Learn about Flat Rock History<\/p>\n
Tours for St. John in the Wilderness <\/p>\n
FLAT ROCK, N.C. Tours are again available for the Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness in Flat Rock.<\/p>\n
The church and churchyard (cemetery) tours are sponsored by the St. John Episcopal Church Docents. They start inside the Carriage Door entrance of the church. <\/p>\n
The tours are free but advance reservations must be made online through the church’s website, www.stjohnflatrock.org\/tours. Space is limited for each tour.<\/p>\n
The guided tours will be held the third Saturday in November and December. <\/p>\n
They begin promptly at 11 a.m. and last about an hour. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes. There will be no rain dates. <\/p>\n
The historically significant churchyard contains graves of un-named 19th century people who were enslaved as well as distinguished political figures, and local citizens.<\/p>\n
The church is located at 1895 Greenville Highway. For more information call the church office at 828-693-9783 or visit www.stjohnflatrock.org.<\/p>\n
St. John in the Wilderness History<\/p>\n
In 1827, Charles Baring, a member of the Baring banking family of England, built a home in Flat Rock. He and his wife, Susan, wanted a summer place to escape the oppressive heat, humidity, and malaria of the South Carolina Lowcountry where they lived. <\/p>\n
The Barings built a chapel on the property of their newly constructed home. Soon after it was built the small wooden structure burned down in a woods fire. In 1833 work began on a second church built of handmade brick. <\/p>\n
In August of 1836 the Barings deeded their chapel to the Diocese of North Carolina and 20 members of the Flat Rock \u201csummer colony\u201d formed an Episcopal parish. In the 1890s when the Missionary District of Asheville (later Diocese of Western North Carolina) was formed, St. John in the Wilderness transferred its affiliation. It is the oldest parish in the diocese. <\/p>\n
With almost all the church members traveling back to the Lowcountry after the summer season, the church mainly operated during summer months for its first 120 years. So rapid was the growth of the Flat Rock community during the 1830s and 1840s that the parish membership outgrew the capacity of the small chapel. In the early 1850s the decision was made to rebuild the church, essentially doubling its size. With only a few minor modifications the structure was completed in 1852. It is the one that stands today. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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