Orangeburg in Orangeburg County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Christ the King Catholic Church

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026

1. Christ the King Catholic Church Marker

Inscription.
In 1930, white Catholic priests in the Redemptorist missionary order assumed charge of local Holy Trinity Parish. In 1939, they opened a mission named "Christ the King" to evangelize to local African Americans. Their first permanent church was built on College Ave. in 1940. It burned in a likely arson days before the dedication. A second church, a Colonial Revival-inspired design, was built here in 1942.

Classes were initially held here for Christ the King Catholic School. The school was staffed by the Oblate Sisters of Providence, an order of African American nuns, and eventually moved to the site of their convent on Amelia St. Christ the King Church served Black Orangeburg-area Catholics until 1967, when the congregants integrated with historically white Holy Trinity Church. The church no longer stands.

Erected 2022 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History, sponsored by the Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum and the Orangeburg NAACP. (Marker Number 38-50.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Religion & Religious Structures.

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In addition, it is included in the South Carolina Historical Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.

Location. 33° 29.667′ N, 80° 51.427′ W. Marker is in Orangeburg, South Carolina, in Orangeburg County. It is on Treadwell Street (State Road 38-215) north of Russell Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 152 Treadwell St, Orangeburg SC 29115, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry

and in Santee Cooper Country.

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: Christ the King Catholic School (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Trinity United Methodist Church (about 600

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026

2. Christ the King Catholic Church Marker

feet away); The Orangeburg Massacre (about 600 feet away); St. Paul's Episcopal Church (about 700 feet away); South Carolina State University (about 700 feet away); Church of the Redeemer (approx. 0.2 miles away); Judge Glover's Home (approx. ¼ mile away); Episcopal Church of the Redeemer and Graveyard (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orangeburg.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), January 17, 2026

3. Christ the King Catholic Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 59 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 25, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.