Late Beaufort pastor’s dream fulfilled in steeple restoration at Tabernacle Baptist
The iconic steeple at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort is being restored to its former glory, maintaining not just one of the city’s oldest church buildings but also a fixture of its skyline. The work was proceeding last week as members of the congregation were preparing to pay final respects to the pastor who secured the funding to ensure their church home would live on for future generations.
The 65-foot steeple on Craven Street stands above the tree canopy. It’s one of a handful prominent downtown church steeples that are beacons to commuters crossing the Woods Memorial Bridge from Lady’s Island. “It’s a beautiful scene when you’re riding,” says Howard Reeves, a deacon at the church.
The storied church, which dates to 1811, has played a central role in the community’s spiritual life, first as a lecture room and meeting house before 500 African American members acquired it in 1863 and turned it into a church that remains active.
Jeff Berry of J. Berry and Co. Construction and Restoration out of Beaufort, who is leading the restoration, is proud to be involved.
“It’s a beautiful structure in and of itself,” Berry said. “It has its own architectural style singular to its design. I think it’s just a beautiful building worth maintaining and saving. It’s a part of Beaufort and part of Beaufort’s fabric and history.”
Original shingles replaced
Now it needs some TLC but care is being taken to mimic the distinctive historic look of the white church with the red roof.
The original metal shingles on the steeple will be replaced with identical colonial red Victorian Berridge shingles.
A 4-foot cross at the steeple apex, which became dislodged and blew down during a storm at some point, will be restored and reattached as well.
The job also involves restoring and painting the church’s siding and trim and the front facade, Berry said.
Rob Montgomery, an architect who has consulted on the project, says nine steeple windows and shutters will be restored as well. He says the original building was constructed in 1811 but the steeple wasn’t added until 1873, probably by the Black congregation that formed at the church in the early 1860s.
“It’s a really an exquisite building in the historic district,” Montgomery said.
Renowned metal workers involved
The high-profile restoration is hard to miss. Last week, R.J. Arnold and Ervin Golden climbed into an 80-foot man lift that rose near the top of the steeple and went to work, piquing the curiosity of passersby on the ground.
Arnold and Golden are metal workers with years of experience working above the treetops for Savannah-based Metalcrafts —A Tecta America Co., a renowned commercial roofing company that has been responsible for many historic restorations in the region including steeple work at The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah.
The agile Golden is even nicknamed “Catman” because “he can just get anywhere and do anything,” says Jason Lawrence, senior estimator with Metalcrafts.
“With it being historic, we have to mimic what is there,” Lawrence said of the shingle replacement. “We take pride in this stuff.”
The sidewalk and street have been closed off during the work, which began last Thursday and is expected to be completed in a few months, said Reeves, the church deacon. He’s been impressed by the workers as they go about their craft in such lofty conditions.
“The crew that’s out there is doing a fantastic job,” Reeves said. “I think it’s going to be really beautiful when they finish with it.”
Hodges was force behind project
The steeple restoration is just the latest improvement at the historic church.
A sculpture of Harriet Tubman in recognition of the abolitionist’s role during an 1863 raid along the Combahee River that freed hundreds of slaves was unveiled last year, joining a bust of Robert Smalls, the Beaufort man who was born a slave and became a Civil War hero and congressman.
It also comes at a difficult time for the congregation, which lost its pastor, the Rev. Kenneth Hodges, on April 22. A celebration of life service for Hodges occurred Saturday. Hodges was the passion behind many of the church’s projects, including the Tubman sculpture and the steeple restoration.
“It’s hard to talk about that church without taking about Rev. Hodges,” Berry said.
After Hodges died, there was discussion of delaying the start of the work, said Montgomery, the architect. “The congregation said, ‘No, this is Rev. Hodges’ dream,’” he said.
In 2021, Tabernacle Baptist was among 15 churches that together secured more than $2 million through The National Fund for Sacred Places.
The Sacred Places program, managed by Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, supports congregations with older properties that have historical and architectural significance and meet larger social, economic and spiritual needs of communities.
At the time, Hodges told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet that Tabernacle Baptist’s Sacred Places award of $87,500 would go toward replacing the metal roof and steeple shingles
“That whole campus is going to be a tremendous draw for the state of South Carolina and Beaufort,” Hodges predicted, referring to the building improvements and the Tubman and Smalls sculptures.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 10:14 AM.
