H*5204 Session 112 (1997-1998)
H*5204 Concurrent Resolution, By Scott, Allison, Altman, Askins, Bailey,
Barfield, Barrett, Battle, Bauer, J.M. Baxley, Beck, Boan, Bowers, Breeland,
G. Brown, H. Brown, J. Brown, T. Brown, A.W. Byrd, Campsen, Canty, Carnell,
Cato, Cave, Chellis, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cooper, Cotty, J.L.M. Cromer,
Dantzler, Davenport, Delleney, Easterday, Edge, Emory, J.G. Felder, Fleming,
Gamble, Gourdine, Govan, Hamilton, Harrell, Harris, Harrison, Harvin, Haskins,
Hawkins, J. Hines, M. Hines, Hinson, Howard, Inabinett, Jennings, B.L. Jordan,
Keegan, Kelley, Kennedy, M.H. Kinon, Kirsh, Klauber, Knotts, Koon, Lanford, Law,
Leach, Lee, Limehouse, Littlejohn, Lloyd, Loftis, Mack, Maddox, Martin, Mason,
J.G. McAbee, McCraw, McGee, McKay, W. McLeod, McMahand, J.D. McMaster, Miller,
Moody-Lawrence, V.T. Mullen, J.H. Neal, Neilson, Phillips, Pinckney, Quinn,
Rhoad, Rice, Meacham, Riser, Robinson, Rodgers, Sandifer, Seithel, Sharpe,
Sheheen, Simrill, F. Smith, J. Smith, R. Smith, D. Smith, Spearman, Stille,
E.C. Stoddard, Stuart, Townsend, Tripp, Trotter, Vaughn, Walker, Webb, Whatley,
Whipper, Wilder, Wilkes, Wilkins, Witherspoon, Woodrum, Young-Brickell and
W.J. Young
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.
05/28/98 House Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate HJ-6
06/02/98 Senate Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence SJ-24
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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