St. Catherine C.M.E. Church

Front: In 1890, this became the site of St. Catherine Colored Methodist Episcoapl (C.M.E.) Church. Tradition maintains that the congregation began among enslaved people held by James Henry Hammond, a former S.C. governor who owned Silver Bluff Plantation. After 1865, members are said to have worshipped near Hollow Creek before acquiring this property from Hammond’s son Harry. Reverse: The first church at this site was a wood frame building constructed by St. Catherine members. In 1936, the church donated an acre of adjacent land to build a new public school for Black residents of the Kathwood community. The school closed in 1954 and enrolled approx. 100 students in grades 1-8 in its last years. The current church building was built in the 1970s.