Strawberry Chapel, Cordesville

Strawberry Chapel, Cordesville

1956-1957

11-10-2016 (digital)

Strawberry Chapel in Cordesville was originally a parochial chapel of ease built in 1725 to accomodate the townspeople of Childsbury who lived too far away from the original parish church, Biggin Church. A parochial church is given the rites of a parish church like baptizing and burying dead, which are frequently rites non-parish churches are not entitled to carry out, this was rather odd and historically significant for a non-parish church of the time. Strawberry Chapel got its unique name from nearby plantation of the same name Strawberry Plantation. In 1825 Strawberry Chapel replaced Biggin Church as the parish church. Interestingly Strawberry Chapel outlived both Biggin Church and Childsbury. The simple rectangular building is covered in stucco and has a jerkin head roof. The southern facade has a double three-panelled door with flush fanlight, flanked with shuttered windows

the east windows and west doors flanked with windows have rosette windows above. The church also contains a mural dedicated to an early rector who moved with Biggin Church to Strawberry Chapel. A new chapel was built on grounds in 1882, and Strawberry Chapel itself underwent repairs in 1913. In 1865 the silver communion service originally used by Biggin Church was buried by owner Keating Simons Ball in a barn at Comingtree Plantation, not to be discovered again until between 1946-47, and is still used at Strawberry Chapel for special occasions today. In 1972, the chapel was placed on the National Historic Registry, in addition the space is listed as a South Carolina Heritage Preserve. It is unfortunate that due to vandalism the church property is only accessible with permission from the vestry. The church graveyard is allegedly haunted by Childsbury's founder James Child own ancestor Catherine Chicken.

Vories, Dylan (digital assistant)

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image/jpeg

35 mm black and white negative film

StillImage

Hinson Audio/Visual Collection

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