The Travelers Chapel is a 10-by-16-foot building housing hope.
It stands outside Myrtle Beach, on U.S. 501 in Conway, S.C., and serves as a sanctuary for souls seeking God.
“It is a place where people feel God’s presence,” said Bruce Young, the chapel’s caretaker. “Any time you can feel God, it is a good thing.”
Distance
From Charlotte, Conway is about 165 miles (3 1/2 hours), one-way.
History
Since July 4, 1972, thousands have found peace in this place without a preacher or a pulpit.
The late Rev. Emory Young, then-director of the Waccamaw Baptist Association, his son and others constructed the chapel.
“Back in those days, there were just woods between here and Myrtle Beach,” said Bonnie Hendrick, a founding member of The Iris Garden Club of Conway. “It was there that the little chapel was built. It was the little church in the valley.”
People from around the world vacationing on the Grand Strand have spent part of their journey at 1785 E. U.S. 501.
There are six pews in all, giving the chapel a seating capacity of 12.
There is not enough room in the registry for the in-depth prayers people compose in the notebook under the header “Prayers to God.” It is like a confessional without a priest.
“People need to pour out their problems,” said Bruce Young, a Conway businessman who visits the chapel several times a week.
Whenever he discovers prayer requests, he shares them with members of the church community.
