We found the old Mount Nebo Presbyterian Church not far from the town of Lone Star. The building caught my attention because it looked very much like some of the old schools I had visited. As it turns out, I wasn’t far off the mark. Rev. William L. C. Riley founded Mount Nebo in 1908 as a church and school for African Americans. It was more of a general purpose meeting house than just a church. This building was constructed in 1939.
The South Carolina Picture Project website (linked above) has the most extensive information about Mount Nebo, along with almost all that is known about the remarkable but tragic life of Rev. Riley. Riley held degrees from South Carolina State College and Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. He owned the land on which the church sat, and in addition to operating the church and school he owned and operated a store in Lone Star. Tragically, in 1947 he was murdered by ice pick.
It looks like the building had deteriorated even more since the photos in the SC Picture were taken. The siding was falling off of one corner, the timbers underneath were buckling, and it looked like the floor was unstable and dangerous. We stood at the doorway, but did not enter.
Located next to the church is a small cemetery. I haven’t been able to find this on Find-a-Grave, but it looked like most of the headstones were of military veterans and were surprisingly recent. The last name “Haigler” was most common among the headstones and a search of Calhoun County assessor records showed that the property is now owned by a Benjamin Haigler from New Jersey.
I was able find the grave of the church’s founder, Rev. William Riley.
We wandered around the building photographing architectural details and other interesting bits.
Even though we couldn’t go inside I was able to get some interior shots through windows and the doorway.
Given the amount of deterioration I’m afraid this landmark won’t be around for much longer. It seems to be the last testament of a remarkable man’s life and work.
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It’s funny to me that I’ve tracked your blog enough that last Monday, I actually wondered where you were exploring on that MLK day. Looks like a successful excursion.