140-Year-Old Hilton Head Church Breaks Ground on New Home Away From Airport Flight Path

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. —

St. James Baptist Church broke ground Saturday, Oct. 24, on a new home on Hilton Head Island, marking a milestone in the congregation's 140-year history. Dozens of people attended the ceremony at 9 Union Cemetery Road, WSAV reported.

The church, founded in 1886, has worshiped on Dillon Road in the path of the island's airport. Town officials said the site sits in the airport's Runway Protection Zone, where the Federal Aviation Administration considers places of public assembly an incompatible use. WSAV reported the old building also had structural damage and little room to grow.

The Rev. Dr. Arthur Evans Sr. and state Sen. Tom Davis spoke at the groundbreaking, according to WSAV. “This is what's needed in our city, in our streets, in our blocks,” Evans said.

Plans call for a church of about 11,975 square feet on a 4.67-acre campus in the Grassland Historic Neighborhood, next to Union Cemetery, with a 250-seat sanctuary and a 120-seat fellowship hall, the Town of Hilton Head Island said. Stained-glass windows donated by church members will be moved into the new sanctuary.

The historic Cherry Hill School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be moved to the new campus as well and keep that listing, the town said.

The project is a partnership of the church, Beaufort County and the town. Funding includes a $4.75 million state appropriation, $3.5 million in county bond money and $1.29 million the town paid for the current church site, according to the town. “This new campus will honor our history while creating opportunities for future generations,” church trustee and spokesman Herbert Ford said when the plan was approved in July.

Under the agreement, the congregation can keep worshiping in its current building on a long-term lease while the new church is built. The town said construction was expected to begin this fall.