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Near Lancaster in Lancaster County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument

Organized 1755 by Scotch-Irish

— American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Site —

 
 
Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
1. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker
Inscription.
[Marker Front]
The first church in upper So. Car. This 4½ acre tract was deeded to the congregation by Robert Miller school teacher and minister, Mar.9, 1758. The first pastor was Rev. Wm. Richardson, 1759-1771. The earliest building of logs was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Revolutionary War and was burned by the British. This, the forth, was built in 1896 and remodeled in 1942.

[Marker Back]
Tombstones in the churchyard date from 1758. Among prominent men buried here are President Andrew Jackson's father, Rev. William Richardson, Gen. William R. Davie, Rev. Patriot, founder of the University of No. Car., 1789 Governor of North Carolina , 1798, and minister to France, 1799.
 
Erected 1948 by Waxhaw Chapter - Daughters of the American Revolution. (Marker Number 41.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker and monument is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial SitesReligion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the American Presbyterian and Reformed Historic Sites, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Former U.S. Presidents: #07 Andrew Jackson series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is March 9, 1755.
 
Location. 34° 47.346′ N, 80° 
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49.986′ W. Marker is near Lancaster, South Carolina, in Lancaster County. It is on Old Hickory Road 0.2 miles south of Waxhaw Village Road, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lancaster SC 29720, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker and monument is in the Midlands and in the Olde English District. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); Waxhaw Presbyterian Church (approx. 2.4 miles away); A Nest with a Bird's-Eye View (approx. 2.6 miles away); Footbridge (approx. 2.6 miles away); Culvert (approx. 2.6 miles away); The Canal Bed (approx. 2.6 miles away); Landsford Canal State Park Trails (approx. 2.7 miles away); The Guardlock (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lancaster.
 
Regarding Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church is one of 445 American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Sites registered between 1973 and 2003 by the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS), headquartered in Philadelphia. Approved sites received a metal plaque featuring John Calvin’s seal and the site’s registry number (PHS marker location unknown).

The following text is taken from the Presbyterian Historical Society website:

Scotch-Irish immigrants from Pennsylvania and Virginia established Old Waxhaw Church in the early 1750s. The first
Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
2. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker
Back side
building, erected at least by 1755, was used as a hospital during the Revolution and burned by the British in1781. The fourth and present structure was erected in 1896. The Presbytery of South Carolina was organized here on April 12, 1785. Many famous persons were buried in the cemetery, including the father and brothers of President Andrew Jackson; Colonel James H. Witherspoon; and William R. Davie, Revolutionary War General, Governor of North Carolina, and founder of the University of North Carolina. James Henley Thornwell, Southern Presbyterian patriarch, served his first pastorate here.

 
Also see . . .  Old Waxhaw Cemetery. The cemetery remains as one of the oldest historic sites in present day Lancaster County and as a visual reminder of that pioneer settlement. The grounds were part of land that belonged to the Reverend Robert Miller, and the land was deeded to the Presbyterian Church in 1757. The Waxhaw Cemetery is probably the most significant site remaining related to the Revolutionary War Era figures Andrew Jackson, William Richardson Davie, and Andrew Pickens, who contributed to the early development of the state and nation. The cemetery also contains noteworthy examples of eighteenth and nineteenth century tombstones. (Submitted on May 31, 2016, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 
 
Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Brian Scott, March 21, 2016
3. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument Marker
Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Brian Scott, March 21, 2016
4. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church
Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Brian Scott, March 21, 2016
5. Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church
Waxhaw Presbyterian Church image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
6. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church
Davie Private Burial Plot image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
7. Davie Private Burial Plot
Davie Private Burial Plot Gate image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
8. Davie Private Burial Plot Gate
Waxhaw Presbyterian Graveyard image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
9. Waxhaw Presbyterian Graveyard
Waxhaw Presbyterian Graveyard image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Michael Sean Nix, October 28, 2009
10. Waxhaw Presbyterian Graveyard
Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument back side image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 4, 2024
11. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument back side
Wide view Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument sanctuary in background image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 4, 2024
12. Wide view Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Monument sanctuary in background
Burial site of General William Richardson Davie image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 4, 2024
13. Burial site of General William Richardson Davie
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,741 times since then and 48 times this year. Last updated on August 17, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on October 29, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.   3, 4, 5. submitted on May 31, 2016, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on October 29, 2009, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.   11, 12, 13. submitted on August 7, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 3, 2026