Old Sheldon Church Ruins, Yemassee, South Carolina Revisited

“What’s old collapses, times change, and new life blossoms in the ruins.”

Friedrich Schiller

Joe and I decided to go for a nice drive down country roads to Yemassee, South Carolina our first stop. We were heading to the beach and wanted to stop and see Old Sheldon Church Ruins again. This is a beautiful place with so much history.

Joe and I pulled into the parking lot across the street and walked across to the ruins. There is an old iron fence with a lovely gate to pass through to get onto the property. Just inside the gate is an old water pump that is still working. When we walked towards the church ruins, the sun was streaming through the trees and made this property look even more picturesque than usual. God’s light was shining down on us. We were the only ones walking around the grounds and it was just lovely walking under the stately Spanish moss covered trees to this beautiful ruins. It is a great place to go and take time to really look around. It is just a stunning property to see with the contrast of the red brick and the green landscape all around it.

As Joe and I walked around and looked at the various grave sites, a feeling of peace came over me for all these families. Their resting place couldn’t be prettier or more peaceful. Walking around the ruins, you could feel the size of this church and see the beauty in the ruins that remain. Around the base of the church was beautiful ferns and greenery. The pillars are still standing strong, tall, and magnificent.

When we walked inside the parish, we could see a grave site and found out it was where the remains of Col. William Bull was laid to rest. He assisted General Oglethorpe in designing the layout of Savannah with the grid system. He surveyed the land in 1733. He also gave the initial money to build this church while being the Lt. Governor and lived from 1683-1755.

This church was originally called Prince Williams Parish Church and was designed as a chapel of ease. It was located 17 miles south of Beaufort, South Carolina which is where the main Parrish would have been located.

This church was built between 1745 to 1755 and was built as a beautiful Greek Revival Church. It was once considered the most impressive church in the province. Then during the Revolutionary War, the Patriots believed it stored gunpowder possible in the Bull family burial chamber along with other ammunitions and weapons. In 1779, British General Augustine Prevost invaded the low country and burnt the church down. They rebuilt the church in 1826 but was again burnt by Sherman’s army.

An alternative view was written by Milton Leverett in a letter to his mom on February 3, 1866. “Sheldon Church not burnt; just torn up in the inside but can be repaired.” His belief was that the church was gutted to reuse the materials from the inside of the church to rebuild homes that were destroyed by Sherman’s army.

This church ruins is now owned by St. Helena’s Church in Beaufort. There are reports of ghosts that have been seen on this property. It is said that Ann Bull Heyward, has been seen in her simple brown dress, visiting her infants grave. Many people have reported a feeling of sorrow while near the grave site.

We love Sheldon Church Ruins and will definitely be back many more times to see it. It is a well known destination for weddings pictures, prom pictures, and just pictures to be taken for any occasion. This is another must see and a great destination to put on your bucket list.