Construction

1895

Organization of Fort Hill Presbyterian Church

“…Fort Hill Presbyterian Church was formally organized as the first church in town to serve the new college on July 21, 1895 at Doyle’s Hall. The initial congregation consisted of 33 members – 16 males and 17 females. Doyle’s Hall continued to serve as the temporary church location until the..Read More

1896

New Building Occupied

“The first service in the new church building shown in Figure 1 was held on the first Sabbath of April 1896. At the time of the first service, the brick structure was almost complete with a seating capacity of 200-300 persons. The first money raised came through a “buy a..Read More

1906

Manse Completed

“The manse was finished in the spring of 1906 at a cost of $2,165. The first tenant of the manse on a temporary basis was Bishop Findley of Episcopal Church as Fort Hill still did not have a permanent pastor. The first resident pastor, Reverend Mills, moved into the manse..Read More

1917

Enlargement of Sanctuary Completed

“By 1913 with a growing student population, mandatory church attendance for Sunday services on the Clemson campus was discontinued. Cadets were allowed to choose their own denomination for worship among one of the four community churches in town. Attendance was still compulsory with sign-in logs required. As such, an expansion..Read More

1929

Building of Shed for Student Classroom

“Despite the onset of the Depression in October 1929 as the fundraising effort was nearing completion, the target was exceeded with $11,500 on hand by 1931. The Synod matched the combined funds from the Presbyterian Women and the congregation bringing the total available funding to $27,000. The first service was..Read More

1931

New Enlarged Church Building Completed

“The first service was held on November 8, 1931, with a formal opening on November 22nd. The new building shown in Figure 8 had a larger sanctuary with a seating capacity of 300, adjacent office space for the pastor, and more meeting space including the club room for which the..Read More

1932

Fire Destroys Church

“Unfortunately, the excitement over the new church building was short-lived when the church caught fire on December 4, 1932, a little more than a year after it opened. The Sunday night fire believed to be caused by a defect in the flue of the main chimney quickly engulfed the building..Read More

1939

New Church Building Dedicated

“President Sikes of Clemson College offered assistance with college employees overseeing construction management. The reconstruction effort moved quickly with the church building restored six months after the fire (Figure 10). The dedication of the newly refurbished church was held on May 17, 1939. At that time, all debt had been..Read More

1957

Upper Club Room Renovated as Office Space

“By the late 1950s with the post-war growth of the Clemson campus and community, the church’s Long Range Planning Committee recommended the addition of a new wing to the existing church building and the construction of a new education building. In justifying the expansion, the committee projected that by 1965..Read More

1961

New Education Building Opened

“The new two-story education building contained 8,000 square feet of classroom space when it opened for Sunday school and Bible classes in 1961. Kindergarten was added in 1964. The late 1960s and 1970s were a period of continued growth with the college now designated Clemson University. By 1980, church membership..Read More