Full Timeline
Benjamin Palmer Reid
“The conference occurred in October 1894, when Wilson met with a Presbyterian elder, George Taylor, of the synod office in Greenville, and the Reverend Benjamin Palmer Reid. Reid, a thirty-four-year-old pastor with a round face, firm features, and receding hairline, had started his career at Heath Springs and then served..Read More
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
W.F. Strickland
“That month the Reverend Walter Strickland, about whom little is known, preached at Pendleton Presbyterian Church, then visited Fort Hill, and expressed an interest in the dual pastorate. The position had not changed since Reid; it still required that the pastor live in Pendleton, preach there Sunday mornings, and then..Read More
Francis W. Gregg
“Even before the synod completed its debate on the Fort Hill question, the churches in Calhoun and Pendleton called a young minister, the Reverend Francis W. Gregg, to replace Pastor Strickland. But Gregg’s appointment did not last long, and during his brief time as pastor, the ministry at Clemson College..Read More
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
Wayne Hayne Mills
“The Session and the congregation at Fort Hill, much as many other small rural Presbyterian churches, turned to the presbytery for assistance. At its meeting in September 1906, the presbytery called the Reverend Mr. William Hayne Mills as pastor to Fort Hill. Mills, who had a thin face, penetrating eyes,..Read More
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
W. Emmet Davis
“At the beginning of 1918, with the approval of the synod and presbytery, Fort Hill extended a call to W. Emmet Davis, a twenty-four-year-old student at Columbia Seminary. Blessed with a pleasant personality and strong broad facial features, and recently married, Davis was accepted and liked immediately by the church..Read More
John McSween
“Many Fort Hill members doubtless felt a serious loss with Davis’ departure. But the new pastor, the Reverend John McSween, who began work at the church on 1 September 1923, proved a worthy replacement. Although McSween remained at Fort Hill barely a year and a half, he nevertheless worked closely..Read More
