MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — Visitors will soon have a chance to explore one of Berkeley County’s most historic sites as Strawberry Chapel prepares to host its annual spring tour next month.
Organizers announced that Strawberry Chapel will hold its annual guided tours on April 11, 2026, offering guests a closer look at the historic chapel and its surrounding grounds.
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Two guided tours are scheduled for the day, with hour-long tours beginning at 10 a.m. [Buy morning tickets here] and again at 2 p.m. [Buy afternoon tickets here] Tickets cost $10 plus processing fees for visitors over the age of 12 and can be purchased online through Eventbrite.
In addition to the scheduled tours, an open house will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing visitors to walk the grounds and explore the historic property at their own pace. Gates will close promptly at 3 p.m.
Strawberry Chapel stands as the only visible remnant of the once-thriving town of Childsbury, one of the earliest towns laid out in South Carolina in 1707.
According to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Englishman James Child established a ferry at the site because it was the most practical place to cross the Cooper River within a reasonable distance. The town of Childsbury was designed with space for a college, free school, schoolmaster’s house, place of worship and market square.
Child also provided land for residents to farm and pasture and designated a hill overlooking the river as a fortified site to protect the town during times of conflict.
As plantation agriculture expanded in the region, Childsbury declined and eventually became part of a plantation landscape. Today, Strawberry Chapel remains the most visible link to the town’s early history.
Architecturally, the chapel reflects the simple but dignified design of an Episcopalian “chapel of ease,” built to serve parishioners who lived too far from the main parish church. The one-story brick building features a hipped gable roof, a symmetrical façade with shuttered windows and a double three-paneled door topped with a fanlight.
Unlike many chapels of ease, Strawberry Chapel later operated as a full parish church. A small cemetery is located next to the building.
The historic site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1972.
