Salem Black River Presbyterian Church
About this property
Salem Black River Presbyterian Church (Brick Church) is a historic church in Sumter, South Carolina. This house of worship, commonly called Brick Church, was founded by Scotch-Irish settlers in 1759 on land given by Capt. David Anderson. The original log meeting house was replaced by a frame building and named Salem Presbyterian Church in 1768. The first brick church was built in 1802 and used until 1846 when the present church was built of brick made on the grounds. The Old Session house (1846) in the rear contains a large library given by James McBride Dabbs in 1862. Land for the cemetery, dating from 1794 was deeded by Robert Witherspoon in 1830. Among the notable ministers to serve this church was Dr. Thomas Reese, scholar, teacher and preacher before the American Revolution. In 1867 African-American members withdrew to form Goodwill Presbyterian Church, about a mile away. (Goodwill Church, and the attached parochial school, have long been influential in the Presbyterian Church, and particularly among Black Presbyterians.) Salem Black River is an active independent Presbyterian Congregation as of 2025. They have regular services at 4 pm the Second and Fourth Sundays of each month. The Salem Black River Presbyterian Church was added to the National Register in 1978. Satanic symbols and messages were spray-painted on the church's exterior on September 29, 2017. The front door to the church also had been kicked in, but the interior was undamaged. Personnel at Shaw Air Force Base provided the Sumter County Sheriff's Office with names of possible suspects, resulting in four arrests.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Salem Black River Presbyterian Church
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Questions about this property
When was Salem Black River Presbyterian Church listed on the National Register?
Salem Black River Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1978.
What type of historic resource is Salem Black River Presbyterian Church?
Salem Black River Presbyterian Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Salem Black River Presbyterian Church?
The period of significance for Salem Black River Presbyterian Church is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Salem Black River Presbyterian Church?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Salem Black River Presbyterian Church will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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