Monday, January 11, 2016

Come To The Church By The Wildwood

Took another back roads ride in the country, today. I went with my cousin, Terri and her BFF, Myra.  It was on purpose this time, we had a destination in mind. Terri came across a picture of an old church and after some research, we found it in Peak, SC.

And here she is....

 St. Simon's Episcopal Church
Peak, SC

Her bones and a few adornments are still there, but this lady is going fast. In the picture we saw online, she still had her steeple, which was a cross. As you can see here, the cross is gone.

 We were baffled at how well her windows were holding up.

 
I can almost hear the choir singing...."In the sweet by and by".

 And then, we went around back. There.......in the midst of the ramble of vines, we saw this.

As beautiful as it gets......

Just a few feet away, Terri found this old, very deep well. 

 And then, she saw this old water pail hanging on a tree.

After a couple more stops and lunch, we were looking for Old Main St. in Chappells, SC. Chappells is just a crossroad, with a gas station and Post Office and Old Main St. must have been the hub for a little more, but for whatever reason, is dried up now. We had seen some old pictures taken there and went on the hunt. This little town is actually where my mailing address is, although we live further down the road on the lake. Anyway, we found Old Main St. and just off the road....a few old buildings. I've included two here. Old Chappells reminded me of Whistle Stop in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes". I think I found the pit where they barbecued old Frank. Ha!
 
I believe this was an old house. Barely standing or should I say leaning....the surrounding trees seem to be holding her up. Just behind this old house stood the building below.

Now, this building was a mystery. It straddles a creek...that was neat. It looked steady enough so we climbed inside. We saw some old things that looked like it could have been harnesses of some sort to hook a horse up to....almost like a collar that would pull a plow, but this one was much wider. And then we saw some old logs that one side had been planed. So, I believe that it may have been some sort of saw mill. Although there wasn't much water in the creek below it, I wondered if back in the day the creek was used to move logs. Hmmm, may never know.

Today's adventure was awesome! Can't wait to go again.

Laurie

17 comments:

  1. Hi Laurie!
    First of all...those Cardinals in the last post are beautiful!
    Such a beautiful place for a drive...
    Did you take the bucket hanging on the tree???
    Would make a beautiful planter!
    Lovely pics...very scenic and so characteristic of South Carolina...
    enjoy your evening...finished your knitting??
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Thanks Linda! No girl, I didn't take the bucket. We may have been trespassing and I sure wasn't going to take it. Sadly, there were a lot of old moonshine jugs lying around the property and I was kind of afraid some old moonshiners would start shooting. But, it sure would have made a beautiful planter. I think I would rather have one of those old windows...the green ones.

      Yes, I finished the headbands and even crocheted some flowers to sew on them. Too cute! But, I'm still working on the beanie. It's a little more challenging.

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    2. Do you really think there was anybody still going there?

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    3. No, we learned after getting home and doing some more research that services stopped there in the 1920's or thereabouts. The owner of the property turned it over to his two daughters and they began using it for storage. One of the girls still lives in front of it.

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  2. What a shame to see these old buildings crumbling away. Too bad those church windows can't be salvaged. It doesn't take long for the elements to take over and destroy what's left. Your day looked like a nice one and interesting places to explore!

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    1. It sure is. I would love to have one of those old windows. What's sad is that the old church is being used for storage. And by the looks of the property, it's more than that going on. It was trashy in the back.

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  3. How fun! It's a shame someone didn't save that church and turn it into a cute little house a few years back. Love the windows!

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    1. It is a shame. The owner is using it for storage. It would have made a darling house. I wish I could rescue those windows, especially the green ones.

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  4. A shame the church is just sitting there in decay. It's so pretty and certainly is worthy of much more than storage.

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    1. I feel the same, Tammy. I wish I could rescue them all.

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  5. Oh that old church is beautiful. Hard to believe that vandals haven't broken out the windows. Maybe that collar was for an Ox. My ancestors in Miss. Back in the late 1800 used oxen to plough.

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    1. That's a thought, Janey. But, I really think it was some sort of saw mill. It had some really good wood in there. I'm going back and take my husband....maybe he can figure it out.

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  6. Once again, Laurie, I have to say you take beautiful photographs. The one of the church from the front is breath-taking. Keep taking us all on your sojourns . . . so interesting!

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    1. Ahhh, thank you so much Mama Pea! I'll keep sharing. How's the weather? You staying warm? Any pictures of your snow to share?

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  7. Oh Laaurie What a wonderful outing. The church and those old stained glass windows are so beautiful. I loved the old house and the little red building. Isn't there so much character in the old buildings that stood for so many years? I love it when you share your photos.

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  8. Oh, my, what a sight that old church is! I love visiting places like this. It is sad to see things disappearing or falling down, but it does spark the imagination about how things were back when it held an active congretation. That well is a scarey thing. I am glad y'all didn't fall in before you realized it was there. That building looks like a mill of some sort to me too. I wonder if anyone still lives today that might know about those places. It would be fun to find out, wouldn't it? Great post, sweet friend!

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    1. Thanks, Lynn. I'm sure there is someone around who knows the history, but for now I'm just happy to use my imagination and keep taking those pictures.

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