James Jackson (& Son)
1820

John Chestnut gave the organ to Bethesda Presbyterian in Camden, SC, soon after that church was built in 1820. The wood is solid mahogany and the organ was pumped by hand; when electricity was available at the church, an electric blower was installed. When Gov. John G. Richards heard the organ was being replaced at Bethesda in 1907, he arranged to have Liberty Hill Presbyterian purchase the organ. His wife, who had played the organ at Bethesda, followed the organ to Liberty Hill and played it for another 45 years until she died in 1957. It was restored by J. Allen Farmer of Winston-Salem NC and rededicated on March 17, 1996. It is thought to be the oldest pipe organ in South Carolina.

Status Note: There 1995.

From Bethesda Presbyterian, Camden, SC c. 1900. Restored 1995 by John Farmer