Baptist Church of Beaufort

Front: The Baptist Church of Beaufort descends from Euhaw Baptist Church on Edisto Island. In 1794 the first meeting house was built on this site. In 1795 Henry Holcombe moved to Beaufort and became the first mission pastor. The Beaufort Baptist Church was formally constituted as an independent church in 1804. The first burial was in 1809. Prior to the Civil War, 3,557 of 3,723 members were enslaved people. Reverse: The current Greek Revival building dates to 1844 and was constructed under the pastorate of Richard Fuller, who served 1833-1847. During the Civil War the church was a Union Army hospital for black troops. In Dec. 1862, Rev. Solomon Peck read the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation from the pulpit to an audience of escaped slaves and black soldiers. After the war, nearly all black members left to join newly formed black churches.