THIS EVERYDAY LIFE

CHAPEL OF EASE During the Colonial Period chapels of ease were built on the South Carolina barrier islands as places of worship. Planters built these religious places of worship because the plantations were so far away from the churches of Beaufort – hence the named designation – Chapels of Ease. The planters of St. Helena between 1742 and 1747 built the one depicted. It was destroyed by fire in 1886. All that is presently left of the Chapel are the tabby ruins of the walls and a deserted cemetery. At present it is maintained by Beaufort County as a visitors attraction. For those of you that are wondering about the mystique surrounding visiting a church ruin. One that has really no historical significance-its all about the tabby construction Tabby construction is found only in ruins on the barrier Islands of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia It is cement first made along the coast by Spaniards. The Spaniards burned shells to extract lime, then mixed it with sand and shells and shaped it in great wooden molds to for walls and pillars that were just as durable as today’s Portland cement. The planters took up the practice and not only constructed Chapels of Ease but also other structures, primarily slave quarters. Evidence of tabby construction can also be found on Sapelo Island, Georgia.