" Here, in 1794, I had the happiness,

instrumentally, to lay the foundation of

a place of worship which composed of

the best materials, and classes with the

most neat and commodious Baptist

meetinghouses in the United States."

(Rev. Henry Holcombe, First Fruits in a

Series of Letters) This construction

involved erection of a structure

measuring 30' - 2'' north / south by

36' - 4" east / west, suitable for

intermittent use by a small congregation.

Over time, the church grew and was

constituted The Baptist Church of

Beaufort in 1804, with Rev. Joseph Bullein

Cook, pastor. Soon after, in 1805, the

structure was enlarged, extending the

old building northward and producing

a building measuring 65' - 8" by 36 - 4".

Galleries were added to accommodate

the large black membership; later, a

bell tower was added.

In 1842 the north wall began to bulge

and the roof was failing, leading to the

condemnation and demolition of the

structure. The tabby walls were cut

down to a uniform height and capped

with concrete. The present brick

sanctuary was completed in 1844 under

the direction of Dr. Richard Fuller, pastor.

It is recorded that the church worshiped

for the first time in the new building on

April 14, 1844. In November 1845, on the

site of old church, burial lots were

allotted and assigned to five prominent

church members (Fuller, Sams, Givens,

Hazel, Smith).

Marker is on Charles Street near Prince Street, on the right when traveling south.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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