History & Genealogy

The congregation of Unity Baptist Church was organized in 1909 as an outgrowth of Kershaw's First Baptist Church. Unity is believed to be the second separate black church established in Kershaw, in the early 20th century. The congregation originally met in the homes of its various members. The new sanctuary was built by Deacon George L. Shropshire, a local carpenter and contractor. The Reverend A. W. Hill became the church's first full-time minister in 1911 while he was still a student at Benedict College in Columbia. Hill's successor, the Reverend L. C. Jenkins was the first pastor to occupy the parsonage (c.1922) adjacent to the church. Unity Baptist Church has undergone few alterations since its construction and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. View from outside; open on Sundays.

Having the distinction of being the first African-American church in Fairfield County, White Hall African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was built in 1867 on land donated by Moses Martin. Manton Latta Martin (who was to become the church's first pastor) and his two brothers, Jerry and John, started the movement to build this church in 1866. View from outside; open on Sundays.

Mrs. Jefferson Davis and children were passengers on one of the trains that arrived in Chester. When the wagons carrying the gold and silver left, she and the other women were placed in an ambulance as a mode of transportation. Heavy rains left the roads muddy and almost impassable. When the wagons bogged down, the first lady carried her baby in her arms and walked about six miles to the church where they slept on the pews. 3.5 miles south of Chester. (Accessible from 72/321 By-pass).

On May 28, 1780, Colonel Abraham Buford, in command of a regiment of 350 Virginians, was overtaken by Colonel Banastre Tarleton of the British Army who commanded 700 cavalry and infantrymen under Lieutenant General Charles Lord Cornwallis. In the ensuing action 115 Americans were killed, 151 were wounded, and 53 were taken prisoner.  After the battle, nearby settlers aided survivors and buried American soldiers in a long trench. The dying and badly wounded were carried several miles where they were cared for by, among others, Mrs. Andrew Jackson and her two sons Andrew and Robert. Two monuments now mark the Buford Battleground. A white 10-foot monument erected on June 2, 1860, marked the American gravesite. This marker became so scarred from chippings of souvenir hunters that a new monument was erected on May 1, 1955, bearing the same inscription. This was one of the many vicious actions that characterized the Revolutionary War campaigns in the backcountry South. Listed in the National Register.