In 1866, Florence was a small railroad junction in Darlington County with a population of about 300 persons. Though struggling to recover from the devastation of the Civil War, Florence was almost a boom town in comparison to surrounding areas, due to the establishment of the village as a railroad repair center. The first congregation of 23 communicants was composed chiefly of families who had been refugees from the coastal area during the Civil War. Mrs. Frances Church was the leader of the group that first met in her classrooms at Freeman Hotel for services conducted by visiting clergy. They later moved to Gamble’s Hotel. The church received guidance and support during its early development from Christ Church, Mars Bluff, which had been established in 1856. 

On July 18, 1867, the Reverend Mr. Walter C. Guerry (pictured), newly ordained deacon, arrived in Florence and, on August 5, Bishop Thomas Frederick Davis established a mission under Mr. Guerry. ¹  In his book, Refugees and Remnants, historian Nick Zeigler offers this description by Bishop Davis: 

On Monday 5th, confirmed in private one sick white person. At this visitation I established a mission at Florence, and another at Marion, under the Reverend Walter Guerry, who preached at Florence twice on Sunday 28th, and twice at Marion on Sunday 4th of August. I parted with this beloved young brother at Florence, on Wednesday 7th, saying, ‘Bishop, I must bid you goodbye; I feel very sick.’” ² 

Mr. Guerry had typhoid fever; he died on August 15, 1867. Soon after, the congregation named the mission St. John’s as a memorial to his ministry: Mr. Guerry was ordained on June 24, 1867 – St. John the Baptist Day. The Reverend Legrand F. Guerry, brother of Walter Guerry, assumed the mission on November 24, 1867. Of his early days, Zeigler writes: 

The first records of the church were begun by Legrand Guerry … He recorded fourteen families in the period 1867-1868 and 27 communicants. No blacks are listed as communicants, although the tradition is that there were several. The meagerness of the finances of the church operation in 1868 can bee seen in the total amount received as contributions - $19.75. Even in such hard times, the training of ministers seems to have been uppermost in the minds of the congregation. The first item listed in the accounting for 1867-1868 is a contribution of $7.50 sent to Bishop Davis “for seminary” and in the parish record for 1871, a contribution of $3.25 from Saint John’s Church was sent to the University of South at Sewanee. ³ 

The first church building was constructed chiefly by the efforts and hand labor of the parishioners. It was located on the southwest corner of Darlington and Coit streets, and was consecrated and occupied in 1871. Of the building process, Mr. Zeigler writes that much of the labor was supplied by the men of the congregation, that they sometimes worked at night by lamp light, and that Joseph Gamble was construction supervisor. The building was enclosed fairly quickly, but funds ran out before pews or windows could be installed. Mr. Zeigler quotes Rev. Guerry: 

This encouraged us [the shell of the building having been completed], and we thanked God and went on; so that sometime during the autumn we commenced again, a few of the ladies of the congregation (who have always, even up to this time, and now as much as ever, and perhaps more so, have stood nobly by me, and taken the front of the struggle) began soliciting subscription from the inhabitants of the village, and members of the congregation. By their efforts a small amount was raised. I forget the figures, but it was enough to help us some, and this time we succeeded in having the pews made, some temporary arrangements for a chancel, and half a sash here and there so as to give us light, while the rest of the windows were boarded up. ⁴ 

There is also record of the ladies of the church hosting a concert to raise funds, and of monetary and in-kind donations from churches throughout the state and beyond. The building was ultimately completed at a cost of $2,206. ⁵ 

From 1873 to 1887, the small church struggled to survive. It was a mission during most of this period. The church building was extensively damaged in the earthquake of 1886 and was abandoned. Services were held in a hall over Allen’s Store at the corner of Evans and Dargan streets until the present church was constructed on Dargan Street. In November 1887, the church was changed from a mission to a self-supporting parish. The present church building was completed in 1890 and consecrated the following year. According to tradition, Mrs. Church, on a visit to England, received a contribution to the building fund of five pounds sterling from Queen Victoria. 

The Reverend William Alexander Guerry, nephew of Walter C. Guerry and later Bishop of South Carolina, was rector from 1888 to 1893 and was largely responsible for new growth and development of the parish, which paralleled the growth of the new county. 

… to be continued …