Allendale Presbyterian Church  (1878)

Flat Street, P. O. Box 554, Allendale, SC  29810      (803) 584-3194

Vacant

Jim Morgan, Supply 

Pastor

Virginia Grubbs

Jane Patterson

Pianists

Time of Worship Service

Sundays, 11:00 a.m.

Adult Sunday School

Sundays, 10:00 a.m.

Presbyterian Women

Meet on Tuesday after the

first Sunday of the month

Interchurch Bible Study Class Wednesday 

9:30 -10:30 am

September through June

Membership:  22

The Allendale Presbyterian Church dates back to April 1878 when eight Presbyterians and 22 other residents of Allendale, SC, presented a petition to the Charleston Presbytery asking for help in organizing a Presbyterian Church in Allendale. The Presbytery’s spring meeting was held on Edisto Island, SC, that year.

The new Allendale Presbyterian Church was organized July 7, 1878, at  a meeting in the Union Church, Allendale, with nine charter members present. The Union Church was used by different denominations in  town with each denomination using the church one Sunday a month.

The new Presbyterian Church was unable to build a church at that time, but continued to hold services in the Union Church.

In 1890 work started on the present church building. The building was completed and dedicated that same year. Mr. J. L. Williams donated the lot on which the church was built and also constructed the pews in the sanctuary. The church bell was molded in England and presented to the church by Mr. John Maybank of Charleston. The bell was later given to Swallow Savannah Methodist Church, Allendale, after their church burned.

Before World War II, plans were discussed to erect a Sunday school building, but the plans were abandoned due to the war. Construction was started for a Sunday school wing in July 1950 and was completed in November 1950. Mrs. J. L. Oswald, whose property adjoined the church lot on the east side, gave the church several feet of land to make room for the new wing. 

That same year Miss Lena Williams donated a lot on Water Street to be used for a church manse. The manse was constructed in 1952.

In 1957 the interior of the church sanctuary was remodeled. The pulpit and choir loft were relocated and stained glass windows were installed on the side walls. Each window was dedicated to a family in the church in appreciation for their service to the Lord. The men and women of the church did all the remodeling work themselves.

In 1961 the vestibule was added to the front of the church, and in 1967 a lot was purchased on the west side of the church, enlarging the property. In 1973 new pulpit furniture, choir screen and baptismal font were purchased for the sanctuary. A large stained glass window featuring the cross was placed in the wall behind the choir loft. These new additions were dedicated at a morning worship service in April 1974, followed by a dinner to which all members, friends and former pastors were invited.

The year 1976 brought some long-awaited changes to the church school. The original church school rooms were remodeled and a new classroom, new kitchen and a larger fellowship hall were added. The church school wing was dedicated at the morning worship service on October 3, 1976, with members, friends and former pastors present once again.

The improvements made to the church from the 1950s through the 1970s were made possible thanks to a significant boost in the county’s population and economy because of the construction of the Savannah River Site and steadily increasing travel along the U. S. Rt. 301 corridor.

For a time Allendale was known as “The Tourist Mecca of the South” because of the many motels and restaurants located here and its location halfway between New York City and Miami.

This increase in travel brought new businesses and residents, and local churches were soon overflowing with worshipers.

By the late 1970s, however, everything changed. The final section of Interstate 95 in South Carolina was completed in August 1977, and it marked a definite turning point. Travelers gradually shifted their driving pattern from U. S. 301 to I-95, a shorter route between the North and Florida. The result was a tremendous loss of business along Rt. 301. As prosperity waned, businesses moved or closed and many young families sought jobs elsewhere. Our local churches gradually shrank too.

In spite of all this, though, we still have hope for a better future, and a number of organizations are actively working to revitalize our area. People often say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Let’s hope God has us on his to-do list and that he helps us find a way!

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