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The Edgefield County Historical Society will dedicate its new caretaker's cottage at Horn's Creek Church during its spring meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The ceremony, which is open to the public, will include a blessing of the cottage by several local clergymen led by the Rev. Tom DiMarco, of The Episcopal Church of the Ridge.
A barbecue supper will be served afterward to all attendees.
The Historical Society built the cottage to help stop the vandalism to the historic church and cemetery over the years. The organization also installed alarms and surveillance cameras.
The new resident caretaker of the property is Barney Dunbar Lamar. He moved into the cottage several weeks ago. He will assist the Historical Society in the restoration of the church, which is five miles south of Edgefield on Old Stage Road.
Lamar is a native of Beech Island and is descended from several of the oldest families of the Old Edgefield District.
A graduate of Emory University, Lamar lived in Germany for seven years, studying restoration techniques for fine arts and completing an apprenticeship program
After returning to America, Lamar spent 10 years doing restoration at the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Lamar then opened his own company, Fine Art Restoration, through which he has completed restoration projects all over the country.
During the Historical Society's 2014 spring meeting, a groundbreaking ceremony for the cottage was held along with a Palm Sunday service in the church. More than 150 people attended the meeting.
During the months since, when the cottage was constructed, much of Horn Creek Church's cemetery was restored. Historical Society Vice President Clarice Wise played a big role in the cemetery's refurbishment.
Horn's Creek Church is one of the oldest structures in Edgefield County. The church was founded in 1768, and the present church building was built in the years following. It is known to have been standing in 1784, but it might have been constructed before the American Revolution.
The Rev. Daniel Marshall, a Connecticut native, founded Horn's Creek Church. Marshall's first church in Edgefield County was Big Stevens Church, which he founded in 1762. After founding Horn's Creek, Marshall moved across the Savannah River to Georgia, where he started Kiokee Church in Columbia County.
During the Historical Society's spring meeting last year, "The Early History of Horn's Creek Baptist Church" was distributed. The book provides a detailed account of the early history of the Horn's Creek neighborhood and church through the Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National periods. Copies are available from the Historical Society.
The Historical Society is conducting a 2015 membership drive. For more information about the organization and Horn's Creek Church, call 803-637-2233 or send a letter to the Society at P.O. Box 174, Edgefield, S.C. 29824.