Pretty Place Chapel, YMCA Camp Greenville damaged by Hurricane Helene

Devastating. Gut-wrenching. Shocking.

These are the words Sam Franklin, CEO and president of YMCA of Greenville, used to describe the damage Pretty Place Chapel sustained due to Hurricane Helene.

The famous open-air chapel sits at 3,200 feet atop Standing Stone Mountain in northern Greenville County. A portion of the structure’s roof was ripped off by the storm’s strong winds coming up through the valley. Some of the roof’s debris was found 500 yards away. The chapel’s wooden benches also sustained significant water damage.

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“It’s unbelievable that whole roof has ripped off and the cross is still standing,” Franklin said.

Pretty Place Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville sustained serious damage due to Hurricane Helene. A portion of the structure’s roof was ripped off by the storm’s strong wind. Debris was found 500 yards away from the structure.

Pretty Place Chapel, officially named Fred W. Symmes Chapel, was built in 1941 as the centerpiece of the YMCA Camp Greenville. Today, the local landmark welcomes more than 325,000 people each year to witness the chapel’s breathtaking mountain views and sunrises.

The chapel is also a popular location for weddings and hosts around 550 ceremonies each year. Around 162 weddings – 94 of which were scheduled for October – had to be canceled due to the storm’s damage.

Franklin said repairing Pretty Place Chapel is the Y’s top priority. Renovations are hoped to be done in time for a wedding scheduled at the chapel on Jan. 1, 2025.

“If we can make sure that we can have Pretty Place open – not just for the weddings but for the public – I think that is such a beacon of hope for so many people in this community,” Franklin said.

Campwide damage

Pretty Place Chapel wasn’t the only structure on Camp Greenville’s 1,400-acre property to be damaged by Helene. Fallen trees blocked roads, brought down power lines and damaged cabins across the campground.

The 11 families that live at the campground year-round lost power for nearly 14 days, with the power coming back on Oct. 10. Two year-round staff members’ homes also received extensive damage with one of the structure being destroyed by several fallen trees.

Around six cabins were left in various states of destruction along with the campground’s opening campfire area, gymnasium, arts and crafts building and more. Franklin explained that some of the structures in more remote areas around the campground have yet to be checked and may also be damaged.

The cost of Camp Greenville’s repairs has also yet to be determined. Franklin said insurance agents visited the camp on Oct. 10 to assess the damage and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will visit early the week of Oct. 13.

Sam Franklin, CEO and president of the YMCA of Greenville, called Pretty Place Chapel’s damages from Hurricane Helen “devastating.” The storm’s strong winds ripped off a portion of the structure’s roof.

“Once we can kind of get all the insurance and that moving, then we can start bringing the contractors in, getting a real estimate of what the cost is going to be,” Franklin said.

Community support

The YMCA of Greenville is asking for the community’s support to help repair Camp Greenville following Helene. Due to the damage, all teen and family programs scheduled to take place in fall 2024 at Camp Greenville have been canceled.

Franklin is hopeful the repairs to Camp Greenville will be complete by May and ready to welcome the 2,500 campers for summer programming.

Monetary donations are being accepted online at campgreenville.org/help. Community members who wish to help with storm cleanup can sign up online to volunteer at Camp Greenville. Franklin said it will be a few weeks until the volunteers will be able to come to the camp safely.

“We’ve had just an outpouring of support of people wanting to help, people wanting to donate and so we appreciate and can’t thank people enough for that,” Franklin said.

Pretty Place and YMCA Camp Greenville Hurricane Helene damage in photos

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage across YMCA Camp Greenville. Around six of the camp’s cabins were damaged by fallen trees.

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage across YMCA Camp Greenville. The storm caused several trees to fall on top of the camp’s opening campfire area.

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage across YMCA Camp Greenville located in Cleveland, South Carolina.

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage across YMCA Camp Greenville. A house occupied by one of the camp’s year-long staff members was destroyed after several trees fell on the structure.

Hurricane Helene caused significant damage across YMCA Camp Greenville. One of the camp’s staff houses was damaged by a fallen tree.

Pretty Place Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville hosts around 550 weddings each year. Photo by Jenni Chandler Photography

Pretty Place Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville sustained serious damage due to Hurricane Helene. However, the chapel’s cross remained standing.

Navigating the damage

Sam Franklin’s first official day as the new CEO and president of the YMCA of Greenville was Sept. 28 – one day after Hurricane Helene hit the Upstate. The storm caused damage to several YMCA of Greenville sites; however, none were as significant as Camp Greenville.

To navigate the storm’s aftermath, Franklin said it helped that he was previously the chief operating officer of the YMCA of Greenville for seven years.

“Knowing the staff, knowing the volunteers and the community, that was a huge help,” Franklin said. “If I had been someone new, it would’ve been really difficult to navigate.”