New Light Beulah Baptist Church

(Front) New Light Beulah Baptist Church was organized in 1867 when 565 African American members withdrew from Beulah Baptist Church. Before the Civil War enslaved people composed the majority of the Beulah congregation. After emancipation they left to form an independent congregation, with Rev. William W. Williams the first pastor.

(Reverse) New Light Beulah shared the sanctuary with the white members, but in 1871 they were forcibly expelled and moved to a brush arbor until a new church was built. The congregation persisted and the year 1876 saw a record number of conversions. New Light Beulah has been mother church to many other congregations in its first 150 years.

Sponsored by New Light Beulah Baptist Church, 2017 (Front) The Columbia Veterans Hospital opened to patients in 1932 and was among a set of VA Hospitals built throughout the nation. The campus is similar in design to other VA Hospitals of the period. Originally built with large day-rooms and open wards, the design was modified to include smaller patient rooms and private spaces as health care philosophy evolved.

The siting of the hospital just outside the city helped to generate growth in the surrounding area. (Reverse) The VA attempted to reflect local history and local architecture in the design of its facilities. While the Colonial Revival style was similar to other VA hospitals, the Recreational Building (Bldg 5), with its raised basement, sweeping stairs, and monumental portico, may have taken inspiration from the Mills Building on the campus of the S.C. State Hospital.

The facilities here were segregated by race until 1954, when the VA officially ended the practice. Sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 2017