A piece of Port Royal's history is about to change hands. Here's what is planned

A Reconstruction-era church building is set to be sold in July, raising concerns about a piece of Port Royal's history leaving public hands.

Town officials have agreed to sell its Union Church on 11th Street to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, whose congregation has worshiped in the building for nearly a decade.

"We believe this is a wonderful situation for both Port Royal and St. Mark’s,” St. Mark's Rev. Roy Tripp said. “Union Church has been a gathering place for a variety of events in the community, and we intend to continue that tradition. With St. Mark’s purchase of the building, the community is assured that the building will continue to be used as a house of worship as well as a venue for the arts.”

Union Church, originally named the Free Church of Port Royal, was built by local residents in 1878 on a lot donated by early Port Royal developer Daniel Appleton, according to a history provided when the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The building has served as a community gathering spot for theater productions, lectures and similar events. More recently, Historic Port Royal Foundation established a museum in the back room telling Port Royal's history as an early destination for European explorers and later as a working port.

But some community members are concerned about ongoing public access and possible future changes to the historic site.

Trustees gave the building to the town in the early 1990s when the building was in a state of disrepair. Since then, brick footers, the steeple and its bell have been restored. The wooden floors have been refinished and the sanctuary has been plastered, among other projects.

Volunteers wouldn't have spent time and money raising funds and restoring the 140-year-old building had they known the town would sell it, Historic Port Royal Foundation officer Eileen Newton told Town Council in April after the sale had been approved.

Newton and foundation president Mike Jones were involved in efforts to restore the church during the 1990s and recently re-engaged the organization after learning of the impending deal to sell the church. They plan a last-minute pitch to town officials in June, which could include asking for the building to instead be turned over to the foundation.

The sale is scheduled to close July 1.

"They were to be our watchdogs," Newton said of the town taking ownership of the building 25 years ago. "Historic Port Royal had a handful of members. We didn't have the resources we did today."

Town M anager Van Willis noted that under the contract, Port Royal will have the first right of refusal to buy back the property if St. Mark's decides to sell the building.

Town officials decided last year they didn't need to own two churches after also taking on Porter's Chapel from an AME congregation that no longer used or could maintain the dilapidated sanctuary at 16th Street and Old Shell Road. Port Royal plans to turn Porter's Chapel into a visitors center and relocate it to Naval Heritage Park on Ribaut Road. That would coincide with the establishment of Reconstruction Era national monument sites on the grounds of nearby Naval Hospital Beaufort.

Port Royal approached St. Mark's about its willingness to buy Union Church for its appraised value. The town could use proceeds from the $160,000 deal for Union Church to rehab and move Porter's Chapel and use it to tell the stories of Port Royal's history and the nearby monument sites.

A service is held in the building each Christmas Eve, satisfying a deed requirement for an annual religious service. In recent years, St. Mark's has met at the church for two services each Sunday morning.

The church has doubled its attendance in 2018 over the same period last year, according to a church news release. About 120 families are church members, Tripp said.

St. Mark's plans to eventually expand the sanctuary by moving an interior wall, and in the next few years could build an addition behind the church that would serve as gathering area and bathroom, Tripp said. The church also has a nearby office on Paris Avenue with a vacant adjacent lot for social functions.

In addition to use by St. Mark's, the museum in the church overseen by Historic Port Royal is open to the public three days each week.

Tripp said he'd welcome the chance to talk with the foundation about future use of the church. He noted the building's history of hosting community events and said the building would be ideal as a venue for musical performances or similar gatherings.

This story was originally published May 25, 2018 at 1:19 PM with the headline "A piece of Port Royal's history is about to change hands. Here's what is planned."