St. Mark's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located in the
High Hills of Santee
The High Hills of Santee, sometimes known as the High Hills of the Santee, is a long, narrow hilly region in the western part of Sumter County, South Carolina. It has been called "one of the state's most famous areas".Pinewood,
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. On January 20, 1978, it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as St. Mark's Church.
History
St. Mark's Parish was established in 1767 by act of the South Carolina Assembly. The present church, built in 1855, is the fourth or fifthHistory of St. Mark's Church /ref> church erected by the parish but the first at this location, which was donated by the Richardson and Manning families. The church built in 1767 near
Summerton
Summerton is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 814.
Geography
Summerton is in southwestern Clarendon County at (33.605145, -80.352159). Interstate 95 passes just south of the tow ...
was burned by the British during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
because of the patriotic activity of its then rector. At least six governors, three Richardsons and three Mannings, regularly attended services at St. Mark's either here or at previous locations. St. Mark's was the parish church for both the Manning family plantations, including
Millford Plantation
Millford Plantation (also spelled Milford) is a historic forced-labor farm and plantation house located on SC 261 west of Pinewood, South Carolina. It was sometimes called Manning's Folly, because of its remote location in the High Hills of S ...
, and the Richardson family plantations, including Bloomhill Plantation.Bloomhill Plantation /ref>
Cemetery
St. Mark's Cemetery is included in the historic place designation.
Current use
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is no longer an active parish.