St. Helena Parish Chapel of Ease, c. 1740, Beaufort County, SC

Photographer facing south

Located on Lands End Road, SW of Frogmore, SC on St. Helena Island, The Chapel of Ease was built c. 1740 for planters that lived in the area, but found the trip to the parish church in Beaufort, SC to be too burdensome for regular attendance. By 1812, the population of the area was such that it was made a parish church.

Photographer facing NE

The Union Army occupied the area early on during the Civil War, and the church was basically abandoned in 1861. A year later, just north of this site, the Penn Center was established to educate newly freed slaves (350 planters fled the island ahead of the occupation leaving behind 3,000 slaves). Some of the northerners that came as teachers and trainers used the church. It eventually burned in a forest fire in 1886 and was never rebuilt.

The construction of the chapel is classified as mid-18th century colonial tabby construction. Tabby is a building material that consists of sand, water, lime, and crushed oyster shells. The construction type, and the period of historical significance led this site as well as the Penn Center to be included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photographer facing east