St. Paul United Methodist Church, Little Rock

The present 1871 structure is an example of the transitional Italianate Victorian vernacular style that developed between the Greek Revival and Queen Anne periods. The church is situated on a low brick-pier foundation and is constructed of heart-pine weatherboarding. A bell tower with steeple dominates the exterior of the church. The single entrance to the church projects from the lower section of the bell tower and is covered with a gabled roof that is supported by turned wooden columns and delicate wooden brackets. The porch roof is embellished with imbricated shingles in its gable. The upper section of the tower is accentuated with pointed arched louvered vents on each of its sides with an overhanging octagonal spire above. The tower projects from the center of the gable in an unusual fashion and is flanked by 12/12/12 shuttered windows. Simple wooden pilasters further flank the windows and give the illusion of supporting the box cornice which extends around the building. The sides of the church are divided into six equal bays with pilasters employed to divide each bay. Other delicate exterior ornamentation includes cyma recta cornice brackets, a weather vane finish on the spire, and lightning rods along the crest of the roof. The interior is indicative of the rectangular meeting house with the exception of a square projecting narthex under the tower and a projecting chancel apse at the rear. Interior woodwork is characterized by beaded paneling arranged in herringbone pattern. The ceiling, also of beaded paneling, is coved at the sides. Surrounding the church is the cemetery where many early church members are buried. Sources: NRHP, SCDAH, Stokes’ “The History of Dillon County, South Carolina” Internet copyhttps://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/umcschistoric/1062/thumbnail.jp