Lake City in Florence County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Greater St. James A.M.E. Church
Photographed by Cindy Bullard, October 25, 2010
1. Greater St. James A.M.E. Church Marker (front)
This church was founded in 1883 by a Rev. Hill and twenty-five charter members. Early services were held in a members house on E. Main Street. The congregation purchased a lot at the corner of Lake and N. Church Streets in 1885 and built its first sanctuary, a frame building, that year. That church was renovated and enlarged in 1917. It was further renovated, adding a steeple, in 1948-50.
In 1951 Rev. J.A. DeLaine (1898-1974) was transferred from Pine Grove A.M.E. Church in Summerton after playing a leading role in Briggs v. Elliott, the Clarendon County school desegregation case that led to Brown v. Board of Education (1954). Unknown persons burned the church in October 1955. Rev. G. Lee Baylor was the pastor when a new sanctuary, named Greater St. James, was dedicated here in 1957.
Erected 2004 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History; sponsored by the Congregation. (Marker Number 21-16.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
this page online
Location. 33° 51.995′ N, 79° 45.902′ W. Marker is in Lake City, South Carolina, in Florence County. It is on Moore Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 339 Moore St, Lake City SC 29560, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 walking distance of this marker: The Lynching of Frazier Baker (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lake City Tobacco Markets / Imperial Tobacco Company (approx. half a mile away); W.T. Askins House (approx. 0.6 miles away); 102 East Main Street (approx. 0.7 miles away); Lake City Produce Markets / Lake City Bean Market (approx. Ύ mile away);
Photographed by Cindy Bullard, October 25, 2010
2. Greater St. James A.M.E. Church Marker (reverse)
Photographed by Cindy Bullard, October 25, 2010
3. Greater St. James A.M.E. Church
Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2010, by David Bullard of Seneca, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,396 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2010, by David Bullard of Seneca, South Carolina. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
