Waxhaw Presbyterian Church & Historic Old Waxhaw Cemetery

Waxhaw Presbyterian Church in Lancaster County, South Carolina.

Recently, my travels took me across the Catawba River into neighboring Lancaster County, South Carolina to the site of Waxhaw Presbyterian Church and the historic Old Waxhaw Cemetery. This place holds some significant value to both local South Carolina history and the history of the founding of the United States of America.

As some of y'all interested in the history posts on this site are aware, the site of the current Waxhaw Presbyterian Church was highly significant in the American Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign during the summer of 1780.

The original Waxhaw Meeting House served as a hospital in the aftermath of the Battle of Waxhaws (also known as Buford's Massacre) on Monday, May 29, 1780 when the British Legion forces commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton (1754-1833) defeated Virginia Continentals under the command of Colonel Abraham Buford (1747-1833) in a one-sided battle later described as a "massacre" by the locals.

Wounded soldiers from the battle were brought to the church to be tended to by local women and members of the congregation -- two of them Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson and her then 13-year-old son, Andrew Jackson -- the future 7th President of the United States -- who would go on to serve as a courier under American General Thomas "Gamecock" Sumter. Several of the Virginia Continentals died from their extensive wounds and are buried in the Old Waxhaw Church Cemetery in unmarked graves.

Also buried at Old Waxhaw Cemetery are the graves of Jackson's father, Andrew Jackson Sr. (1737-1767) and Jackson's two older brothers: Privates Hugh (1763-1779) and Robert Jackson Sr. (1764-1781) both of whom died in the service of South Carolina and American independence. The brothers are laid to rest in a section with other Patriots near a beautiful monument that honors the memory and story of their mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Hutchinson Jackson (1737-1781).

The original Waxhaw Meeting House was later burned by British Loyalists in 1781 after being used as a staging point for Patriot militia under Major William Richard Davie (1756-1820) and General Thomas "Gamecock" Sumter (1734-1832) prior to the Battles of Rocky Mount and Hanging Rock in early August of 1780.

In addition to his service in the Revolutionary War, William Davie would also later serve as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention as a representative of North Carolina and become the 10th Governor of North Carolina. He was also one of the key founders of the University of North Carolina. Davie is also buried at the church grounds in a large enclosure along with his family.

The current Waxhaw Presbyterian Church was built in 1896 made of wood and later the exterior walls would be replaced with bricks in the 1940s and stands as the structure seen today.

 

The church yard at the Old Waxhaw Cemetery contains a number of old and beautifully carved 18th and 19th century headstones surrounded on three sides by an old stone wall. The headstones are kept remarkably clean and the cemetery itself is maintained very well. The historic cemetery was officially registered on the National Register of Historic Places on Thursday, September 11, 1975.

Here are the photos I took from my visit to Historic Waxhaw Presbyterian Church & Old Waxhaw Cemetery.

Waxhaw Presbyterian Church, built on the site of the original
Waxhaw Meeting House burned by British Loyalists in 1781.

The grave enclosure of the Davie Family.
William Richardson Davie, local hero of the American Revolutionary War and Founding Father,
as well as the 10th Governor of the State of North Carolina.

Section of the cemetery honoring local veterans of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1780).

Memorial honoring the memory of Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, mother of Andrew Jackson,
7th U.S. President. She is flanked by the graves of her two sons who died in the service of
American independence. Mrs. Jackson herself is buried near Charleston, S.C.
The memorial was placed there by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1949.

Waxhaw Presbyterian Church Cemetery & Old Waxhaw Cemetery are located at 2814 Old Hickory Road in Lancaster County, South Carolina.