Saluda
North Carolina
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Episcopal Church Of The Transfiguration
History
The Church of the Transfiguration is a small Carpenter Gothic chapel located in the Polk County town of Saluda, on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This Episcopal Church was finished in 1889 and formally consecrated in 1891. It was built originally to service the many people of Episcopal faith, most of them from South Carolina, who visited the Saluda area in the summer. One of these visitors was the Rev. John DeWitt McCullough, long time rector of the Church of the Advent in nearby Spartanburg, SC. The Rev. Mr. McCullough designed and planned the building, raised money for its construction, and actually helped build a large portion of the church, with help from his sons, townspeople, and theological students from Sewanee Seminary. The small frame building features an exterior sheathed in board and batten siding, a handsome two-tiered belltower, stained glass in pointed art and lancet windows, and a richly wooded interior displaying original furnishings carved by The Rev. McCullough. A small vestry added in 1968 blends well with the original architecture.
In the 1990's more and more visitors from all over the country made Saluda their year round home. The congregation doubled. To support this growth, Transfiguration, still a mission church, hired its first full time priest in 1996. Shortly thereafter, we became a self-supporting parish. Today the church campus includes a parish hall, built in 1968 is stylistically imitative of the original structure. The church office, located in 'The Little House', was added to the property in 2002.
In 2007 our membership includes ninety-five active baptized persons. In the summer months over one hundred active persons swell the congregation, as well as visitors to the area.
The Church of the Transfiguration is a small Carpenter Gothic chapel located in the Polk County town of Saluda, on the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This Episcopal Church was finished in 1889 and formally consecrated in 1891. It was built originally to service the many people of Episcopal faith, most of them from South Carolina, who visited the Saluda area in the summer. One of these visitors was the Rev. John DeWitt McCullough, long time rector of the Church of the Advent in nearby Spartanburg, SC. The Rev. Mr. McCullough designed and planned the building, raised money for its construction, and actually helped build a large portion of the church, with help from his sons, townspeople, and theological students from Sewanee Seminary. The small frame building features an exterior sheathed in board and batten siding, a handsome two-tiered belltower, stained glass in pointed art and lancet windows, and a richly wooded interior displaying original furnishings carved by The Rev. McCullough. A small vestry added in 1968 blends well with the original architecture.
In the 1990's more and more visitors from all over the country made Saluda their year round home. The congregation doubled. To support this growth, Transfiguration, still a mission church, hired its first full time priest in 1996. Shortly thereafter, we became a self-supporting parish. Today the church campus includes a parish hall, built in 1968 is stylistically imitative of the original structure. The church office, located in 'The Little House', was added to the property in 2002.
In 2007 our membership includes ninety-five active baptized persons. In the summer months over one hundred active persons swell the congregation, as well as visitors to the area.