This was my first visit to Beaufort, and I arrived in the late afternoon after a day full of travel and cemetery exploring and thrifting and bookstores. And as soon as I dropped my bags at the rental house I was power walking out into the cool evening to bask in the glow of that spectacular sunset that was just starting.
Following the sound of church bells, I found the Baptist Church of Beaufort just a block away. It seems like there were cemeteries just about everywhere here but this one really was just a stone’s throw from me!
When I lived in Valdosta, Ga I heard church bells all the time but none since my move to Athens. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until this walk…
Established as a mission of the Euhaw Baptist Church in 1795 the church was officially chartered as a Baptist church by the State of South Carolina on January 27, 1804. The present building was erected in 1844 but the original tabby foundations of a prior meeting house are still sitting in the church yard.
Beaufort has a TON of tabby structures. They are primarily found in the coastal/island areas of the Carolinas and Georgia. Very cool stuff!
Here’s another view.
Got my first mosquito bite of 2026 here. MEH.
The spring flowers were really starting to show off! There’s nothing like Camellias the size of desserts plates adorning almost every shrub…
As you can see from the sign above, the church survived the Civil War and afterwards the Emancipation Proclamation was read from the steps.
Robert Smalls, who is known for a variety of stunning accolades, was baptized here. Smalls escaped slavery by commandeering a Confederate ship, breaking through a blockade and surrendering the ship to the U.S. military. He became the first Black pilot in the U.S. Navy, fought in 17 battles during the Civil War as the captain of the USS Planter and was a U.S. House of Representatives member from South Carolina (Beaufort) 1874-1879, 1881-1887.
During the flight of the black congregation, Smalls left this church and helped to form and support the First African Baptist Church down the way. Founded in 1865 and formed by freedmen, it grew from a 1863 “praise house” to become an educational center and a cornerstone of the community. I’ll share more about Robert Smalls in another post…
The church has undergone numerous renovations and repairs over the years, including partially rebuilding after a hurricane in 1959 and a fire in 1984. And, as you can see, there are now headstones buried in the outside walls. I don’t know the fate of the graves they marked but I did count 4 inserts from what I could see in the gathering gloom of the evening.
The church and cemetery appear to still be very active, the church more decidedly so if the piano playing and choral singing were any indication but I did see several cemetery visitors during my time there.
The cemetery is open during daylight hours
1601 Boundary St
Beaufort, SC 29902
