Barnwell County · Marker 06-11
Lower Three Runs Baptist Church
Patterson Mill Rd. (S.C. Sec. Rd. 6-20), between Snelling and Martin
Front inscription
This church, originally located 8/10 mi. W on the old Augusta-to-Charleston road, was founded in 1789 by twelve charter members, with Rev. Nathaniel Walker as its first pastor. Lower Three Runs was a mother church to at least five congregations organized in present-day Barnwell or Allendale Counties between 1802 and 1849.
Reverse inscription
The second sanctuary here, built in 1833, was demolished in 1865 by Federal troops who used the timbers to bridge Lower Three Runs; it was never rebuilt. In 1868 Rev. C.A. Baynard and 213 members joined Tom's Branch Baptist Church, renamed Lower Three Runs to preserve the history and traditions of the mother church.