Historic Old Purity Cemetery In Chester, South Carolina

Historic Old Purity Cemetery at Trinity Presbyterian Church in
Chester County, South Carolina.

Located about two-and-a-half miles southeast of Chester, South Carolina on SC Highway 97 is Historic Old Purity Cemetery; one the oldest burial grounds in this part of the State.

Purity Presbyterian Church (originally known as Bull Run Presbyterian Church) was organized on the site in 1770. The church's cemetery has been there since 1787.

The cemetery continued to grow in size and number of graves. A stone wall was built in 1872 enclosing the cemetery. At the time there were about 462 marked graves, some of them dating back to the late 1700s. The wall itself underwent several restorations over the years, the last one happening in 1960. A marker on the wall near the church entrance mentions this.

Inside the old cemetery's stone walls are many beautifully carved old graves, many with Ulster Scots surnames. Several birthplaces listed on the oldest gravestones mention counties in Northern Ireland. Several of the more prominent families have stone crypts in the center of the cemetery.

The graves of soldiers from various battles and wars can be found throughout the old cemetery, including those who fought in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War (1780-1782) and Confederate soldiers from the War Between the States (1861-1865).

Just outside the stone wall facing the highway is a stone marker that sits on the site where former slaves and members of the original church are buried in unmarked graves. This marker was dedicated in 1942 and is probably one of the oldest of such markers in this part of the State.

The original Purity Presbyterian Church was moved into in 1835 and now sits on Wylie Street in Chester. Today the historic walled cemetery is surrounded by the church yard of modern-day Trinity Presbyterian Church. 

The cemetery itself is well cared for and all of the war veterans graves are clearly marked. The following are photos taken by this blogger of the cemetery and some of its headstones and markers.

Trinity Presbyterian Church in Chester County, South Carolina.
This modern-day church sits on the site of the original Purity
Presbyterian Church which moved to nearby Chester in 1835.

A small garden near the cemetery gate.

Marker for the original site of Purity Presbyterian Church
erected in 1939. This marker sits in the Trinity Church parking lot.

Iron archway to the cemetery and church yard seen from the
parking lot dedicated to the historic Old Purity Cemetery.

James and Elizabeth McClintock born in Ireland.

A baby's grave with a beautifully carved
flower on the headstone.

Marker honoring African-American slaves erected in 1942.
The stone is on the spot where several of these people are buried
in unmarked graves outside the stone wall of the old cemetery.

Stone marker next to the old iron gate to the cemetery lists the
names of eight soldiers of the American Revolutionary War
buried on the site. The last three names were added later.

The grave of John Sealy Harden Sr. (1763-1816).
Served in the American Revolutionary War under Colonel
Edward Lacey's Patriot militia during the Southern Campaign
of 1780-1781. Fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain on
October 7, 1780.

The graves of Confederate soldier are marked with the
iron Confederate Cross of Honor markers.

The grave of Captain James Kinchen Marshall,
former Confederate Veteran and Chester Police Officer.
Marshall was killed in the line of duty on Feb. 7, 1898.

The grave of Reverend John Hemphill Simpson,
Confederate Army Chaplain for the 6th SC Infantry Regiment.

The grave of Sergeant Robert G. White CSA.
He was killed at the 2nd Battle of Manassas on
August 30, 1862.

A special thanks to the members of the Old Purity Society for providing some of the information in this article, and for their outstanding efforts in maintaining this historic cemetery.