St. Stephen’s, St. Stephen Set to Reopen August 2 After Major Restoration

  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina damage after truck struck the building
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina damage after truck struck the building
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina damage after truck struck the building
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina damage after truck struck the building
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in St. Stephen South Carolina restoration

One of America’s oldest churches is ready to welcome members and friends for services again on August 2 at 10:30 am following the completion of major structural repairs.

In December 2023, the historic colonial chapel of St. Stephen’s, St. Stephen in northern Berkeley County sustained significant structural damage after being hit by an out-of-control truck. While the full extent of the damage was not immediately visible from the outside, a closer inspection from the ground to the roof showed signicant structural concerns caused by the impact. The origins of the church date back to 1767. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1970 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Since last Fall, the congregation has not been able to worship in the building, instead offering services at their chapel of ease in Pineville while reconstruction work continued.

Leadership of the diocese has been working with church leadership as well as insurance and preservation professionals for nearly three years with the goal of fully restoring the church to prepare it for more centuries to come. Many thanks to Ms. Libba Carroll, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of her church, as well as the professional team at Bennett Preservation Engineering, led by Craig Bennett (see photos of the damage and description of the necessary work on their website at this link), for making it possible for the church to reopen its doors for services on Sunday, August 2, 2026 at 10:30 am. The church is located at 196 Brick Church Circle in St. Stephen. The service will be held jointly with the congregation of St. Alban’s, Kingstree, and ALL are welcome and invited to attend and celebrate this significant milestone in the history of this church. We are grateful that this difficult chapter of the church’s long history is coming to a close!

Visit the church’s Facebook page for additional photos that have been shared of the damage and work over the past almost three years.