Saint Helena Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Chapel of Ease

Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 2008

1. Chapel of Ease Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

To St. Helena's Church, Beaufort, S.C. Built about 1740. Made a separate church after the revolution. Burned by forest fire Feb. 22, 1886.

Erected by Beaufort County Historical Society. (Marker Number 7-3.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Churches & Religion • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the South Carolina, Beaufort County Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1847.

Location. 32° 22.551′ N, 80° 34.603′ W. Marker is on Saint Helena Island, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. Marker is on Lands End Road (State Highway 45), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17 Lands End Rd, Saint Helena Island SC 29920, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Penn School (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Great Sea Island Storm (approx. 0.9 miles away); In Honor Of Edith M. Dabbs and James McBride Dabbs (approx. 0.9 miles away); Plane Crash Memorial (approx. 5.8 miles away);

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Capt. Brodstrom Marker U.S.M.C. (approx. 5.8 miles away); Barrow Hall (approx. 6 miles away); Emancipation Day / Camp Saxton Site (approx. 6.2 miles away); Japanese 75mm Field Gun (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint Helena Island.

Regarding Chapel of Ease. National Register Of Historical Places :
St. Helena Parish Chapel of Ease Ruins *** (added 1988 - Site - #88001777)
Also known as St. Helena Island Parish Church Ruins
♦ Historic Significance: Event,
♦ Architecture/Engineering
♦ Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
♦ Architectural Style: Colonial
♦ Area of Significance: Architecture, Religion, Art
♦ Period of Significance: 1700-1749, 1750-1799, 1800-1824, 1825-1849, 1850-1874, 1875-1899
♦ Owner: Private
♦ Historic Function: Funerary, Religion
♦ Historic Sub-function: Cemetery, Religious Structure
♦ Current Function: Funerary, Vacant/Not In Use
♦ Current Sub-function: Cemetery

Also see . . . National Register Information on St. Helena Parish Chapel of Ease Ruins

Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 2008

2. Chapel of Ease Marker

. This ruin is significant as a relatively intact example of mid-eighteenth century tabby construction and for its association with the St. Helena Parish, both as a secondary and primary place of worship for inhabitants of the parish. (Submitted on September 18, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)

Additional commentary.
1. The Lands End Lights
The road of Lands End is appropriately named as it will take travelers from one of St. Helena's Island to the other and end where the land ends. Along the road are supposed to haunt spirits. (In fact, most of Beaufort County can lay a claim to at lease one of the dearly departed.) To those that travel Lands End often at night, the sight of balls of light are common. Various legends tell of their origin.

In one, the lights are the spirit of a Civil War soldier who was beheaded by a cannon ball. His spirit wanders Lands End, ever searching for his head.

A second version says that the lights are the souls of slaves hung in the region for attempting to run away.

The final version is that the lights are the remains of a bus of migrant workers that crashed on the road, killing all those inside.

Most accounts place the lights near a large oak tree close to the

Chapel of Ease Ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, March 2008

3. Chapel of Ease Ruins

chapel ruins.

— Submitted September 18, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

Chapel of Ease rear view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mike Stroud, May 1, 2012

4. Chapel of Ease rear view

Chapel of Ease image. Click for more information.

Historic American Buildings Survey

5. Chapel of Ease

Survey Historic American Engineering Record HABS SC,7-SAHELI,1A-2
Click for more information.