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
Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved
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House 19980602 Received from Senate
Senate 19980602 Introduced, adopted, returned
with concurrence
House 19980528 Introduced, adopted, sent to Senate
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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.