Winnsboro in Fairfield County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Old Cemetery

Bethel Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

Photographed by Mark Parker, July 3, 2023

1. Old Cemetery Marker

Inscription. The cemetery occupies the site, on Fairfield Street, of the first meeting house of Bethel Church, which was incorporated December, 1823, by the S.C. Legislature. The wooden meeting house was built on lot number 174 of the Town Plat of Winnsboro. The property had been bought from Hugh Barkley, a veteran of the War of 1812, who died in 1836 and is buried here. Originally affiliated with the Associate Presbytery of the Carolinas, in 1842 under the guidance of the Rev. Thomas Ketchin, Bethel became affiliated with the Associate Reformed Synod of the South.

Pastors who served in the original meeting house were:
Rev. James Lyle 1825-1834
Rev. Thomas Ketchin 1844-1851
Rev. Charles Bowen Betts 1855-1869
Rev. John McClintock Todd 1872-1879

In 1873 a new house of worship was built across the street on land acquired from George H. McMaster. Among the earliest graves are those of relatives and descendants of Covenanters and Seceders. dissenters from the Church of Scotland who had immigrated to America to escape religious persecution.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites

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• Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1823.

Location. 34° 23.063′ N, 81° 5.357′ W. Marker is in Winnsboro, South Carolina, in Fairfield County. It is at the intersection of Fairfield Street and North Vanderhorst Street, on the right when traveling east on Fairfield Street. The marker is inside the fence on the Fairfield Street side of the cemetery property. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Winnsboro SC 29180, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 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: Williford House (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. Paul Baptist Church

View of the Old Cemetery from Fairfield Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, July 3, 2023

2. View of the Old Cemetery from Fairfield Street

(about 700 feet away); First Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); William Porcher Dubose (approx. 0.2 miles away); Wynne Dee (approx. ¼ mile away); British Headquarters (approx. ¼ mile away); Confederate Dead of Fairfield County (approx. ¼ mile away); World War (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winnsboro.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 299 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 27, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.