Remains of haunting chapel from 1750s mysteriously collapse in SC. Historians alarmed

The haunting 266-year-old brick facade of one of the nation’s oldest chapels crumbled and fell over the Fourth of July weekend in eastern South Carolina.

Known as the Pon Pon Chapel of Ease, the gutted religious site in Colleton County dates to around 1754 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It sits about 35 miles west of Charleston.

The Colleton County Historical and Preservation Society did not suggest vandalism was responsible, but said it closed the site to the public and “asked the sheriff’s office to patrol the area and protect the structure.”

The damage comes at a time when numerous monuments around the country have been damaged by groups protesting the nation’s history of colonization and treatment of indigenous people.

“The front facade of the ruin at Pon Pon Chapel of Ease toppled,” the society posted on Facebook Sunday.

“At this time, CCHAPS does not know the cause, but will be investigating and consulting with structural engineers. The original back corner and original bricks in the front façade are still intact.”

The ruins of Pon Pon Chapel are known for their dramatic ravaged appearance, linked to fires and hurricanes that damaged the site over nearly three centuries.

Multiple sections, including parts of the facade, have been pieced back together over the decades to preserve their original appearance, historians say.

A nearby historical marker notes the chapel ”was established in 1725 by an Act of the General Assembly” and in 1737 hosted two sermons by John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist movement in the Church of England.

The ruins date to 1754 “when a brick building replaced a wooden one destroyed by a hurricane,” according to the S.C. Department of Archives.

“This brick chapel burned in ca. 1801, causing Pon Pon Chapel to become subsequently known as the Burnt Church. The chapel was rebuilt between 1819 and 1822, and was in use until 1832 when it was again reduced to ruins,” according to the department.

A graveyard that accompanies the church contains the remains of two congressmen and “numerous local leaders.”

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 8:29 AM.