Church of Prince William's Parish (Sheldon Church)

One of the most photographed structures in SC.
WIth a much-debated history, the church dates all the way back to the mid-1700s. The architecture of the building is a Greek Revival style of architecture and is said to be the first conscious attempt in America to imitate a Greek temple.
History claims Prince William’s was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. In 1826 it was rebuilt and legend says it was later burned again by William Tecumseh Sherman in 1865, during his fire-wielding march through the south.
However, written letters dating back to 1866 that have turned up recently may say otherwise. On February 3, 1866, Beaufort’s Milton Leverett wrote that, “Sheldon Church not burned, just torn up in the inside, but can be repaired.” The inside of the church was apparently gutted to reuse materials in rebuilding area homes that were burnt by Sherman’s army, and the actual church itself was not burned a second time.

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