PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Soapstone Baptist Church has completed its funding goal to preserve the oldest active African-American church in the mountains of South Carolina, the board said.

Organizers said the Soapstone Preservation Endowment completed its three-year campaign and raised over its $1 million goal by nearly $100,000 to preserve the historical building and grounds.

“With lots of help and God’s blessing, we did it,” said Carlton Owen, Chairman of the Soapstone Preservation Endowment, after a board meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The endowment, established in 2022, ensured the long-term protection of the Liberia Community and Soapstone Baptist Church, founded by freed slaves in 1865 near Pumpkintown in northern Pickens County.

Here’s a look at key milestones reached

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