The Parish Church of St. Helena (1712) is the oldest major landmark in Beaufort. I have never attended any of the church services, however I still have some personal ties to the church, as most beaufortonians do. I was homeschooled until I attended The University of South Carolina Beaufort. For 2 years I attended a hybrid style school, where I had class 2 days a week. This school was located in the parish hall of the Parish Church of St. Helena. That was the first time I had ever been in a classroom with other kids, and I still have friends from those classes to this day. Another memory of the parish church was when I worked with my dad, plumbing. I worked during summers and school breaks with him from the ages of 13 or 14 until I graduated college at 21. One day we worked in the historic sanctuary building directly behind the pulpit.  
The first time I went to shoot photos inside The Parish Church of St. Helena for the Homeland – Beaufort County collection I spoke to the docent about what I wanted to accomplish for Beaufort County. The docent gave me a copy of Amazing Grace: The Parish Church of St. Helena, Beaufort, SC. This book tells the full history of the parish church, and in turn, Beaufort. Although I dislike reading, I read the over 300-page book from cover to cover to understand the history of the place that I grew up in. This was an invaluable resource for me in the creation of my Hometown – Beaufort County project.