Oldest European-American religious congregation in South Carolina

How to Get There

Head east on Broad St toward Church St. Turn left onto Church St.

The City

St. Philip's Church is an historic church in Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 (spire completed in 1850), this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition. Three Tuscan pedimented porticoes contribute to this design to make a building of the highest quality and sophistication." On November 7, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.

History

Established in 1681, St. Philip's is the oldest European-American religious congregation in South Carolina. The first St. Philip's Church, a wooden building, was built between 1680 and 1681 at the corner of Broad and Meeting streets on the present day site of St. Michael's Episcopal Church. It was damaged in a hurricane in 1710 and a new St. Phillip's Church was begun a few blocks away on Church Street. After being delayed it was finished in 1723. It burned to the ground in 1835. Work on the present church was begun that same year and completed the next. The steeple was added between 1848 and 1850.

The tower of St. Philip's served for many years as the rear tower of a set of range lighthouses serving to guide mariners into Charleston's harbor; the front tower of the range was located on Fort Sumter. The light was used from 1893 to 1915. The use was restored temporarily in 1921 when the normal light needed repairs.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "St. Philip's Church (Charleston, South Carolina)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0