A trip to the old Hampton Plantation, using the original creeks and marsh route is beautiful, and long. It makes you realize just how deep in the delta this plantation actually is.
Scenes From The Delta – # 3
The home is first seen as you reached the end of Hampton Creek. The creek winds through marsh and rice fields, finally the house can be seen through the trees. Very impressive!
Scenes From The Delta – # 3Scenes From The Delta – # 3
This is what you find at the end of the trip. Amazing to be built around 1730. Using the local wood, Black Cypress, made the basic structure almost indestructible.
Built as a ‘chapel of ease’ in 1725 for planters who found it difficult to reach the main parish church, it is one of the few that still serves as a functioning church. Services are typical provided four times a year.
The chapel is surrounded by a small cemetery and overlooks the site of the former town of Childsbury, which faded with the decline of the surrounding plantations.
Around Strawberry Chapel
Click any image below to view the gallery. If in WP Reader select the top right icon for a browser.
Around Strawberry Chapel
Around Strawberry Chapel
Around Strawberry Chapel
Around Strawberry Chapel
Around Strawberry Chapel
Around Strawberry Chapel
Strawberry Chapel has Ball, Harleston, Waring and Stoney descendants actively working to protect its historic 1725 structure and graves. The property is privately owned in rural South Carolina.
James L. Petigru, Attorney General Of South Carolina ;
‘After South Carolina seceded from the United States in 1860, Petigru famously remarked, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.” Petigru opposed the Confederacy, although he did not believe that South Carolina would return to the Union.’ (Wikipedia)
James L. Petigru
He was right on one count.
The above is in the Charleston council room in city hall.
Strawberry Chapel, 301 years old, and one of the last complete chapel of ease standing in the US.
A ‘chapel of ease’ is just that. A chapel that was easy to visit. The Anglican Church Of England has one church per parish. Plantation families could not journey to the parish so small chapels were allowed at times. The actual parish church, Biggins, is right down the road. However there were no roads at that time, so it was a multi day trip.
The original plantation families still own this property, it was on the land of Strawberry Plantation and Comingtee Plantation when built in the village of Childsbury.
The gates were opened to a small group, mostly photographers I think, a week ago. Last winter a long restoration was completed. The goal was to have repairs finished for the 300th anniversary.
I believe the only original feature changed was a removal (about 100 year ago) of a small wooden balcony. The structure is in another church down the road, an African American church centuries old being repaired now.
First Views Of Strawberry, Black And White
The graveyards have various brick and rock walls through the property. Family members are still being buried here.
First Views Of Strawberry, Black And White
Most everything inside the chapel is original. The banner on the back wall is a repaired piece made up of pine cone seeds. The baptismal water urn is also new.
I counted seats for about 50-60 people.
First Views Of Strawberry, Black And White
Strawberry Chapel of Ease, Childsbury (now a field), South Carolina.
This is one of those historical treasures that should not exist. Yet 300+ years and it is here, on the land owned by the same plantation families. They have taken it upon themselves to be the stewards of the land and chapel.
Today we were able to return and shoot Strawberry again. Our last visit was 2022 while a huge number of repairs were under way.
Strawberry Chapel 1725 – 2026, 301 Years
In 1725 this was considered the frontier. The British Lord Proprietors had given land grants to English nobility, who in turn gave land to planters. This land was part of the Coming / Ball (Comingtee Plantation) family land.
The chapel is open with four services yearly. Today being open for photography of the completed repairs (and to raise funds, this is not cheap to maintain). The chapel usually doesn’t have photographers, and commercial photography is prohibited.
