Tag Archives: Church

Black And White Photography, Historical, Landscape, Monochrome, OM System, Shooting A Grand Old House, What I Saw

First Views Of Strawberry, Black And White

April 15, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

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.

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.

Strawberry Chapel of Ease, Childsbury (now a field), South Carolina.

Historical, Landscape, OM System, What I Saw

Methodist Camp, Indian Fields

April 12, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

While I’m working on South Carolina historical photography I should try to catch up on my Indian Fields series;

As I walk through the camp I find various was that people have made changes to their own tents (cabins). There is electricity now, well water, but no true plumbing (each has their own privy).

The outdoors kitchen shows some creative updates. I like to photograph the details, without getting intrusive.

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Methodist Camp

Film Filter, Historical, Landscape, OM System, Shooting A Grand Old House, What I Saw

Strawberry Chapel 1725 – 2026, 301 Years

April 12, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

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 — 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.

Inside photographs are still to be reviewed.

Historical, Landscape, Monochrome, OM System, What I Saw

Tabernacle, Indian Fields

February 21, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 4 Comments

At the campgrounds, in the center of the circled cabins, is a large Tabernacle. In every camp we have gone to they are very big. I read somewhere Indian Fields can sit about 900 people.

The photographs below were taken from several back seats point of view using an OM-1 (1), Olympus 40-150 r. The lens was chosen because it seems to give more contrast than others. It might be me, but paid a grand total of US $ 60.00 for it…very used and I love how a light plastic lens can work like this.

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Tabernacle, Indian Fields

Historical, Landscape, OM System, What I Saw

Indian Fields Methodist Revival Campground

February 20, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 5 Comments

Indian Fields Campground is a Methodist site for camp meetings. It is one of about 5 in South Carolina. The local church was founded in 1787. Revival meetings started out as tents and an arbor for the circuit preacher. In 1801 / 1803 the official campgrounds was created.

Indian Fields Methodist Revival Campground

The design of the campground was taken from the Book of Leviticus in the Bible. In there, dwellings were called tents, though made of wood, and the meeting house was called the tabernacle. A horn was blown to summon members to service.

There are 99 tents/cabins built around an open air Tabernacle, just as described in the Bible.

Over time the cabins and Tabernacle have been rebuilt, or at least repaired. In a visit to the Cypress Campground in South Carolina we were invited into a tent. The building was mostly original!

Indian Fields is privately owned by the Methodist Church in Dorchester County, South Carolina.

Historical, Landscape, OM System, What I Saw

Mepkin (Plantation – Abbey), Biggins/ Cooper River Area

January 13, 2026 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

One of the most interesting history stories in the ‘Biggins/ Cooper River Area’, and I almost forgot we visited the same day as Biggins Church.

Mepkins history starts at 1681. It was a plantation recorded as owned by three sons of Lord Colleton one of the original British Lord Proprietors for the colonies.

A generation later it was sold to Henry Laurens who took residence here with his wife Elizabeth Ball from the Comingtee Plantation. Elias Ball was a founder of Strawberry Chapel published in an earlier related article. My first time photographing inside Strawberry was with one of the current Ball family members who are still in charge of the Chapel 300 years later.

Laurens was an early activist for independence, he was captured at sea, spending two years in the famous ‘Tower of London’. He was eventually traded in a prisoner swap for the famous British General Cornwallis.

Laurens also was President of the US Continental Congress and signed the US Declaration of Independence.

But wait, there’s more…

In 1936 Henry R. and Clare Boothe Luce bought the plantation.

Henry Robinson Luce was an American magazine publisher who founded Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated. Clare Boothe Luce was an American writer, politician, diplomat, and conservative public intellectual. Both were important politicians in US history.

And finally…

The Luces donated a large part of the property to the Roman Catholic Church to be used by the Trappist Order’s Gethsemani Abbey. Twenty-nine monks of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists) came from Gethsemani, Kentucky to found the Abbey.

The Mepkin Abbey (Plantation) is currently a monastery for Trappist Monks, and a very friendly dog.

These last photographs in the project were shot behind the private area of Mepkin along the Cooper River… and a short distance from Biggins Church and Strawberry Chapel.

To view the other locations related to the plantations/churches on the Cooper River click here.

Historical, Landscape, OM System, Shooting A Grand Old House, What I Saw

Biggins/ Cooper River Area (5) Strawberry Chapel 1725 – 2025

December 26, 2025 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

Strawberry Chapel is the only remaining building from Childsbury Towne. The chapel was built on land donated from the nearby plantations.

Now, 300 years later, it is still owned by the descendants of the original plantations owners. No federal funding is accepted to keep the property independent, and closed to the public.

Photographs from inside the chapel are rare. It took me 6 years to get access. At that time there was some repairs underway. In March of 2026 we can have our next visit inside.

Biggins/ Cooper River Area (5) Strawberry Chapel 1725 - 2025 — Biggins/ Cooper River Area (5) Strawberry Chapel 1725 – 2025

The history and stories here are too many to write on this page. The Ball family members of Comingtee and Ball plantation alone have many historical references, documents, and even a NY Times best seller book about them.

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Biggins/ Cooper River Area (5) Strawberry Chapel 1725 – 2025

Cemetery, Historical, Landscape, OM System, What I Saw

Biggins/ Cooper River Area, Childsbury Towne (4)

December 17, 2025 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

As part of my photographing the Biggins Church area an important piece is the old site Childsbury. It is part of the Biggins history because the site belong to the churches parish. The town doesn’t exist now except for a chapel and grave sites.

A bit dramatic on the images, but there’s nothing else left.

Biggins/ Cooper River Area, Childsbury Towne (4)

Childsbury Towne was founded in 1707 on land owned by the Childs Plantation. The Cooper River is just beyond the trees here. It was the central purpose town. Interesting but Childsbury was created as an idea to have a place for plantations to get services and move goods down river to the port of Charleston.

For 50 years there was a general store, leather tanner, access to the Strawberry Ferry, a doctor, tavern, and chapel. Financially it didn’t work and all the services closed. The Chapel remains… the historical treasure that most people don’t know.

In this area, outside the towns, was a countryside filled with plantations. There was Comingtee, Ball, Strawberry, Mepkin, Rice Hope, and several others.

This is now woods, a wildlife area, and a dead end black top to here, Childsbury.