The Episcopal Church of the Ridge is one congregation with three houses of worship. The three entities are Grace Episcopal Church in Ridge Spring, The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Trenton, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Edgefield.
Our Saviour owes its beginnings to the efforts and love of Miss Lizzie Day and Miss Sue Hatcher (Mrs R. P. Henry). These young ladies became familiar with the Episcopal service while they were attending school in Athens, GA. The first organized services were officiated by the Rev. Edward T. Walker in the old Henry schoolhouse just west of Trenton. Unfortunately, this building is no longer standing but is remembered by the older generations of Trenton. Mrs. S. T. Hughes gave the land for the building site. Successful fundraising through donations and entertainment resulted in the building now in use.
The building was consecrated on June 30, 1882 by Bishop William B. W. Howe, assisted by five ministers from several Episcopal parishes in South Carolina. The wooden church does not conform to any clearly defined type of architecture; however, the interior has a Gothic feel with pointed window openings and an open timber ceiling. The bell tower was a later addition to the structure. The parish hall was added in the 1950s. It is of interest to note that because of the custom of marriages being held in home of the bride, the first wedding at Our Saviour was not performed until 1904.
The J. M. Vann family gave the beautiful stained glass windows behind the altar in 1960.
The Episcopal Church of the Ridge is one congregation with three houses of worship. The three entities are Grace Episcopal Church in Ridge Spring, The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Trenton, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Edgefield.
Grace Church had its beginnings in 1872 when a group of Christians met to explore the idea of forming an Episcopal Church in the small town of Ridge Spring. Much of the leadership of the group came from the local families and, in particular, from the women in the community. Grace was recognized as a congregation in 1873, with the Rev. C. Bruce Walker conducting services for an initial period in the local Baptist Church.
With a generous gift of land from the B. T. Boatwright family, the congregation soon erected the church structure in the Carpenter Gothic style with board and batten siding. The church building was consecrated on November 20, 1874 under the leadership of Bishop William B. W. Howe. In addition to local gifts, the church received generous support from several families in New York and Philadelphia who had ties with local families through schoolgirl relationships in Charleston.
The stained glass windows behind the altar are original to the church. Those on the south wall of the sanctuary date from the early 1980s. The church bell is one of the oldest in the state, having been cast in England with an inscription that reads “James Kinloch of South Carolina, 1750.” This bell was originally in Prince George, Winyah, Georgetown, SC and came to Grace Church through the efforts of Bishop Howe when the church was built.
The parish hall was built and dedicated in 1954 on land donated by the Gregory and Barnwell families of Ridge Spring.
The Episcopal Church of the Ridge is one congregation with three houses of worship. The three entities are Grace Episcopal Church in Ridge Spring, The Episcopal Church of Our Saviour in Trenton, and Trinity Episcopal Church in Edgefield.
Trinity, formed in 1835, is the oldest church in The Episcopal Church of the Ridge. In 1836, the Episcopal family erected a colonial style brick building which was dedicated in October of the same year. This structure was built on approximately one half acre of land donated to the church by Edmund B. Bacon. There have been some modifications to the original building over the years. The sanctuary and the stained glass windows (from Munich) were added in 1907. The lower part of the bell tower was built in 1886 with the upper portion added in added in 1951.
In 1860, the church was closed for a short time due to lack of sufficient male membership to constitute a Vestry. The church was reopened in November 1862 when the Rev. E. T. Walker came and settled his family in the rectory and, along with additional male members, began holding services once again.
The adjacent rectory, probably dating from the 1830s, was acquired by Trinity Church in 1846 and served as the residence for its ministers until 1957. It was sold in 2002. The parish hall was built in 1955 when the need for additional space was evident.
Trinity Church has the distinction of being the oldest public building still in use in the town of Edgefield and the oldest Episcopal Church in continuous use in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina.