Near Bennettsville in Marlboro County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
New Hill Baptist Church
⎯⎯⎯
Brightsville School
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025
1. New Hill Baptist Church side of marker
New Hill Baptist Church. Organized by 1919, this Freewill Baptist congregation first met at a wooded 6.5-acre site approx. ½mi. north where they built a wood frame church and established a cemetery. A storm destroyed the first church in the early 1950s. Members began worshipping at this 2-acre site after buying it from the Marlboro County School District in 1953. The current block church was built in 1975.
Brightsville School. From 1953-75 New Hill Church met in the former Brightsville School, built 1920-21 as an unusual barn-roofed, 2-story Rosenwald school for African Americans. It replaced an older one-room schoolhouse and was later converted to 1-story. In the early 1950s the school enrolled 70-100 students in grades 1-7. It closed in 1953 as part of the consolidation of Marlboro Countys country schools.
Erected 2023 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by New Hill Freewill Baptist Church. (Marker Number 35-48.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location. 34° 42.695′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee. 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: John Lowndes McLaurin (approx. 3½ miles away); Palmer Field / Capt. William White Palmer (approx. 3.8 miles away); Early Cotton Mill (approx. 4 miles away); Old Beauty Spot (approx. 4.9 miles away); Adamsville School (approx. 5.3 miles away); East Side School
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025
2. Brightsville School side of marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025
3. New Hill Baptist Church / Brightsville School Marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025
4. New Hill Baptist Church
Photographed by J. J. Prats, March 19, 2025
5. New Hill Freewill Baptist Church Cornerstone
New Hill Freewill Baptist Church, Feb. 9, 1975. Pastor Rev. Raymond McLeod, Elder Mac Brutus. Trustees: Chairman Wilson Spears Robert Williams Mack Williams Louise Simmons Annie Pate Mamie McLeod Lewis Whitfield. Co Worker Brooks Ushers.
Added new addition 1990. Pastor Bishop Cliffores Artis. Trustees: Chairman Ezzard York Prentiss Green Glenn Bright Simmy Rivers Ronnie Williams Joe Johnson
Added new addition 1990. Pastor Bishop Cliffores Artis. Trustees: Chairman Ezzard York Prentiss Green Glenn Bright Simmy Rivers Ronnie Williams Joe Johnson
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 201 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 23, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
