Visitors Established Episcopal Churches

When the wealthy Charleston area plantation owners and their families began spending summers in the mountains of western North Carolina they soon began holding church services.  Many of these families were members of Charleston’s Episcopal community.

The Rev. James Stuart Hanckel was born into a wealthy Episcopalian family in Charleston, SC in 1817.  His father was an Episcopal priest at Charleston’s historic St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for 45 years. 

The younger Hanckel, known as Stuart, was ordained as a priest in 1839.  He was assistant rector in his father’s church for many years before serving as rector at another historic Charleston church.

In the mid-1850s Hanckel, his wife and their eight children began spending summers in the North Carolina.  In 1856 they bought land from Francis Johnstone and built Chestnut Hill. 

On June 5, 1856 the first Episcopal service was held in a stable at Francis Johnstone’s Montclove farm.  The building was used to store equipment during the week but cleared out and cleaned on Saturday evening for Sunday services.  Hanckel officiated at this first service.

Plans were soon made to build a permanent church.  The group raised funds among themselves, as well as their family and friends at Flat Rock’s St. John’s-in-the-Wilderness and in Charleston’s Episcopal community.  Johnstone sold them twelve acres for 10¢ for a church and cemetery to be named St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley. 

The church was officially consecrated on April 28, 1860.  Services were held during the summer months, May through October.  Hanckel was missioner for 12 years. 

The Hankels lived in Transylvania County throughout the Civil War.  In addition to serving St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley, J. Stuart Hanckel also preached at Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist services in Transylvania and Henderson counties during the war years.

The Civil War brought unrest to Transylvania County and was particularly hard on these Charleston plantation owners.  Some lost everything and never returned to the mountains, others settled in Brevard when they did come back following the war.  Membership at St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley shrank and evidently the few remaining members relocated to Brevard and re-established the church as St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

In 2008 St. Philip’s Episcopal Church loaned the library two early ledgers for the purpose of scanning and preserving them.  The first book contains records from St.-Paul’s-in-the-Valley.  These records are mainly from 1856-1863 and include a list of families, communicants, baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials.  Baptism records date through 1879. 

The second book is the original St. Philip’s Parish Register.  These records begin in 1879 and continue through the mid-1940s.  An extensive index is also included.

Information in these records varies according to type of record.  Included are the date of the event, name, age, residence, place of birth, parents’ name and residence, cause of death, place of burial, sponsors or witnesses and attending clergy.  All of this information is invaluable to family researchers.

Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library.  Visit the NC Room during regular library hours (Monday-Friday) to learn more about our history and see additional photographs.  For more information, comments or suggestions contact Marcy at marcy.thompson@transylvaniacounty.org or 828-884-3151 X242.

Photographs:  Top--There are no known photographs of St-Paul’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church.  This photo, courtesy of Ed Comer, shows the sign at the cemetery.

Bottom--St. Philip’s Episcopal Church consecrated, October 22, 1891, burned December 25, 1925.