DARLINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) –A historic Black church in Darlington County that was incorporated shortly after the Civil War sustained heavy damage in a Saturday afternoon blaze.

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church at 1372 Pocket Road traces its origins back to 1869, with its present structure built in 1910.

The Darlington County Fire District, Darlington County Sheriff’s Office and other units including the West Florence Fire Department all responded around 4 p.m. Authorities said Saturday the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is working to help determine a cause.

Multiple organizations and officials confirmed the scope of damage in social media posts.

New Providence Missionary Baptist Church at 2151 Cashua Ferry Road in Darlington will hold an 11 a.m. service on Sunday for Pleasant Grove Baptist Church’s congregation.

The Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina said the building was “engulfed in flames.”

Brian Gandy, director of the Darlington County Historical Commission and Museum, said the fire marked a “sad day” in the tight-knit community.

“This congregation is one of the oldest organized African-American churches in Darlington County and has a very rich history in the Back Swamp/Pocket Road community,” he said on Facebook. “This church is made up of extremely strong members with a rock-solid faith. This will be a blow but with the members that I know at Pleasant Grove, they will rise above this.”