Hampton-Pinckney in Greenville in Greenville County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mattoon Presbyterian Church

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

1. Mattoon Presbyterian Church Marker, Side One

Inscription. Mattoon Presbyterian Church was organized in 1878 by Black members of Washington Street (First) Presbyterian Church. They affiliated with the Northern Assembly of Presbyterians and named the church for Rev. Stephen Mattoon, president of Biddle University for freedmen in Charlotte. N.C. Biddle graduate Rev. Benjamin Franklin McDowell served as Mattoon Church’s pastor from 1879 to 1906. The church was originally part of Catawba Presbytery in the Atlantic Synod.

The two-story brick building at this site was constructed in circa 1887 and was Mattoon’s first permanent place of worship. It is one of the oldest historically Black church buildings in Greenville and originally had a central steeple. The congregation included approx. 50 communicant members around 1900. Mattoon Church also maintained a parochial school that served Black families from around the community, including non-members. The school closed in circa 1930.

Erected 2022 by Department of Archives and History. Sponsored by Mattoon Presbyterian Church. (Marker Number 23-96.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 34° 51.397′ N, 82° 24.453′ W. Marker is in Greenville, South Carolina, in Greenville County. It is in Hampton-Pinckney. It is at the intersection of Hampton Avenue and Lloyd Street, on the left when traveling north on Hampton Avenue. It is between the sidewalk and the curb, in front of the church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 415 Hampton Ave, Greenville SC 29601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in 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

Mattoon Presbyterian Church Marker, Side Two image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

2. Mattoon Presbyterian Church Marker, Side Two

walking distance of this marker: John Street School (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hampton-Pinckney Neighborhood (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lawrence Peter Hollis (approx. ¼ mile away); General Nathanael Greene (approx. ¼ mile away); Heritage Green (approx. ¼ mile away); Saluda (Poinsett) Watershed (approx. 0.3 miles away); Cherokee in the Upcountry / Beginnings of Greenville Water (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lake Keowee Watershed (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.

Mattoon Presbyterian Church Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

3. Mattoon Presbyterian Church Marker

Mattoon Presbyterian Church, Greenville, South Carolina image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 18, 2025

4. Mattoon Presbyterian Church, Greenville, South Carolina

Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 17, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 109 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 17, 2025, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.