Originally organized and funded in the 1740s and 50s by William Bull, whose Newberry Plantation bordered the church grounds, the church was set on fire during the Revolutionary War. It was then rebuilt from the remaining walls in 1826.

On January 14, 1865, Sherman's troops burned the church a second time, as part of the "March to the Sea" campaign. While the walls still refused to fall, it was never to be repaired again.

However, another possible fate has come to light. In a letter dated February 3, 1866, after the end of the Civil War, Milton Leverett wrote that "Sheldon Church not burn't. Just torn up in the inside, but can be repaired." The inside of the church was apparently gutted by whites and blacks who needed the materials to rebuild their homes burnt by Sherman's army.