Edisto Island in Colleton County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Hephzibah J. Townsend

1780 - 1847

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 26, 2026

1. Hephzibah J. Townsend Marker

Inscription. Founded the Wadmalaw and Edisto Female Mite Society, the first home and foreign mission society of Baptist women in the South. By 1811 the society gave $122.50 for work with Catawba Indians. In 1818 this building was erected with her funds. She gave it and the cemetery where she was buried to black Baptists of Edisto island.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1811.

Location. 32° 34.367′ N, 80° 17.061′ W. Marker is on Edisto Island, South Carolina, in Colleton County. It is at the intersection of South Carolina Route 174 and Oak Island Road, on the right when traveling north on South Carolina Route 174. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1644 S.C Hwy 174, Edisto Island SC 29438, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry,

in the Ashepoo and Combahee and Edisto Basin.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the

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Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Edisto Island Baptist Church (here, next to this marker); Lafayette's Tour (approx. 2.1 miles away); The CCC: Building Parks for America (approx. 4.7 miles away); "The Walls of Segregation are Crumbling" (approx. 4.8 miles away); Coastal Heritage Under Threat (approx. 4.9 miles away); Markers in the Woods (approx. 5.1 miles away); The Struggle for a Long Straight Line (approx. 5.1 miles away); How to Measure the World, and Why (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Edisto Island.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 26, 2026

2. Hephzibah J. Townsend Marker

Gravesite of Hephzibah J. Townsend image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 26, 2026

3. Gravesite of Hephzibah J. Townsend

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 26, 2026

4. Gravesite of Hephzibah J. Townsend

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 2, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.