Sumter County · Marker 43-17
Bethel Baptist Church
Bethel Church Rd., 2 mi. S of U.S. Hwy. 15 S, SW of Sumter
Front inscription
Bethel (Black River) Baptist Church was organized in 1780 and admitted to the Charleston Baptist Association in 1782. Its mother church was High Hills Baptist Church. Bethel was incorporated in December 1823. The Reverend Solomon Thomson served as its first pastor. John China, Revolutionary War veteran, is buried in the cemetery.
Reverse inscription
The land for this church was donated by Hezekiah and Jesse Nettles. The present sanctuary, third on this site, was erected in 1849, of dense-grained Rosemary pine; all material cut and sawed by hand, the joints mortised and pegged. In 1967 a remodeling preserved the original dimensions, roof line, framing timbers, flooring, ceiling, and gallery.