History

    St. Luke's in the 1870's                                                        St. Luke's 1986 to present            

A Brief History of St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Newberry, South Carolina

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The Reverend Cranmore Wallace conducted the first Episcopal services in Newberry in 1836. The St. Luke’s congregation was organized in 1846. The tiny congregation continued to worship in various places for nine years before the property on which the current church stands was obtained in 1855.

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The original church was constructed within that same year and consecrated by the Right Reverend Thomas F. Davis, Bishop of South Carolina on August 26, 1855. The original church building is listed in the SC Department of Archives and History.

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The church was vandalized during the final years of the Civil War and by 1866, the congregation had almost ceased to exist. The vestry decided to lock the doors of St. Luke's and board up the windows to protect the church from desecration.

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Services resumed in 1869 under the leadership of the Reverend Edward T. Walker. 

In 1984 the church was struck by a tornado which destroyed the roof and much of the structural integrity. With help from many sources, the church was restored in the Gothic style of the original building. 

In 2017, the entire church exterior was repaired, and the stucco was re-plastered and repainted.

Sources:

Newberry County, South Carolina: Historical and Genealogical Annals, George Leland Summer

History of Newberry County, Vol II by Thomas H. Pope

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History

St. Luke's Parish History, 1966

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Clergy and Staff

The Rev'd Mother Mia C. McDowell

Vicar

Dr. John Wagner

Choir Director

Mrs. Bobbie Wagner

Organist