FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — A Pee Dee church unveiled a historical marker honoring its rich heritage and long-standing impact on the community.

The grace of God and the unity of members have kept Snowhill Baptist church together for 137 years.

Snowhill Baptist Church has been a spiritual home for black residents in the Ebenezer Township and the surrounding areas of Florence County since the late 1880s.

In 1888, farmer London Nettles owned property at the Hoffmeyer and Ebenezer intersection, land he opened to the community for worship.

Many remember those early services being held in what was known as a “bush arbor.”

Bush arbors were simple, open-sided shelters built with upright poles and a roof of brush or branches.

They were critical gathering spaces for enslaved black people to worship before they had access to formal church buildings.

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Eventually, church trustees acquired a one-acre site from Johanna Hoffmeyer and built their first permanent house of worship, officially named Snowhill Baptist church.

Several decades later, in 1950, the church began major construction projects, expanding and transforming it into the building that stands today.

“It means a lot to me because we’re trying to follow the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ when he says let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and so I believe that this marker represents a good work that this congregation has done that represents years before we even got to this point today,” Gerald Fryer, the pastor said.

Pastor Gerald Fryer, who has led the church since 2017, is one of many pastors who have guided Snowhill Baptist church through its long history.

Saturday, local leaders and church members came together for the unveiling of the historical marker, a moment many described as an honor for a true Florence County landmark.

Church members said the process of securing the marker was lengthy, but they were grateful to receive grant approval, which covered all costs.

Saturday was about recognition and about celebrating the legacy that Snowhill Baptist Church continues to carry.

“There’s still hope in our world because of the lord Jesus Christ.”

Since the church’s establishment, the Snow Hill congregation has joined the Pee Dee Baptist Association.

In its first few years, it had as many as 100 members. Over the past 100 years, the church has seen thousands.