Ora A.R.P. Church - Laurens County, S.C.

City Directories and History: The historic Ora A.R.P. Church, was organized as early as 1790.

Ora Church – Blythe Collection ca. 1980

“The Ora Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church was organized around 1790 and listed as Madole’s Old Field Church in the records of Second Presbytery of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. Services were held in a small log house about five hundred feet from the present location. It is one of the two churches of this denomination in the county.

By 1809 the name of the church had been changed to conform to that of a nearby stream, Warrior Creek. In 1836 the name was changed to Bethel. Only by custom was it called Ora, the name of the community in which it is located until the name Ora was made official in 1966, at which time some renovation was made. With the closing of Old Field’s Presbyterian Church in 1953, the Ora church became strengthened in numbers.”

Information from: The Laurens County Sketchbook, Author – J.S. Bolick, 1973

Ora Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church is located approximately six miles north of Laurens near the intersection of U. S. Highway 221 with State Highway 308. This church was organized around 1790. The earliest church records are lost so no definite date can be established, but the church is thought to be a few years older than the above date. The first worship service was conducted five hundred feet from the present location. The first name of this church was Madole’s Old Field. The name was later changed to Warrior Creek in 1809 and then to Bethel in 1836 Many The origin of the name Ora is interesting. Prior to 1885 the community was known as Scuffletown. When the railroad was being extended from Laurens to Spartanburg, the little village of Scuffletown was in the path of the railroad. According to tradition, one of the railroad surveyors by the name of Tyler McDonald was asked by his company to consult the local residents for their approval of a shorter name than Scuffletown for the railway station and soon-to- be established post office. McDonald was in love with Miss Leora Hunter, a local maiden. He asked for her hand and for permission for a portion of her name for the railway station and community. The name Ora was in time accepted by all concerned. Ora A.R.P. Church is among the oldest churches in Laurens County. This church and the later-established Providence A.R.P. Church in the city of Clinton are believed to be the only A.R.P. churches in Laurens County.

(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)

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“Ora (1790), Laurens County. From Ora, S. C. Another example (see No. 14, Mt. Carmel) of the confusion as to whether the name of the church or the settlement came first. The name “Ora” is applied to the church in the Minutes of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, but mistakenly so.

Miss Bessie Byrd of Ora, whose family has been for many years resident there, gives the following information about the name of the church and the name of the town.
The correct name of the church today—in fact, since 1836—is “Bethel” Early in its history the church was known as “Madole’s Old Field,” from the name of the owner of the land where the church was located. By 1809 the name of the church had been changed to conform to that of a near-by stream, “Warrior Creek.” In 1836 the name was changed to “Bethel,” the official name of the congregation today.

Images courtesy of photographer Bill Segars – 2006

Ora ARP Church

It was not until 1885 that the settlement where the church is situated was named “Ora.” The community had been called previously “Scuffletown,” after the designation—which still exists—of the voting precinct of the area. When plans were made to run the present railway line through Ora, the surveyor, a Mr. Tyler McDonald, was asked to consult community residents to get their approval to a shorter and more euphonious name than “Scuffletown” for a railway station and post office that were to be established at the center of the settlement. Mr. McDonald had fallen in love with an attractive young lady of the community — whom he afterwards married — whose name was Leora Hunter. He decided to take his sweetheart’s first name, abbreviate it by omitting the first syllable, and suggest “Ora” as the name of the railroad station and the post office.”

Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC

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