Old Sheldon, Beaufort, and the Unfinished Civil War

South Carolina

March 2022

Old Sheldon Church Ruin, History and Haunting

We drove around Beaufort County and visited the Old Sheldon Church Ruin grounds. These historical ruins are what’s left over what once was the Prince William’s Parish Church, which was constructed between 1751 and 1757. After its destruction by U.S. troops during the Civil War, the church was abandoned.

Although the building is just a shell of what it used to be, the brick walls, columns, and altar still stand, it’s clear how magnific it once was. The ruins and graveyard are surrounded by centuries-old oak trees filled with moss that give the place a peaceful yet eerie feeling at the same time. It isn’t, therefore, surprising that the site is known for supernatural encounters. However, during our visit, we did not meet any of them.

Hollywood, History, and Hard Truths in Beaufort, SC

We also went to see historic Beaufort. Forrest Gump did not cross the Mississippi River but the Beaufort River over the Woods Memorial Bridge in downtown Beaufort. They added the Mississippi state sign on the bridge!

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Beaufort is a little jewel worth visiting, a cute town with beautiful antebellum houses. Beaufort was an important town during the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, which we learned by visiting the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and Penn Center.

The Legacy of Reconstruction and Education

The Reconstruction Era National Historical Park was “established in January 2017 to preserve and interpret the resources and complex national stories of Reconstruction African Americans’ quest for freedom, the challenges resulting from the abolition of slavery, and the struggles to define the nation during and after the Civil War.“

This era was critical when Congress passed three significant amendments: the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth. These amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed due process and equal protection, and allowed all males to vote. The newly freed people thrived here until the start of Jim Crow racial segregation in the 1890s.

We also visited the National Historic Landmark Penn Center, one of the nation’s first schools for formerly enslaved people. Before the Civil War, it was a crime in South Carolina to teach Black people to read. Northern missionaries established Penn School in 1862, changing and improving numerous lives through education since “Once you learn to read you will forever be free.” – Frederick Douglass.

I finally understood when my friend told me, “The Civil War has not ended!”! The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth constitutional amendments are still contested in today’s America!