Old Sheldon Ruins
St. Helena’s Anglican Church will host an event to celebrate and help preserve the Old Sheldon Ruins on Friday, April 25th at 5 pm.
The ruins have a long, rich history. Prince William Parish, comprising the land lying between the Pocotaligo and Coosawhatchie Rivers, was carved out of the massive St. Helena Parish in 1745 to serve a growing population, chiefly of rice planters, who moved into what had been reserved as “Indian Territory” before the 1715 Yamassee uprising.
The site chosen for the Sheldon Church of Prince William came about as a gift of Eliza Bellinger in 1747.
Much of the funding for the church, which was completed in 1757, came from the influential Bull family. Its design was, according to an architectural historian, “the first building on American soil modeled on an Ancient Greek or Roman temple … and among the first in the entire British Empire.” A contemporary deemed it to have been “a more beautiful building than St. Philip’s [in Charleston] … and beautifully pew’d and ornamented.”
British troops passing by in 1779 put the building to the torch.
The building remained a ruined shell until 1815, when parishioners determined to rebuild. The new church, based on the same design but less ornately furnished, was consecrated in 1826, but succumbed to destruction once more in 1865. It was never rebuilt. The ruins remain.
In 1925 St. Helena’s Church in Beaufort began the custom of holding an annual service at Old Sheldon during the Easter season. The special celebration this year, along with the traditional Sunday service, will mark the 100th anniversary of the “return” to Old Sheldon, which is now the property of St. Helena’s. The special event on Friday, April 25, will raise funds to support the preservation of this historic site.
Refreshments will be served from 5-6 pm while a string trio provided by Rabinowitz Music graces attendees with their sound. You are invited to stroll the grounds and view the original artwork of the Ruins available for bidding. Artwork will be provided by Jennifer Heyd Wharton and Gloria Dalvini. There will also be a rare photograph by Aubrey Dempsey of the ruins covered in snow. After an introduction from Rev. Shay Gaillard at 6 pm, The Plantation Singers will perform at 6:15 pm.
Singing traditional Lowcountry songs for over 22 years, The Plantation Singers are a renowned a cappella group that has performed locally, nationally and internationally. They are known for their ability to reach out and draw a crowd into their performance with shoe tapping, hand clapping and a singing along atmosphere.
Historian and St. Helena’s member John McCardell says, “Old Sheldon is a hauntingly beautiful reminder of our history — of hopes and dreams and bitter disappointments — and of a tenacious and profound faithfulness that has endured through it all.”
Tickets for this special event are $100 each and seating is limited, so purchase your tickets now at www.sthelenas1712.org/old-sheldon
