Walthourville was the first retreat to be established. It is believed that around 1795 Andrew Walthour, who had rice plantations on the Liberty County coast, began to acquire property inland on higher ground where the mosquitoes were not as prevalent. The site was originally called Sand Hills. He and his
family established a farm and built a dwelling and began’ to spend the hot summer months there hoping to avoid the sicknesses associated with the swampy plantations. Other families followed suit so that within a few years a significant village was formed and it became known as Walthourville, named
after Andrew Walthour. The village flourished and many of the citizens began to organize themselves into a church and in 1820 erected a building for worship. In 1830 they erected a second building which was used by both Baptists and Presbyterians. When both denominations made other arrangements, this building became a schoolhouse. The Presbyterians erected another building in 1845 and it burned in 1877. It was replaced the following year but this new building was destroyed by a severe storm in 1881.
In 1884 the present building was erected and has been used for worship ever since. It is the only one of the original structures that still stands. It should also be pointed out that during the pastorate of Rev. Robert Quarterman Mallard (1856-1863) a structure was built nearby for use in the Christian
instruction of the slaves. Rev. Mallard was the son-in-law of Rev. C.C. Jones of Midway and shared with Rev. Jones the strong desire to evangelize the slaves owned by the various plantations. As with the earlier structures, no remnants of this one remain today. In 1854 the Walthourville Church withdrew from Midway and became a member of the Presbyterian Church. It is obvious in reading the
correspondence about that separation that it was a practical move that made sense but that the ties to Midway remained strong and heartfelt.