March 01, 2013 1:00 am • A workshop on preserving personal and community histories was recently held at Williams Chapel AME Church in Orangeburg.
“Preserving Orangeburg African-American Buildings, Sites and Culture” focused on researching available resources to aid in preservation projects and was presented by the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, along with the S.C. Department of Archives and History on Feb. 18.
According to Minnie M. Johnson, one of the presenters, Orangeburg County has 22 American-American historic properties.
Johnson noted that churches have been the backbone of many communities since the end of the Civil War and that church windows are often dedicated to those members who have left a legacy.
Williams Chapel is home to a dozen such windows, she said.
Williams Chapel AME was founded eight years after the end of the Civil War, and the present building was erected in 1927, Johnson noted.