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Old
Brick Church
FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Old Brick Church stands
in a beautiful grove on the banks of Little River in Fairfield
County. There is an image of peace and rest among its graves. It was here that the
Synod of the Carolinas, which is now the Associate Reformed
Synod of the South, was organized on May 9, 1803. The church was first
called Little River Church, and afterwards Ebenezer, but for
many years has been known as the Brick Church. The exact time of its
organization is not known, but it dates to the late seventeen
eighties.
The building of this church tells the story
of the love our forefathers had for their houses of worship.
It is said that these men gathered together at the brickyard and
trampled the mud into mortar with their bare feet, made it
into molds with their hands, dried it and then burned it in kilns by day and
night. They worked together to erect a building which stands
today, after one hundred and fifty-three years, as strong and solid as
ever. In 1852 the church and graveyard were inclosed with a
granite wall, which is still in good condition.
The Confederate War left
the community in a state of disorganization. Many of its men
were killed in action; the homes of its people were left in ashes by Sherman's army. The
church itself was dismantled and used as quarters for the
invading troops.
When the Federal forces came to Little
River they found that the Confederates, whom they were
pursuing, had destroyed the bridge, which they rebuilt from the flooring and
sleepers of the church. Some Northern soldier was stirred in
heart as he saw the desecration of the Lord's House, and he wrote in
pencil on the door facing these words, which are legible
today:
"Citizens of this community—
Please excuse
us for Defacing your house of worship so much. It was
absolutely necessary to effect a crossing over the creek.
A
Yankee"
So great was the blow from the war that the
church declined until it finally disappeared from the roll of
the Presbytery without any
formal act of disorganization. However, it
was not to remain dead forever. About the year 1891 the
Reverend A. G. Kirkpatrick, the pastor of New Hope, began to cultivate the
field again. It revived rapidly, and on August 25, 1893, was
reorganized with twenty-one members.
The communion
service, with its waiter,
tankard, cups, and Irish inen, more than a
century old, is still in possession of the congregation, whose members gather here
several times a year and worship together in one of the
loveliest old churches in the South.
BY
HAZEL CROWSON SELLERS
South Carolina Churches
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