Soapstone Church and Slave Cemetery
Donation protected
If your mother, on her deathbed, asked you to keep a promise - how far would you go to follow through? If your great-grandfather built the house you lived in, only to have a neighbor burn it down - what would you do to make sure that his new house stood forever?
You'd feel a personal connection. Just as you would if you know Mable Clarke. We are called to preserve a piece of history, and ask that you join us.
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THE MISSION:
Help us SUPPORT MABLE CLARKE's EFFORTS TO SAVE Soapstone Baptist Church and Slave Cemetery located near Pickens, in Pumpkintown.
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Mable Clarke and the other 9 church members of Soapstone Church (the first church, founded by freed slaves in the Upstate) have received interests by Florida developers to buy the church’s 6 acres. They don’t want to sell the property, but the current remaining mortgage sits at $50,000. The church has been able to keep the lights on and remain current through Mable’s monthly food fundraisers.
THE MORTGAGE IS WITHIN REACH. For decades Mable Clarke has worked tirelessly to keep history alive, for the sake of her heritage and one special promise.
Help us, help her, deliver on that promise.
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THE PROMISE
Mable started monthly food fundraisers/cookouts to raise money to keep a deathbed promise to her mother, made at the age of 104 -- to keep the doors of Soapstone Church open and continue her good work. But the mission grew into the discovery and restoration of the slave cemetery that sits on the church grounds.
Mable had heard about the cemetery where many of the freed slaves were buried her entire life through family stories, and for decades, no one knew where it was. Those stories came full-circle in the early 2000s when the slave cemetery was discovered by a land surveyor reviewing the property line.
Mable felt deeply for the cemetery. These were her ancestors, they were the founders of the town. Most importantly, they were people. They deserved to be recognized. She contacted Pickens County and Clemson University (among others), received a grant, and they cleared the land.
---------------------------------------------------
THE HISTORY
Perseverance and heritage are the backbones of the church. Mable's great grandfather was one of the freed slaves that stayed in the area and would hold service at the giant soapstone rock, which sits next to the church today.
In 1967, the Ku Klux Klan burned the original church down. A few years later, they rebuilt and that's the building you'd find today.
For the past 10 years, Mable has been hosting monthly fish-fry's as a way to pay the mortgage and keep the utilities running. At $14 a plate, she has also built an amazing community of supporters. Food is her tool, a way to reach people, and a way to bring people together. But it isn't enough.
They need you.
She needs you.
---------------------------------------------------
THE ASK
We have known and loved Mable for many years and have a conviction to help. Her story, her family’s story and the church’s history is incredible. The above information doesn't scratch the surface for how deep-rooted Soapstone Church is in our community. It's a piece of history. One we SHOULD NOT let developers purchase and destroy.
Please help us, help Mable and the members of Soapstone Church by making a contribution that will help pay-off the mortgage.
Thank You!
Mable Clarke, Andy Douglas and Friends
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LEARN MORE
The Fish-Fry
http://www.soapstonechurch.com/fishfry.htm
The Full History
http://www.soapstonechurch.com/history.htm
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IN THE NEWS
Hidden History: Fish Fry Ministry at Soapstone Baptist Church - WSPA TV
https://www.wspa.com/news/hidden-history-fish-fry-ministry-at-soapstone-baptist-church/
One Woman is Using Food to Preserve History - The Greenville News
https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/historical-upstate-churches/2017/02/03/mable-clarke-using-food-soapstone-baptist-church-tool-preserve-black-history/97033094/
Soapstone Baptist Church Feeds the Soul of the Community - Livin' Upstate
https://livingupstatesc.com/soapstone-baptist-church-fish-fry-feeds-the-soul-of-the-community/
You'd feel a personal connection. Just as you would if you know Mable Clarke. We are called to preserve a piece of history, and ask that you join us.
---------------------------------------------------
THE MISSION:
Help us SUPPORT MABLE CLARKE's EFFORTS TO SAVE Soapstone Baptist Church and Slave Cemetery located near Pickens, in Pumpkintown.
---------------------------------------------------
Mable Clarke and the other 9 church members of Soapstone Church (the first church, founded by freed slaves in the Upstate) have received interests by Florida developers to buy the church’s 6 acres. They don’t want to sell the property, but the current remaining mortgage sits at $50,000. The church has been able to keep the lights on and remain current through Mable’s monthly food fundraisers.
THE MORTGAGE IS WITHIN REACH. For decades Mable Clarke has worked tirelessly to keep history alive, for the sake of her heritage and one special promise.
Help us, help her, deliver on that promise.
---------------------------------------------------
THE PROMISE
Mable started monthly food fundraisers/cookouts to raise money to keep a deathbed promise to her mother, made at the age of 104 -- to keep the doors of Soapstone Church open and continue her good work. But the mission grew into the discovery and restoration of the slave cemetery that sits on the church grounds.
Mable had heard about the cemetery where many of the freed slaves were buried her entire life through family stories, and for decades, no one knew where it was. Those stories came full-circle in the early 2000s when the slave cemetery was discovered by a land surveyor reviewing the property line.
Mable felt deeply for the cemetery. These were her ancestors, they were the founders of the town. Most importantly, they were people. They deserved to be recognized. She contacted Pickens County and Clemson University (among others), received a grant, and they cleared the land.
---------------------------------------------------
THE HISTORY
Perseverance and heritage are the backbones of the church. Mable's great grandfather was one of the freed slaves that stayed in the area and would hold service at the giant soapstone rock, which sits next to the church today.
In 1967, the Ku Klux Klan burned the original church down. A few years later, they rebuilt and that's the building you'd find today.
For the past 10 years, Mable has been hosting monthly fish-fry's as a way to pay the mortgage and keep the utilities running. At $14 a plate, she has also built an amazing community of supporters. Food is her tool, a way to reach people, and a way to bring people together. But it isn't enough.
They need you.
She needs you.
---------------------------------------------------
THE ASK
We have known and loved Mable for many years and have a conviction to help. Her story, her family’s story and the church’s history is incredible. The above information doesn't scratch the surface for how deep-rooted Soapstone Church is in our community. It's a piece of history. One we SHOULD NOT let developers purchase and destroy.
Please help us, help Mable and the members of Soapstone Church by making a contribution that will help pay-off the mortgage.
Thank You!
Mable Clarke, Andy Douglas and Friends
---------------------------------------------------
LEARN MORE
The Fish-Fry
http://www.soapstonechurch.com/fishfry.htm
The Full History
http://www.soapstonechurch.com/history.htm
---------------------------------------------------
IN THE NEWS
Hidden History: Fish Fry Ministry at Soapstone Baptist Church - WSPA TV
https://www.wspa.com/news/hidden-history-fish-fry-ministry-at-soapstone-baptist-church/
One Woman is Using Food to Preserve History - The Greenville News
https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/historical-upstate-churches/2017/02/03/mable-clarke-using-food-soapstone-baptist-church-tool-preserve-black-history/97033094/
Soapstone Baptist Church Feeds the Soul of the Community - Livin' Upstate
https://livingupstatesc.com/soapstone-baptist-church-fish-fry-feeds-the-soul-of-the-community/
Organizer and beneficiary
Andy Douglas
Organizer
Pickens, SC
Mable Clarke
Beneficiary
