Our History

~ Celebrating 145 Years ~

A Brief History of Mattoon

In 1878 Mattoon Presbyterian Church began at the railroad station on West Washington Street in Greenville, SC. In the period after the Civil War, Mattoon served as a beacon for a transient community traveling in and out of Greenville. The ministers for the early church were sent by Biddle University in Charlotte (now named Johnson C. Smith University) to start the church in Greenville. Nine years later, a permanent physical structure for the church was built at 415 Hampton Avenue.

Where God’s grace is present, God’s mercy usually flows. Some have said that former slave artisans helped build the church in the post-Civil War era. There is a lot of evidence to support it. There is more evidence to support that God’s grace and mercy have been the most permanent structures at Mattoon.

Mattoon, like many churches in the early 1800s and 1900s, built a church school and educated many African-Americans. Many early gains by African-Americans in education in Greenville started at Mattoon. Many of Greenville’s outstanding citizens were impacted by the education at Mattoon’s school. The church school closed in 1929. The church would later house a daycare program in the 1960s through the early 80s under the leadership of Miss Annie Mae Austin. Her love and dedication resonates throughout Greenville.

God’s grace has seen that Mattoon is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places under the provision of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and is registered by the City of Greenville in recognition of its historic significance.  Mattoon is located in the Hampton-Pinckney Historic District.  The description of the church from the 1977 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Form is as follows: “Matoon Presbyterian Church (415 Hampton Avenue). Constructed 1887. 2-story handmade brick structure is the oldest black church building remaining in Greenville. The sanctuary is located on the second floor; ground floor houses children’s day care center (originally housed parochial school, grades 1-9).  Front entrance is double door with transom surmounted by hood with brackets and gingerbread frieze. Front façade features 3 windows: central window is tripartite with fan motif; 2 smaller windows on either side have hooded fanlight.  Walls are supported by buttresses.”

In 1999, Mattoon started “Community Day”, a feed-the-homeless ministry, led by Lay Minister/ Elder Florie McKinney. Serving a meal for the homeless on the first Sunday of each month, Mattoon has provided over 10,000 mostly homemade meals with the help of church members, friends, other churches, community leaders, and other homeless folks.

In 2000, Mattoon began a drama ministry to support Community Day.  Since that time, Mattoon has performed Christian-based dramas in Greenville, Greenwood, and Spartanburg, and on Channel 16 and was invited to perform the musical, “Jesus Loves Kool Ade,” at the 2013 Presbyterian Big Tent Celebration in Louisville, KY.

Trusting that God’s grace would continue to overflow, Mattoon started basketball teams in 2009, without a gym of its own, naming the teams MAGIC (Mission and Growth in Christ). Mattoon’s MAGIC teams ranged from K5 through high school and participate in the downtown church league. Each year the teams provide the opportunity for 30 to 40 youth from the church and the neighborhood to play organized team basketball, and at least one team has earned a championship trophy in four of the 6 years that Mattoon had teams.

Mattoon has also served the neighborhood with tutoring to middle school through high school students, helped distribute turkeys to those in need during Thanksgiving, housed Hampton Pinckney neighborhood meetings, and held Bible study for any and all who will come.

While this structure has served Mattoon well, but as with all buildings, it must have maintenance. Around 2013 Mattoon began restoration of various parts of the church. Each phase of the work was done to keep in line with the requirements for historical restoration. The new roof, the fellowship hall, and the kitchen have been completed; the downstairs windows were replaced; the Sanctuary was re-painted; and the upstairs stained glass windows were re-done. 

Mattoon has been served by various ministers. The organizing pastor was Stephen A. Mattoon. Thus, the church was named for him. Through all the pastors from Rev.  B. F. McDowell to Rev. Lerone J. Wilder, Mattoon has seen God’s grace bless this small church, allowing for its continued ministries to the surrounding community.

Some are approximate dates:

–	Rev. B.F. McDowell
–	Rev. T. J. Harris
1915	Rev. J. W. Pennington
1919	Rev. McAdams
1930	Rev. Porter
1940	Rev. Cannon
1947	Rev. Todd Jenkins
1951	Rev. Joseph Adair
1963	Mr. Lanford – Seminarian
1966	Rev. Glen
1967	Mr. Morris – Seminarian
1972	Rev. Morrison – Missionary
1974	Dr. Roy Green – Educator
1981	Mr. Leonard Johnson
1983	Rev. Joseph Stephen
1985	Rev. Earl Calloway
1989	Rev. W. T. Holmes
1998 – 2004	Mr. Don Johnson – Lay Pastor
2008 – 2010	Mr. Brady Radford
2011 – 2012	Ms. Laetitia Wells
2012 – 2014	Rev. Wylie Hughes
2016 – 2018	Rev. Beverly Kelly
2018 – present	Rev. Lerone J. Wilder