St. James Episcopal Church, Santee
Historic church in South Carolina. Added to the National Register in 1970, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
St. James Church, Santee, also known as St. James Episcopal Church, Santee, is a historic church located in a remote portion of Francis Marion National Forest in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. The church is named for its proximity to the Santee River, and is actually located 79.8 miles (128.4 km) from Santee, South Carolina. Built in 1768, it is a remarkably sophisticated expression of fashionable Georgian architecture in a remote area, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 for its architectural significance. It is located on the west side of the Old Georgetown Road, several miles north of South Carolina Highway 46 and McClellanville.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 17 mi. S of Georgetown on the Santee River, Georgetown vicinity, SC |
| County | Charleston County |
| Listed | Apr 15, 1970 |
| Listed for | Exploration and settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | St. James Church, Santee |
| Reference number | 70000581 |
| Type of place | church building |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 17 mi. S of Georgetown on the Santee River, Georgetown, SC |
| Coordinates | 33.1721° N, 79.4655° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Georgetown | 27 listed places in Georgetown → |
| Nearest national park unit | Charles Pinckney National Historic Site · 31 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Buck Hall Recreation Area 11 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Charleston County
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Public land around it
| Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests ↗National Forest, U.S. Forest Service | Inside the boundary1,381,168 acres |
| Wambaw Creek Wilderness ↗Wilderness, U.S. Forest Service | About 1 mile away1,832 acres |
Wilderness Atlas publishes a centroid and an acreage for each unit, not a boundary line. Distance here is measured to a circle of the same area drawn around that centroid, so treat it as roughly right rather than surveyed.
Local history books for Georgetown
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
The life & times of Georgetown Sea Captain Abram Jones Slocum, 1861-1914Robert McAlister, 2012Find at Bookshop.org
Guidebooks to historic places in South Carolina
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was St. James Episcopal Church, Santee listed on the National Register?
Apr 15, 1970. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit St. James Episcopal Church, Santee?
Yes. St. James Episcopal Church, Santee is recorded as open to the public.
Source: Wikidata
Where is St. James Episcopal Church, Santee?
17 mi. S of Georgetown on the Santee River, Georgetown vicinity, Charleston County, South Carolina. The nearest national park unit is Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, 31 miles away.
Where is the nomination form for St. James Episcopal Church, Santee?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near St. James Episcopal Church, Santee?
One federal campground is within reach, Buck Hall Recreation Area, 11 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at St. James Episcopal Church, Santee?
FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Is there a wildfire near St. James Episcopal Church, Santee right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-10-17, nearest C-74 Fm Rx, 22 miles away.
Source: Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 70000581. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.