South Carolina General Assembly
112th Session, 1997-1998

Bill 5204


Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


                    Current Status

Bill Number:                    5204
Type of Legislation:            Concurrent Resolution CR
Introducing Body:               House
Introduced Date:                19980528
Primary Sponsor:                Scott
All Sponsors:                   Scott, Allison, Altman, Askins,
                                Bailey, Barfield, Barrett, Battle,
                                Bauer, Baxley, Beck, Boan, Bowers,
                                Breeland, G. Brown, H. Brown, J. Brown,
                                T. Brown, Byrd, Campsen, Canty,
                                Carnell, Cato, Cave, Chellis, Clyburn,
                                Cobb-Hunter, Cooper, Cotty, Cromer,
                                Dantzler, Davenport, Delleney,
                                Easterday, Edge, Emory, Felder,
                                Fleming, Gamble, Gourdine, Govan,
                                Hamilton, Harrell, A. Harris, Harrison,
                                Harvin, Haskins, Hawkins, J. Hines,
                                M. Hines, Hinson, Howard, Inabinett,
                                Jennings, Jordan, Keegan, Kelley,
                                Kennedy, Kinon, Kirsh, Klauber, Knotts,
                                Koon, Lanford, Law, Leach, Lee,
                                Limehouse, Littlejohn, Lloyd, Loftis,
                                Mack, Maddox, Martin, Mason, McAbee,
                                McCraw, McGee, McKay, McLeod, McMahand,
                                McMaster, Meacham, Miller,
                                Moody-Lawrence, Mullen, Neal, Neilson,
                                Phillips, Pinckney, Quinn, Rhoad, Rice,
                                Riser, Robinson, Rodgers, Sandifer,
                                Seithel, Sharpe, Sheheen, Simrill,
                                D. Smith, F. Smith, J. Smith, R. Smith,
                                Spearman, Stille, Stoddard, Stuart,
                                Townsend, Tripp, Trotter, Vaughn,
                                Walker, Webb, Whatley, Whipper, Wilder,
                                Wilkes, Wilkins, Witherspoon, Woodrum,
                                Young and Young-Brickell 
Drafted Document Number:        dka\3024mm.98
Date Bill Passed both Bodies:   19980602
Subject:                        Mount Pleasant Baptist Church at
                                Fort Motte, Calhoun County;
                                Resolutions

History

Body    Date      Action Description                       Com     Leg Involved
______  ________  _______________________________________  _______ ____________

House   19980602  Received from Senate
Senate  19980602  Introduced, adopted, returned
                  with concurrence
House   19980528  Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate


View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

RECOUNTING THE PROUD HISTORY AND GLORIOUS PAST OF MOUNT PLEASANT BAPTIST CHURCH AT FORT MOTTE IN CALHOUN COUNTY AND RECORDING IT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS AS A LESSON IN THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE AND FAITH IN FORMING A STRONG COMMUNITY AND STATE.

Whereas, the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church of Fort Motte in Calhoun County was established August 17, 1867; and

Whereas, before the end of the Civil War and the resulting Emancipation Proclamation, the Africans working the southern plantations as slaves conducted worship services on Wednesday nights at a Meeting House in the plantation quarters; and

Whereas, after their emancipation, the freed slaves of the Goshen, Oakland, Bellville, and Lang Syne plantations in Fort Motte were moved to establish and build a church and a school; and

Whereas, the owners of the plantations--the Heatley, Cheves, McCord, and Smythe families--donated the land to the freed slaves for that purpose; and

Whereas, much of the history of that transaction is recorded in a deed dated August 13, 1869, from Augustine T. Smythe to Harry Stuart et al., Trustees; and

Whereas, that deed recites the agreement of Smythe, a lawyer practicing in Charleston, to deliver to the "branch congregation of colored people from Buckhead Church" one acre of land located at the lower end of Goshen Plantation, "being the corner acre in the old field now grown up in pines, at its junction with the woodland nearly opposite the gates of Oakland Plantation..."; and

Whereas, the delivery of the deed came upon the achievement of the promise of the freed slaves to use the land for the erection of a church or school house; and

Whereas, the deed notes that "the said branch congregation of colored people from Buckhead Church have now formed themsleves into a church and organized under the name of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Colored and have erected a building upon the land..."; and

Whereas, Smythe, who was married to Louisa McCord, daughter of Columbia lawyer and banker David J. McCord and Louisa Susanna Cheves, a writer and daughter of The Honorable Langdon Cheves, judge and United States Congressman, recites also his personal desire "to do all in my power to help the colored people in the neighborhood of the said church to improve and better their condition."; and

Whereas, both the freed slaves and the plantation owners recognized and appreciated the need for communal gatherings in the fellowship of faith and enhanced opportunities for gleaning knowledge; and

Whereas, the freed slaves established their church and a missionary school on the site, and also continued to meet regularly at three Meeting Houses, a tradition which continued until the late 1930s; and

Whereas, the last Meeting House leaders were Daniel Anderson at the Peterkin Street Community of Lang Syne Plantation, Weston Patterson, and Elijah Keitt of the Keller Street Community, and Thomas Lavan, Sr., of the Ridge Community of Lang Syne Plantation; and

Whereas, their names echo the names of the organizational trustees of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church: in addition to Harry Stuart, there were Israel Cheeseborough, Anderson Keitt, Cudj. Cunningham, Calob Bartley, and William McCrai; and

Whereas, the names of their forefathers and the plantation landowners are repeated through the generations of pastors, deacons, and church mothers: Keitt, Cheeseborough, Heatley, Bartley; and

Whereas, the congregation of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, the community of Fort Motte, the citizens of Calhoun County, and the people of South Carolina can reflect on the powerful forces of faith and education in creating their proud and strong history. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly recount the proud history and glorious past of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church at Fort Motte in Calhoun County and record it for future generations as a lesson in the power of knowledge and faith in forming a strong community and State.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Chairman of the Deacon Board of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church.

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