City Directories and History: “The Hurricane Baptist Church is nestled amid the pines bordering Hurricane Road near Hurricane Creek in Hunter Township. It was established as a mission church in August, 1832, through the efforts of the elders from the Bush River Church in Newberry County; thus, it has served the community for one hundred forty years. Records show that the same leaders — Daniel Mangum, James Harlan and Elbert Lindsay — were active in both the Bush River and Hurricane churches. Mr. Lindsay served as the first pastor of the mission church.
Hurricane Creek Church – 1883, courtesy of the Library of Congress
Before the completion of their first building a severe storm swept across the area and leveled the unfinished house of worship. The twenty charter members started the building anew and named the completed structure the Hurricane Baptist Church.
Claude Henry Neuffer, editor of Names in South Carolina, suggested that the church may have been named for “Harykin Creek,” a stream filled with harrying snags which plagued the fishermen, rather than for the windstorm. Perhaps through accent and a variation in spelling, both the stream and the church came to be known as Hurricane. This, however, is a “new” theory to descendants of the early builders, and even records hold to the hurricane origin.”
For twenty years Pastor Lindsay preached on alternate Sundays at churches in the section and spent the week days working wherever help was needed. He is the only clergyman of the local church ever to be buried in its cemetery.”
Information from: The Laurens County Sketchbook, Author – J.S. Bolick, 1973
Hurricane Baptist Church, located on State Road 34 approximately five miles east of Clinton, was founded August 23, 1832. The church did not have a full-time pastor for 130 years, until 1962. Elders David Mangum, James Harland and Elbert Lindsey, from Bush River Baptist Church (Newberry County, S. C.), founded the subject church. Tradition has it that during construction of the first church, a great storm swept across the community and the building was leveled to the ground. This occurrence resulted in the new church being given the name “The Hurricane.” Elbert Lindsey was the first minister, serving as did most of the ministers of his time, more than one church. His letter of membership was never transferred and he is the only minister of this church to have been buried in its cemetery.
(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
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