Steeped in history, the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer is the oldest church in continuous use in Orangeburg. It started as a small, frame building constructed in approximately 1743, little more than half a century after the first Anglicans came to South Carolina.

Honoring that history, friends and members of the congregation, led by the Redeemer's Junior Warden Laurie Palmer, are restoring the church's original cemetery located on Boulevard, just across the street and tracks from Claflin University.

As Junior Warden, it is among Palmer's duties to see to the church's physical plant. She approaches the restoration project with zeal and enthusiasm.

"Father Jim Law who used to be our interim rector, thought this would be a good Lenten project," Palmer said. "The Men's Service Club came to me and offered their support for the project. I asked them if they would do the project and let me support them."

At the Men's Service Club's next meeting, a roster was circulated for volunteers to work on the restoration project. The same roster was circulated later at the church. As volunteers signed on to take part in the project, Palmer designated leaders to be in charge of work crews on assigned weekends.

The little cemetery along Boulevard was practically a piece of the Redeemer's forgotten history. It was severely overgrown, barely noticeable and nearly unrecognizable as a cemetery, the weeds had taken over the property so badly.

As the industrious group went about the business of restoring this piece of their church's history, their work became visible to others also interested in history. The restoration grew beyond a church project to become a community project.

"The response from the church and the city far exceeded my expectations," Palmer said. "John Harvey Edwards came out with his heavy machinery, which we needed badly; Mark Trimmier, Curt Campbell and some other members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans came out and supplied their expertise and knowledge of restoration and mended many of the stones. They have been invaluable."

In their work, the group has uncovered and discovered many treasures in the little cemetery. They have unearthed details from coffins; discovered that slaves as well as Confederate soldiers are buried there; and gained stories about some of those interred.

"There is one Confederate soldier from Georgia buried here," Palmer said. "He was getting on a train here and was shot by some of Sherman's soldiers. An interesting thing is, one of his descendants who was passing through Orangeburg saw us working out here and came by and looked at his grave."

Some of those working on the project have a personal history with the Redeemer.

"My grandparents went to the Redeemer all their lives," Charlie Fenton said. "My grandmother, Alma Wolfe Fenton, was on the Altar Guild for 50 years. I was baptized at the Redeemer when I was about three or four. I now go to Neeses Baptist Church for my wife, but, you see, a lot of my history is here."

In five weeks, the sedulous group has made much progress. But Palmer sees this project as a long-range one. She estimates that it will take five years to bring the property to an acceptable degree of restoration.

There are plans to put a fence around the property, install an ornamental gate at the entrance with the church logo, put in lighting and shrubbery and erect a gazebo for meditation.

On Palm Sunday, members of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer will gather at the cemetery at 9:30 a.m. and have prayers of rededication. They will then follow the cross in procession to the church for Palm Sunday services. Members of the SCV will be in attendance in uniform. A celebration brunch will be held in the Parish Hall following Palm Sunday services.

Along with the pride of regaining a portion of church history, the group working on the project are also enriched by the relationships that have been formed during the project.

"Jay Rice, one of the members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, came out and helped us," Palmer said. "All he asked was that he be allowed to come out and help again. He told me that by restoring the cemetery, the parish will have something to cherish for the rest of our lives. I was moved by that. I love that word, cherish. It means to treat something as dear and valuable, to care, nourish, sustain. The antonym of it is to neglect or relinquish. I hope that by restoring the cemetery, we have set an example of cherishing that future generations will follow."

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