Near York in York County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Allison Creek Presbyterian Church
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Clay Hill Graveyard
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 18, 2021
1. Allison Creek Presbyterian Church side of the marker
Allison Creek Presbyterian Church. This church was founded in 1854 by residents of the Clay Hill community on Allison Creek, who were members of Bethel (1769) and Ebenezer (ca. 1785) Presbyterian churches. They built this church soon afterwards, on land donated by J.D. Currence. Rev. J.R. Baird, the first pastor here, served until 1866.
Clay Hill Graveyard. A graveyard just E of the church cemetery was begun in the 1850s for both slave and free black members of the church. Used until ca. 1896, it contains about 300 graves, 14 with engraved stones and the rest marked by field stones or unmarked. After 1865 black members of Allison Creek left to form Union Baptist (1892), Liberty Hill A.M.E. Zion (1896), and New Home A.M.E. Zion (1897).
Erected 2014 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History; sponsored by Culture & Heritage Museums of York County. (Marker Number 46-56.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location. 35° 2.384′ N, 81°
this page online
Regionally, this marker 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 original Cherokee Nation, 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Elias Hill Homeplace / Liberian Migration (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); William Hill (1741-1816) / Hill's Ironworks (approx. 0.6 miles away); Birthplace of Daniel Harvey Hill (approx. 0.6 miles away); Colonel Samuel Watson (approx. 3.3 miles away); Battle Bigger's Ferry 1780 (approx. 3.6 miles away); Patriots and Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried at Bethel Presbyterian Church (approx. 5.7 miles away); Bethel Presbyterian Church (approx. 5.7 miles away); Town of Ebenezer (approx. 5.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in York.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 18, 2021
3. Allison Creek Presbyterian Church / Clay Hill Graveyard Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 875 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 22, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
