About St. John in the Wilderness (Flat Rock, North Carolina)
Cemeteries, Religion, Historic, Churches, Burial Places, Interesting Places, Other Churches
St. John in-the-Wilderness (also known as St. John-in-the-Wilderness) in Flat Rock, North Carolina was the first Episcopal Church in Western North Carolina. It was consecrated by Bishop Levi Silliman Ives on August 28, 1836. Charles and Susan Baring, who considered Charleston, South Carolina too hot in the summer, were among the first settlers of Flat Rock in the 1820s. Other people moved from Charleston to Flat Rock, which Bishop Ives called a "new but interesting settlement" in 1837. The church started as a private chapel for the Barings, who later transferred the title to Bishop Ives and the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. 20 members "formed themselves into a congregation". A building from the 1850s is a contributing structure to Flat Rock Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
