The church and churchyard (cemetery) tours are sponsored by the St. John Episcopal Church
Docents. They start inside the Carriage Door entrance of the church. Docent leader E.R.
Haire, Jr. said, “Once again this year we are pleased to share with our neighbors and visitors
the history of this holy place that has seen its share of joys and sorrows. We share our history
even the painful parts, so that as we reflect upon our past we will be better able to be more
faithful as we move forward into the future. We are continuing to make and build our history,
and we seek to be a welcoming place for all who might wish to add to it.”
The tours are free but advance reservations must be made online through the church’s
website, www.stjohnflatrock.org/tours. Space is limited for each tour.
The guided tours will be held the third Saturdays from March through December and the first
and third Saturdays from June through September.
They begin promptly at 11 a.m. and last about an hour. Participants are encouraged to wear
comfortable shoes. There will be no rain dates.
The historically significant churchyard contains graves of un-named 19th century people who
were enslaved as well as distinguished political figures, and local citizens.
The church is located at 1895 Greenville Highway. For more information call the church
office at 828-693-9783 or visit www.stjohnflatrock.org.
St. John in the Wilderness History
In 1827, Charles Baring, a member of the Baring banking family of England, built a home in
Flat Rock. He and his wife, Susan, wanted a summer place to escape the oppressive heat,
humidity, and malaria of the South Carolina Lowcountry where they lived.
The Barings built a chapel on the property of their newly constructed home. Soon after it was
built the small wooden structure burned down in a woods fire. In 1833 work began on a
second church built of handmade brick.
In August of 1836 the Barings deeded their chapel to the Diocese of North Carolina and 20
members of the Flat Rock “summer colony” formed an Episcopal parish. In the 1890s when
the Missionary District of Asheville (later Diocese of Western North Carolina) was formed,
St. John in the Wilderness transferred its affiliation. It is the oldest parish in the diocese.
With almost all the church members traveling back to the Lowcountry after the summer
season, the church mainly operated during summer months for its first 120 years. So rapid
was the growth of the Flat Rock community during the 1830s and 1840s that the parish
membership outgrew the capacity of the small chapel. In the early 1850s the decision was
made to rebuild the church, essentially doubling its size. With only a few minor modifications
the structure was completed in 1852. It is the one that stands today.