Topless photos, stolen bricks mean new fence at church ruins

YEMASSEE, S.C. – After vandals stole bricks from the ruins of an 18th century South Carolina church and a woman posed for topless pictures in its archway, the caretakers have put a fence around the site.

Old Sheldon Church caretaker Bill Sammons says the 5-foot (152-centimetre) tall fence was installed over the weekend.

The brick church was built around 1750 and only its outer structure remains near Yemassee.

Sammons told The Island Packet of Hilton Head that the site’s owners, the Parish Church of St. Helena, had planned a fence for a while, but the recent vandalism prompted quick action.

Sammons says the church did get an angry call from someone who planned a wedding without consulting them. Only members can marry there.

Sammons says the church is considering a fee for photographers.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com