HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Dozens of neighbors gathered Saturday as St. James Baptist Church broke ground on the new home that will take one of Hilton Head Island’s oldest congregations away from the edge of the island airport.
The church’s current site has structural damage and sits in the flight path, which also limited any chance to grow there. Town officials have said the church and the nearby Cherry Hill School fall inside the airport’s Runway Protection Zone, where federal aviation guidance discourages places of public assembly.
The congregation is moving to 4.67 acres off Union Cemetery Road in the Grassland Historic Neighborhood, beside the cemetery itself. The town describes a church near 11,975 square feet. Its sanctuary will hold 250 people and the fellowship hall 120, and the old Cherry Hill School building will be moved to the grounds while keeping its National Register listing.
The Rev. Dr. Arthur Evans Sr. and state Sen. Tom Davis spoke to the crowd about what the move means for the congregation. Stained glass windows given by church members over the years will be carried into the new building as a link to the old site.
St. James was founded in 1886 and is considered a cornerstone of the island’s Gullah heritage. The town is buying the old property as part of its runway safety work, while Beaufort County oversees construction and will turn the finished campus over to the church.
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