News

Beautiful Ruins of the Old Sheldon Church

February 04, 2017

The beautiful ruins of the Old Sheldon Church.

These incredible ruins date back almost 300 years. Construction began in 1745. Eight years later in 1753, the church was opened as Prince William’s Parish. The structure was built in English Georgian style, and is said to be the United States’ first attempt to imitate a Greek temple.

In 1779, the church was sent into a blazing inferno by the British during the Revolutionary War, but was rebuilt in 1826. It was burned by General Prevost, who at the time was traveling from Savannah into South Carolina. It has been said that the church befell another act of arson in 1865, set by General Sherman. There have been conflicting stories however, due to a note claiming that during February of 1865, the church was only gutted to reuse materials in the rebuilding of homes burnt by General Sherman’s army.

The remains of Colonel William Bull sit centered within the church’s remains. Bull, alongside General Oglethorpe, helped to establish the physical layout of Savannah, Georgia. In 1733, Bull formed the basic grid pattern of the streets and squares that have, to this day, been used.

Now abandoned since 1865, all that remains
are the spirits of those buried here and the
stories history has left us.