Greenville SC Historic Churches, Cemeteries

South Carolina SC History Greenville History Greenville Historic Churches

Guide to Greenville's Historic Churches and Cemeteries

Greenville County has dozens of historic churches. This guide is a work in progress. Please help us by introducing us to your historic church – just use the "Add" form below!

Greenville Historic Churches & Cemeteries

• Buncombe Street United Methodist Church
• Christ Church Episcopal | Cemetery Database
• City of Greenville Historic Cemeteries
  – Richland Cemetery Viewer - searchable database with map
  – Springwood Cemetery Viewer - searchable database with map
  
• Mount Calvary Baptist Church
  This detailed look at the history of Mount Calvary also includes an excellent history of Bootlegger's Corner.
• Mount Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church
• Rocky Mount Missionary Baptist Church
• St James Episcopal Church
• Second Presbyterian Church

Cleveland Historic Churches & Cemeteries

• Symmes Chapel
  Also known as "Pretty Place," Symmes Chapel was constructed in 1941 and is located on the top of Standing Stone Mountain. It is part of YMCA Camp Greenville, a branch of the YMCA of Greenville near Caesars Head State Park.
  
  

Pelzer Historic Churches & Cemeteries

Pelzer is located along the Saluda River and straddles the border between Anderson County and Greenville County. The town's history is linked with that of Pelzer Manufacturing Company, which began textile production in the late 1880s. The company bought the very first generators made by the General Electric Company and was the first factory in the country to have incandescent lights.

• Lickville Presbyterian Church
  This little church with an unusual name was organized in 1880 by Mrs. Ellen C. Woodside with the help of Reverend C.L. Stewart, who conducted services in a one-room schoolhouse on Woodside's farm until this frame building was constructed in 1882.
  
  

Piedmont Historic Churches & Cemeteries

The Town of Piedmont straddles the border between Anderson and Greenville counties. Native Americans used the area as a river crossing because its rock formations jutted into the Saluda River. After the Civil War, Henry Pinckey Hammett also found the riverside to be an ideal location – for a cotton mill.

As early as the 1880s he used hydro-electrical power to run the machinery in his textile mills. From the 1920s until Duke Power expanded into the region after WWII, a water plant on the river also supplied electricity to Piedmont homes.

Simpsonville Historic Churches & Cemeteries

Simpsonville developed in the 1820s as a stagecoach stop, and throughout its history, was periodically called Plain. The once-burgeoning town struggled during the Civil War and Reconstruction, but in 1885 lots were laid out to surround a new rail line. The Woodside Cotton Mill, established in the early 1900s, was instrumental in the town's growth, as was the installation of a large water main from Greenville.

• Cedar Grove Baptist Church
  After the Civil War, local African-Americans formed Cedar Grove Baptist Church, named for its wooded location. The first structure was a brush arbor, but in 1877 they were able to build a log church of pine and poplar. With multiple brick buildings to house their ministry, Cedar Grove Baptist remains a large, active church in Simpsonville today.