Rick was scouting around the old town of Cheraw, SC (in the low country of SC) and found this very interesting and very old church that dates back to 1768! Cheraw was not only an old town, but was also quite important in the Revolutionary War.
The Old St. David's Church has naturally undergone many changes over the years, but still retains its 250 year old character. A very interesting part of the Church's history is the very old cemetery with graves covering the entire history of the country.
This headstone caught my eye -- Capt. Moses Rogers was the captain of the first steam powered ship to cross the Atlantic! Capt. Rogers was well known in the early steamship era and worked with Robert Fulton. I can only imagine as to the adventures he must have had!
The Church was also the site of a number of graves of soldiers of all conflicts that the country was involved in. Above, see a very moving memorial from a grandfather to three grandsons who were lost in service to the Confederacy during the Civil War.
I was also surprised to learn that the British were based in Cheraw during the American Revolution. This was a part of Cornwallis's Army that landed near Charleston, SC and marched north to Yorktown, where General Washington defeated them. Apparently, while camped here en route, smallpox struck and killed several British soldiers and officers.
The British officer grave was covered by bricks as shown above, while the soldier's graves are unmarked today. This was a very poignant visit and makes one think about the many people that have come this way before us.
We left Cheraw for Myrtle Beach and found that Cody LOVES the surf! But, that will have to be a story for another day.
1 comment:
Nice post about Old St. David's Church. I hope you don't mind my linking to your blog in my post about the Cheraw Spring Festival.
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