High Hills Baptist Church was organized by Rev. Joseph Reese and established on Jan. 4, 1772. First located on land given by Dr. Joseph Howard and later moved to its present site purchased from Gen. Thomas Sumter, it ordained young Richard Furman in 1774. Furman's patriotic oratory caused Lord Cornwallis to put a price on his head, and he became one of the outstanding ministers of the gospel of his day. The church was a leader in the early struggle for liberty, religious and political, and was the mother of many churches. Inspired by Dr. Furman, Rev. John M. Roberts, pastor here by 1799, opened Roberts Academy, the first Baptist educational institution in this state. Furman Institute followed in 1826, and later, the Southern Baptist Seminary.