" Here, in 1794, I had the happiness,instrumentally, to lay the foundation ofa place of worship which composed of the best materials, and classes with themost neat and commodious Baptist meetinghouses in the United States." (Rev. Henry Holcombe, First Fruits in aSeries of Letters) This constructioninvolved erection of a structuremeasuring 30' - 2'' north / south by 36' - 4" east / west, suitable forintermittent use by a small congregation.
Over time, the church grew and was constituted The Baptist Church ofBeaufort in 1804, with Rev. Joseph BulleinCook, pastor. Soon after, in 1805, thestructure was enlarged, extending theold building northward and producinga building measuring 65' - 8" by 36 - 4".Galleries were added to accommodate the large black membership; later, abell tower was added.
In 1842 the north wall began to bulgeand the roof was failing, leading to thecondemnation and demolition of thestructure. The tabby walls were cutdown to a uniform height and capped with concrete. The present bricksanctuary was completed in 1844 underthe direction of Dr. Richard Fuller, pastor.It is recorded that the church worshipedfor the first time in the new building onApril 14, 1844. In November 1845, on the site of old church, burial lots wereallotted and assigned to five prominentchurch members (Fuller, Sams, Givens, Hazel, Smith).
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