A historic Black church in Darlington County, South Carolina, which was established soon after the Civil War, was significantly damaged in a fire on Saturday afternoon.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at 1372 Pocket Road traces its origins back to 1869, with its present structure built in 1910.
The incident prompted responses around 4 p.m. from the Darlington County Fire District, Darlington County Sheriff’s Office, and other units, including the West Florence Fire Department. Officials reported on Saturday that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is involved in identifying the cause of the fire.
Multiple organizations and officials confirmed the scope of damage in social media posts.
Despite the damage, New Providence Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2151 Cashua Ferry Road in Darlington, plans to host an 11 a.m. Sunday service for the congregation of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.
The Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina said the building was “engulfed in flames.”
Brian Gandy, director of the Darlington County Historical Commission and Museum, said the fire marked a “sad day” in the tight-knit community.
“This congregation is one of the oldest organized African-American churches in Darlington County and has a very rich history in the Back Swamp/Pocket Road community,” he said on Facebook. “This church is made up of extremely strong members with a rock-solid faith. This will be a blow but with the members that I know at Pleasant Grove, they will rise above this.”
