Old Sheldon Church
About half-an-hour north of Beaufort, there’s a place in the woods which has become one of the low country’s favorite secrets. The ruins of the Old Sheldon Church are found down a tiny road, in a forest of towering oaks draped in Spanish moss.
The Prince William’s Parish Church was originally built around 1750, but was burnt down by the British during the Revolution. It was rebuilt in in 1826, and once again met a violent death during the Civil War, finding itself in the thoughtlessly destructive path of General Sherman. Since then, it’s been left to ruin.
But what ruins they are! Somehow, huge bricked walls with intact archways have defied gravity and stand up tall, while a number of columns sprout from the ground as though in competition with the oaks. Scattered around the site are a number of graves, some too worn to read, some mostly sunk into the ground. Within the church sits the tombstone of William Bull, who was of great assistance to Oglethorpe in the layout and development of Savannah, and is whom Bull Street is named after.
For immediately apparent reasons, Old Sheldon Church is a popular place for wedding portraits. If you find yourself anywhere in the area, and it’s a sunny day, make the trip over. It’s an unforgettable scene.
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January 25, 2011 at 2:34 pm Comments (7)
