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

Back Roads, Country Style

Come on....join me on a long ride in the country. After all, that's what Saturdays were made for.

 Old barn near Ninety-Six, SC.

 Not sure what this building's purpose was....I don't think it was a barn because it was sitting beside an old barn. It is located near Ninety-Six, SC.

 Abandoned house on Hwy. 56 near Clinton, SC.

 This barn appears to be still in use. It's so much prettier in person. 

It's located near Joanna, SC.

 Sharon United Methodist Church near Kinards, SC.

Love those stained glass windows.

 This looks like it was once an old general store....or maybe an old depot. It was sitting right beside the railroad.

It is next door neighbors with the Sharon UMC pictured above, 

near Kinards, SC.

And what would a ride in the country be without a few birds and farm animals?

It was a lazy kind of day. The cardinals were resting.

 The sheep were resting.

And so was the horse. 

Love those back roads.....

Can't wait to do it again, Country Style.

Laurie

The Beauty of Old Churches

Cliff knows I love old churches and he sent me a photo text of one, today. When I asked, "Where is this? I need to go take a picture of it with my camera"....this is how the conversation went.

Cliff:  *Off limits.
Me:  No. It can't be!
Cliff:  *Off limits to you.
Me:  NO!
Cliff:  Probably has snakes.
Me:  Well, I wouldn't doubt that, but I can stay in the car. Where is it???
Cliff:  On the other side of snake city. (Snake City is a place on the trail where he runs in the Francis Marion National Forest)
Me:  I'm on the way.

*He was just messing with me. He actually took an hour or so off work to take me to it.

So, I struck out...camera in hand. The following pictures are what we saw. There was a sign in the cemetery adjacent to the church grounds that said the cemetery was circa 1828. So, I assume the church was too. There are so many abandoned churches, buildings, barns and stately old homes still around, today. I wish we could save them all. Restore them to their former glory. Although, I don't have the means to do so, I can at least capture their spirit through a picture or two and promise to remember them. Most have seen better days, some are literally on their last leg, but they are all beautiful to me. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. Hope you can see past the missing shingles, rotting wood, gaping holes, missing glass and all it's brokenness......because old churches, like this one, are a legacy.

Halfway Creek Methodist Church

Shulerville, SC

 

 

 

Not only did I see beauty in this old church, but the crocuses and grape hyacinths in my yard were screaming beauty, too. They are declaring that Spring is on the way.

 

Have a lovely day,

Laurie

 

P.S. The temps yesterday was 78 degrees F, tomorrow's forecast is for a high of 41 degrees F. Mama calls this seesaw weather.