Summerville in Dorchester County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Bell Tower of St. George's
| | South Carolina State Park Service | |
Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2009
1. Colonial Dorchester Marker
Angry with the Anglican Church, the Puritan Pilgrams left England in 1620. Their descendants, known as Congregationalists, founded Dorchester in the 1690s, only to endure South Carolina's 1706 declaration of Anglicanism as the colony's official church.
With the Congregationalists worshiping two miles away, St. George's Anglican Church was built here in the center of Dorchester. Village founders and other religious "Dissenters" were even taxed to support St. George's.
Upon completion in 1720, the sanctuary measured 50' x 30'. It was enlarged in the 1730s to meet the needs of its growing and prosperous parish. This bell tower with four bells was added in 1751.
[Captions:]
St. George's Angelican Church may have been a more convenient location for local worship, however, the Congregational Church remained the religious center for most of Dorchester's Puritan settlers.
By depicting Anglican churches similar to St. George's, 18th century artwork can help us imagine the scene after religious services.
The metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Mrs. A. Wordsworth Thompson, 1899 (99.28).
Erected by South Carolina State Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures
this page online
Location. 32° 56.937′ N, 80° 10.225′ W. Marker is in Summerville, South Carolina, in Dorchester County. It is on State Park Road, on the right when traveling east. Located .4 miles south of Dorchester Road ( State Road 642 )at Old Dorchester Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Stratford Dr, Summerville SC 29485, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry. 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 walking distance of this marker: Parish Church of St. George, Dorchester (within shouting distance of this marker); A Chance to Learn (within shouting distance of this marker); In the Path of War (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); To Market, To Market (about 400 feet away); Clues of Wealth (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Welcome to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (about 400 feet away); Linking Places and People (about 400 feet away); Old Dorchester (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Summerville.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Welcome to Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
2. Colonial Dorchester Marker
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
3. the brick bell tower of St. Georges Anglican Church
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
4. St. George's bell tower and cemetery as seen today
Historic American Buildings Survey, C.O. Greene, 1940
5. The Bell Tower of St. George's
Historic American Engineering Record, HABS SC,18-1-1
Photographed by Mike Stroud, September 13, 2009
6. a St. George's Angelican Church grave
Headstone for Seth Prior, died June 16, 1708, aged 65
Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 3,670 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 27, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 5. submitted on May 15, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6. submitted on September 27, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
