three daughters. Elizabeth married Thomas Drayton of Magnolia Plantation, Charlotta married Thomas’s brother, John Drayton of Drayton Hall, and Henrietta married Henry Middleton, of Middleton Place.3
(I’ve frequented Charleston, South Carolina throughout the years, so the plantation/family names were very familiar to me. However, I had no idea how closely connected they all were to each other, so I found this part of the back story very interesting!)
Despite building the beautiful home at Ashley Hall, William acquired large tracts of land in Prince William’s Parish, where he and his wife, Mary, lived until both of their deaths. They raised five children at their Sheldon Hall plantation, named in honor of their ancestral home in Warwickshire, England.
Lieutenant Governor Bull
Following his father’s lead, William became a prominent figure in South Carolina’s political landscape and was often referred to as “Governor William Bull of Ashley Hall and Sheldon”. He was a well educated man, skilled military leader, and held a wide variety of positions with a strong commitment to the welfare of the Colony. As a proficient surveyor, he assisted in establishing Georgia and choosing the location of Savannah. He served as Lt. Gov. of South Carolina from 1738 until his death in 1755, during a period marked by tumultuous times that included the Stono River Slave Rebellion and the Charles Town Fire of 1740.
A Lavish Parish is Born
By 1745, the land had become thickly settled in plantations. The flat, low-lying terrain and network of tidal creeks and rivers made the region ideal for the development of the rice and indigo industries, which became major sources of revenue for the colony. As a leading figure in the Lowcountry’s Anglican Church, Bull and a group of other Anglican leaders in South Carolina began plans to establish a most impressive church to serve as a “chapel of ease” for the plantation class in the southern part of the Colony. At the time, local parishioners worshipped at the St. Helena Church in Beaufort, SC that required an arduous trek via a horse drawn carriage trip and a long ferry ride (although there was no charge for ferrying on Sunday). The church was to be named Prince William’s Parish, in honor of William, Duke of Cumberland, the son of King George II.4
Bull was heavily involved in the funding and oversight of the church that would prove to stand as a symbol of wealth. According to the description found in the National Register of Historic Places, it seems no expense was spared. “Inside the front entrance was a large font, supported by bronze lion’s claws. The Bull family coat of arms was built into the wall near the pew of Governor William Bull. The original 3 1/2 foot thick colonnaded walls of Flemish bond, and the four all-header bond, portico columns remain, attesting to the solid construction and master craftsmanship which enabled it to withstand to conflagrations and 223 years of existence.”5
Many considered the architectural quality of the Old Sheldon Church to be on par with, or even superior to, the two most renowned churches in Charleston. It was the first example of a temple-form neoclassical building in America, and thought of as the finest country church to date. It set the pace of Greek revival architecture that became so well known throughout the antebellum south. Church members surely tethered their horses under the moss-draped Live oaks
The Death of the Bulls
Mary Quintyne Bull, wife of Lt. Gov. William Bull, died on March 19, 1739 and was buried at Old Saint Andrew’s Parish Church Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. William Bull, son of Stephen the Immigrant, Member Colonial House of Commons 1706-1719, Colonel of Berkeley County Regiment Tuscarora and Yemassee Wars, Lords Proprietors Republic, Lt. Gov. of South Carolina, and Commissioner under the Church Act, died at his Sheldon Hall plantation on March 21, 1755. While it’s uncertain if he saw the completion of the building of Prince William’s Parish before his death, it is quite certain he didn’t witness the tragic burning of his beloved church years later.
The Revolutionary War
During the American War of Independence, the church served as a political and military center for the area. The church grounds were used for Continental troop drills, while the Bull family vault in the church yard was used to conceal arms and gunpowder, much of which had been confiscated from British ships. An equestrian statue of Prince William was located near the church’s residence. Colonials supposedly melted the statue in order to produce bullets to use against the British enemy.
In May of 1779, British troops under the command of General Augustine Prevost burned not only Prince William’s Parish church, but the neighboring Sheldon plantation. The Redcoats justified the burnings with the claim Colonials used the structures to store guns and ammunition. Their trail of destruction continued with the burning of many other churches throughout Charleston.
Due to the sturdy construction materials used to build Prince William’s Parish, the exterior walls remained intact despite the fire. During the next 36 years, it stood as a vacant reminder of war while nature reclaimed the sanctuary and trees grew where pews once stood. In 1815, parishioners gathered to clean up the grounds, trees were cut down, and their stumps were used to create makeshift pews. Worship services resumed in an “al fresco” style sanctuary until the restoration was complete eleven years later in 1826 and its name was changed to the Sheldon Church of Prince William Parish.6
War Between the States
In January 1865, General Sherman’s forces left Savannah and advanced towards Beaufort, which was already under Union control. The parish church of St. Helena had been transformed into a hospital for injured Union soldiers that unearthed marble tombstones from the graveyard to be used as operating tables.
One detachment from Sherman’s troops cautiously forged their way through the Lowcountry’s salt marshes. Tide changes, alligators, and venomous snakes had the soldiers on high alert. While the sight of the red brick church alone in the wilderness might have been a welcome, even reverent sight, the soldiers held no compassion for the holy structure.
There are conflicting reports as to whether or not the church was burned a second time by Sherman’s troops. Some historical accounts state that Union troops gutted the pews, chopped them into firewood, and used the sanctuary to stable their horses before setting it ablaze on January 14th, 1865. However, a different view states that a letter dated February 3, 1866 by Milton Leverett, a Confederate soldier, wrote that “Sheldon Church not burn’t. Just torn up in the inside, but can be repaired.” Any remaining pews, furniture, or scraps of building materials were carried off by both freedmen and whites to build shelter.6
Prince William’s Parish Haunted Graveyard
Weathered, marble sarcophagi in the church yard bear the names of South Carolina leaders. There are 82 total graves, including Lt. Gov. William Bull and six members of his family. The oldest grave is that of Bull’s first grandchild that died as an infant in 1732. Some claim they’ve seen a ghostly figure weeping next to a grave. The reports are consistent in that she’s wearing a plain brown dress as was commonly worn during the Colonial era.
A Symbol of Rebirth
After being devastated by war, the Old Sheldon Church rose from the ashes not once, but twice. The ruins stand as a testament of time and today, visitors can walk the sacred grounds (at no charge) to witness the 269 year old craftsmanship of South Carolina’s earliest settlers. The property is owned and managed by St. Helena’s Church.
Leave a Comment