Smyrna Baptist Church, also known as Kirkland Church, is a historic

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

located near Allendale,

Allendale County, South Carolina Allendale County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,039, making it the least populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Allendale. History Allendale County was formed in 191 ...

. It was built in 1827, and is a one-story,

meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...

style frame structure with a hipped roof. The front facade features a central

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

flanked by balancing nine-paneled entrance doors. A cemetery surrounds the church. Dr. William Erwin, the original owner of Erwinton, his wife and sister-in-law were all excommunicated from Kirkland Church in 1833 for their affiliation with other denominations. They then formed the second Christian congregation, the

Disciples of Christ The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...

, in South Carolina. They held weekly meetings at Erwinton until 1835 when the present

was completed and dedicated as Antioch Christian Church. 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 ...

in 1976.

References

Baptist churches in South Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Churches completed in 1827 19th-century Baptist churches in the United States Buildings and structures in Allendale County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Allendale County, South Carolina 1827 establishments in South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-church-stub