Christ Church and Courtyard

Originally built in 1825, Christ Church is the oldest church building in the city of Greenville,SC. In the year 1845, the church would be rebuilt due to the expanding congregation and have a courtyard added on to it. Throughout the years the church body continued to grow to 4,000 members and would charter a connecting school. The church is now currently listed under the National Register of Historical Places.

Christ church started off first known as St. James Mission of the Episcopal Church. The church was founded by Reverend Rodolphus Dickinson in the year 1820 who was a graduate of Yale University, and a native of Massachusetts. The church's first congregation consisted of only a few families lead by Mr. and Mrs. Croft. In 1825 before the church was built the congregation would worshiped in the local Greenville court house. The congregation would continue to meet there until the fall of 1825 when Vardy Mcbee granted the church 4 acres to build upon.

Due to the addition of land, a building committee was formed to build the new church it consisted of members such as Joseph P. Labruce and John Crittenden. The cornerstone of the church was laid on September 15th, 1825. The church was 55 feet long and 30 feet wide. The church began using the new building for worship in the year of 1826, however, it would not be fully finished until 1830. The church's name changed to Christ Church when it became initiated into the diocese of South Carolina as Christ Church Parish.                    

Throughout the years the small church would continue to grow, and was unable to hold its congregation. On September 29th, 1854 a new building was constructed. The church was supposed to be entirely Gothic in construction, but due to funds this was not possible, it did however still contain many Gothic structures. Today it is recognized as a prime example of Gothic architecture and includes a large nave, large stain glass windows, balconies, and a brick bell tower. As the years have progressed structures have been added.                                                                                                                
In addition to the main building, there is a courtyard. This courtyard is home to many notable figures from the United States including former church members, members of the clergy, former mayors of Greenville, and a mayor of South Carolina. Other notable figures include: Benjamin Franklin Perry, William H. Perry, and US Senator Joseph H. Earle. Lastly, Vardry McBee the "father of Greenville" lays to rest in this courtyard. The courtyard had a historical marker added to it in 1967.




 








 

Christ Church (Episcopal) and Churchyard, Greenville County (10 N. Church St., Greenville). South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Accessed March 15, 2017. http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/greenville/S10817723004/index.htm. 

Historic Church Courtyard. Christ Church Episcopal. Accessed March 15, 2017.http://www.ccgsc.org/historic-churchyard.php.                                                                  

History. Christ Church Episcopal. Accessed March 15, 2017. http://www.ccgsc.org/history.php.