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There have been at least 6 church buildings in the St. James Santee Parish since 1687, with the Brick Church being the 4th which was built in 1768 on the King’s Highway. It was called Wambaw Church after the nearby creek and is now known locally as Old Brick Church. The body of the church was built of brick imported from England, but the columns of the portico were constructed of local wedge-shaped bricks. The church was strongly associated with the Huguenot immigrants who first settled the area and has been known variously as “The French Church” and as the “church of the Huguenots.”
Although Wambaw Church stands alone on the old King’s Highway among the pines and oaks of the forest, it was once the center of a busy and prosperous community. North and south along the Santee River were rice plantations whose Carolina rice became famous all over the world and the prosperity of the planters is reflected in the beauty and proportions of Wambaw Church. The body of the church was built of brick imported from England, but the columns of the portico were constructed of local wedge-shaped bricks. The pews were made of hand-pegged cypress, the flagstone floor has withstood the ravages of two wars and the vaulted ceiling still retains the original plaster work. By 1768 when St. James Santee's Wambaw Church was built, many descendants of the original French refugees had intermarried with English settlers. St. James Santee, though, has always been closely associated with the Huguenot immigrants who first settled the area and has been known variously as “The French Church” and as the “church of the Huguenots.” Between the 1920’s and the early 1970’s, various fund-raising efforts were aimed at stabilizing and preserving Brick Church. In 1972 it was designated a National Historic Landmark and restoration efforts took on a new momentum. In 1994, the Church Restoration Committee was formed and met for the first time that April. Since that time, the preservation and restoration of Brick Church has continued at a brisk pace.
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