Centuries of Tradition

Formal worship in the Bluffton area traces its roots to the establishment in 1767 of St. Luke’s Parish, where a church was built near Pritchardville in 1787. Services on “The Bluff” of the May River first took place in the early 1830s. The young town of Bluffton was a summer resort for area and inland planters and a stop on the ferry route between Savannah and Beaufort. By 1842, a chapel was built near the current location of The Church of the Cross.

In July of 1854, construction of the present building began. Architect E. B. White designed a structure described then as a “handsome cruciform Gothic building,” which indeed it remains today.

History Booklet 1854-2024
Historical Timeline

Holy Honey

Attending services at the church before the renovations took place in 1990, could be risky. A portion of the northern wall of the church, built in 1854-57, had honey bees in residence. They were finally evicted in 1991-92 when a new copper roof was being installed. The beekeeper removed 48 colonies of bees. The honey collected from the walls was originally sold to raise money for the church. A local beekeeper now provides the “Holy Honey” and we continue to sell the honey at the church to help fund women’s ministries and events. Learn more about Holy Honey by reading a recent article from Local Life Magazine. Honey can be purchased during docent tours on the Historic Campus (Monday-Thursday from 11am-2pm) or at the Parish Offices at 491 Buckwalter Parkway (Monday-Thursday 9am-4:30pm).