US 17 Coastal Highway

Tibwin A.M.E. Church (McClellanville, SC)

~Tibwin African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church~

9442 Highway 17 North

McClellanville, SC  29458

tibwinamechurch29458@yahoo.com

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Ocean Grove United Methodist Church (Awendaw, SC)

~Ocean Grove United Methodist Church~

6517 Highway 17 North

Awendaw, SC 29429

(843) 928-3848

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Shiloh A.M.E. Church, Maryville (Georgetown, SC)

~Shiloh A.M.E. Church~

4995 South Fraser Street (Highway 17 North), Maryville area

Georgetown, South Carolina  29440

(843) 527-6965

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Antipedo Baptist Cemetery and Civil War Memorial (Georgetown, SC)

~entrance to the Antipedo Baptist Cemetery and Civil War Monument~

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The Antipedo Baptist Cemetery is located at the intersection of Church Street (Highway 17) and Screven Street in Georgetown, South Carolina.  A white-washed sheet metal Civil War Monument is the centerpiece of the cemetery - the monument was originally located on Broad Street, near Prince George Winyah Church (you can see the monument in it's original location here) but was later relocated to the cemetery.  The Civil War Monument was The Confederate Monument was created to memorialize Company A of the 10th S.C. Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  The cemetery is open to the public, and it's a nice stop if you're driving through Georgetown and want to get some air, stretch your legs a bit - and breath in a bit of history.

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~Antipedo Baptist Church / Old Baptist Cemetery Historical Marker~

The historical marker for the Old Baptist Cemetery was erected by the First Baptist Church of Georgetown, South Carolina in 1983 (Marker No. 22-17 in the Historical Marker Database).  A list of those known to be buried in the cemetery can be found here.

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~Civil War Monument~

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~William Screven (1629-1713) organized the first Baptist church in the south in 1683 in Charleston, South Carolina and served the First Baptist Church there until  1706.  ~

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~To the Memory of William Cuttino, Sr., treasurer and builder of the Antipedo Baptist Church~

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First Presbyterian Church (New Bern, NC)

~First Presbyterian Church~

 400 New Street
New Bern, NC 28560
(252) 637.3270

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I spent an early morning in mid-August walking around downtown New Bern, North Carolina - a beautiful town dripping in history.  One of the many beautiful churches in New Bern - the First Presbyterian Church - sits proudly along New Street, a church which served as a hospital during the Civil War, and whom's first leader, Rev. John Knox Witherspoon, was the grandson of John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to have signed the Declaration of Independence.  During my next visit, I'd like to go inside this lovely church.

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Sign outside the Church describing a bit of it's history:

"Formally organized on January 6, 1817 in the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Minor.  First Presbyterian Church was formed under the leadership of the Rev. John Knox Witherspoon.  Included among the charter members were the daughter and granddaughter of the Reb. Jonathan Edwards, D.D. 

In 1819 lot number 309 on New Street was purchased.  Construction of the sanctuary began June 9, 1819 with the laying of the corner-stone by Master Masons.  Uriah Sandy was contractor, assisted by Martin Stevenson and John Dewey who were members of the church.  The building was completed in late 1821 and dedicated on January 6, 1822.  Numbered pews were offered for sale or rent with "visitor pews" provided on both sides of the pulpit. 

To the right of the sactuary is the Session House, built in 1858 for the sum of $1500.  During the Civil War the sanctuary was used as a hospital for sick and wounded Union soldiers with planks being placed over the pews for beds.  Restoration work was required in 1866 and was marked by the installation of Victorian-style gaslights and stained woodwork.  In 1936 the restoration and reinstallation of the original pulpit was completed.

In addition to its own growth and outreach, First Presbyterian Church aided in the establishment of Ebenezer Church in 1878 and following World War II in the establishment of Neuse Forest (1946) and West New Bern (1948) churches."

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Views of the Churchyard at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Edenton, NC)

~The Churchyard at St. Paul's Episcopal Church~

100 West Church Street, Edenton, North Carolina

(252) 482-3522

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 I've already mentioned the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in these pages - a church that can be found a short detour off Highway 17 in Chowan County, North Carolina (you take the Virginia Road exit towards Edenton and North Broad Street - which takes you down a short, lovely drive through Edenton where you'll find St. Paul's Episcopal Church at North Broad and West Church Streets.

I want to also show you images of the Churchyard that surrounds St. Paul's - it's quite beautiful.  From the St. Paul's Episcopal Church website:

The churchyard dates from 1722, when Edenton became the capital of North Carolina. Because of a lack of stone along the coast, tombstones were rare and costly. Markers of brick or wood gradually weathered away. The churchyard looks un-crowded to day because many of the 700 known graves are not marked. The church yard was never used for Church members only, but served the whole community. By 1850 the vestry was begging the town to provide another cemetery. Best known are the group of tombstones under the magnolias, called the Governors Graves (moved here from family cemeteries on the banks of the Chowan River or the Albemarle Sound), which include Henderson Walker, Thomas Pollock, and Charles Eden for whom the town is named.

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St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Edenton, NC)

~St. Paul's Episcopal Church~

100 West Church Street

Edenton, North Carolina

(252) 482-3522

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Off Highway 17 in Chowan County, North Carolina - the Virginia Road exit towards Edenton will take you to North Broad Street - which takes you down a short, lovely drive through Edenton to a small park on Albemarle Sound.  Along the way, you'll find St. Paul's Episcopal Church - a beautiful church and cemetery right at North Broad and West Church Streets.

I arrived there late in the day, when the sun was low and the light was warm and the shadows were long - and I wandered around the grounds, uninterrupted.  It's a beautiful place.  Here's a bit about the history of the place from the Chowan County website:

"St. Paul's Episcopal Church, located at 100 West Church Street in Edenton, is the second oldest church building in North Carolina and the oldest in regular use. It is a landmark in the development of religious architecture in the state. Described by architectural historian Thomas T. Waterman as "an ideal in village churches," the handsome flemish bond brick edifice is one of the most important colonial period buildings in Edenton; indeed, in 1856, David Hunter Strother, writing under the name "Porte Crayon," referred to the church as the "pet" of the town.

The parish was organized in 1701 as the first parish in the colony under the provisions of the Vestry Act of 1701. A post-in-ground church building was erected the next year on an undetermined plot of land just east of Queen Anne's Creek on what is now known as the Hayes farm. Edenton would not be founded for another eleven years. By 1736, perhaps when the post-in-ground chapel had outlived its usefulness, it was decided to build a new church in the bustling town of Edenton, which was also the colony's capital. Here, the church occupied the lots set aside for church and churchyard (cemetery) before 1722 and construction began on a brick building that followed a form popular in Virginia.

On October 15, 1736, the Williamsburg Virginia Gazette reported that "a large, handsome Brick Church, with Steeple, is shortly to be built" in Edenton, with "many of the Bricks being already burnt". By the summer of 1740, work had come to a halt for lack of funds. Aided in part by a tithe of two shillings per poll levied by the colonial Assembly, work resumed and by July 1746, the roof had been raised; however, it was left uncovered for another two years. The church was completed enough for the Vestry to meet in the building for the first time on April 10, 1760. Even then, the windows were unglazed until 1767 and the interior woodwork not be finished until 1774."

You can read more about the history of this wonderful church at the Church's website.

You can click on the images to see a larger version.

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The Broken Spoke Biker Church (Pollocksville, NC)

 

~Broken Spoke Biker Church~

Pollocksville, North Carolina

(252) 521-1172

brokenspokebikerchurch@yahoo.com

The church is found on the corner of Main Street (Highway 17 South) and Pollock Street (across from the Trent Motel on Pollock St) in Pollocksville.  You can find them on Facebook - looks like they just got keys to this location on June 1 and had their first service shortly thereafter.  The building is sure nice, wonder what it was years ago, when the antique store down the road was open too.

Lee's Chapel United Methodist Church (Pollocksville, NC)

~Lee's Chapel United Methodist Church~

9966 North Carolina 58/Highway 17 South
Pollocksville, North Carolina 28573
Phone (252) 224-6801

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Just south of Pollocksville, North Carolina in Jones County - there is a small church, Lee's Chapel, that might just be one of the sweetest spots along this stretch of Highway 17. 

The wonderful spirit of this church just oozes from the place - here's how they describe themselves:

"We are a loving, small country church. We welcome all God’s children to stop in and worship with us."

That description, along with the "Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors" on their road sign - well, this is a place you might just want to fit into your schedule when you're traveling down Highway 17.  Stop by for a church service on a Sunday morning, and my guess is that you'll be welcomed the minute you walk through the front door.

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Zion Baptist Church (North, Virginia)

~Zion Baptist Church (see note below)~

On the corner of Tidewater Trail (Highway 17 North) and Layton's Landing Road (State Route 637)

(between Port Royal, Virginia and Tappahannock, Virginia in Essex County)

North, Virginia 22509

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Note:  there is a sign near this church that says Zion Baptist Church - but I actually think Zion might be further down the road, so this is most likely misidentified.  I'll have to doublecheck next time I'm along this stretch of Highway 17/Tidewater Trail.   If you happen by here, and know the name of this church, please email me at US17CoastalHighway@gmail.com.  Thanks!

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