Sumter County · Marker 43-28
Bethel Methodist Church
Martinville Church Rd. (S.C. Sec. Rd. 43-12) & Lodebar Rd. (S.C. Sec. Rd. 43-100),Oswego
Front inscription
Established in 1856 by French Huguenot families with the consolidation of Lodebar, Rembert, Clark, and Sardis Methodist Churches, all dating from the early settlement of Sumter District. The first minister was Rev. Bond English; trustees were James W. Rembert, W. F. Deschamps, Leonard Brown, Dr. Henry I. Abbott, Alex M. Watts, D. A. Foxworth, M. T. McLeod, N. S. Punch, and Rev. Henry D. Green.
Reverse inscription
Members donated materials and both free and slave labor to construct the sanctuary, completed in 1858 under the supervision of James W. Rembert. Galleries were removed and ceilings lowered in 1887, and Sunday School rooms were added in 1951. This community was first named Lodebar for the nearby camp ground founded in 1787, but was renamed Bethel for this church in 1856. It has been known as Oswego since 1890.