South Carolina Department of Archives and History
National Register Properties in South Carolina

Lawtonville Baptist Church, Hampton County (194 East Fourth St., Estill)
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Northwest Oblique West Elevation Southwest Oblique South Elevation Southeast Oblique
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Northeast Oblique North Elevation Nortwest Oblique
ca. 1911
Entrance
North Elevation
Window Detail
North Elevation
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Window Detail
Northwest Oblique
Interior
Alpha Design Detail
Interior
Omega Design Detail
Interior
Sanctuary Doors
Interior
Altar
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Interior
Baptistry Gate Detail
Interior
Baptistry Detail
Interior
Sanctuary
Interior
Window Detail
Interior
Ceiling Apex Detail

The Lawtonville Baptist Church, built in 1911, is significant for its stunning and largely intact Late Gothic Revival architecture that is attributed to the regionally significant Savannah architect Julian DeBruyn Kops. Employing a degree of complexity and sensitivity that seems unique not only to churches in Hampton County of the period but also to southern Baptist churches in general, Kops managed to create a house of worship that functioned as an elaborate symbol of Judeo-Christian iconography, beginning with his complex, Star of Redemption pavilion roof, then continuing with the Star of David symbols on the two main approaches to its entrance corner, and culminating in the Alpha and Omega designs that greet church members every time they enter the sanctuary and the portico arch gates whose motif clearly intended to evoke the Trinity. Rare indeed is the religious architecture of this church in a small, rural, southern town that emphasized such an intricate and weighty connection to the imagery and iconography of early Christianity. The church is a brick building with a complex, asphalt-shingle, pavilion roof with projecting gables, dominant stained glass windows, and an intriguing back entrance that resembles a castle keep. In 1945, the congregation added a Sunday School building to the east of the original church building, as well as a music building addition to the east of that in 1962. Neither building addition is contributing. In 1973, the church completed a remarkably sensitive renovation that closed in the existing sanctuary entrance to create a rounded front and a rain shelter for arriving and departing congregation members, while also preserving the original appearance of this portion of the façade inside the new addition. Listed in the National Register October 9, 2012.

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