Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Ladson Presbyterian Church

Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2010

1. Ladson Presbyterian Church Marker

Inscription. Congregation originated in the Sabbath School for colored people organized by the First Presbyterian Church 1838, later conducted by the Rev. G. W. Ladson. A chapel for the Negro members of that church was built here 1868. Rebuilt 1896. The title was transferred to Ladson Church trustees in 1895.

Erected 1938 by The Columbia Sesquicentennial Commission of 1936. (Marker Number 40-14.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.

Location. 34° 0.555′ N, 81° 2.107′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It is on Sumter Street near Blanding Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbia SC 29201, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands.

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: Laurel Street (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of Blanding House (about 500 feet away); Beth Shalom Synagogue (about 600 feet away); DeBruhl-Marshall House (about 600 feet away); The Walls Came Tumbling Down (about 600 feet away); 1644 Main Street (about 600

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feet away); Blanding Street (about 600 feet away); City Hall (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.

Regarding Ladson Presbyterian Church. Built in 1896, Ladson Presbyterian Church continues to be inhabited by its original congregation. In 1838, First Presbyterian Church organized their African American members into a separate but affiliated congregation that met at the same site. The congregation is the oldest African American congregation in Columbia and the fifth oldest religious congregation in the city. In a cordial split, Ladson became independent of First Presbyterian in 1874. Its architecture remains today as an excellent example of Romanesque Revival design that was popular for non-residential buildings in the late 1800s. The church features the style’s hallmark round arches, tripartite entrances, canted towers, and brick or rough stone construction. It is a one-story-over-raised-basement red brick building with a rectangular plan, featuring a gable-front roof and two brick entrance towers set on the diagonal. According to WPA records and testimonials from older church members, a renovation occurred prior to World War II which replaced the building’s two wooden pyramidal-roofed

Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

2. Ladson Presbyterian Church Marker

steeples and belfry with the castellated towers that are present today. Listed in the National Register April 30, 1998. (South Carolina Department of Archives and History)

Ladson Presbyterian Church and Marker as seen along Sumter Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 27, 2010

3. Ladson Presbyterian Church and Marker as seen along Sumter Street

National Register of Historic Places: Ladson Presbyterian Church ** (added 1998 - Building - #98000419)

S.C. Dept. of Archives and History, circa 1998

4. Ladson Presbyterian Church Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 1, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,291 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 1, 2010, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.