St. Philip's Church - A Steeple That Guided Ships

Photo: Warren LeMay from Covington, KY, United States, CC0 (cropped)

A stop on Charleston Historic District Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Notice how Church Street bends around this church, so its portico and steeple close the view as you walk up from the theatre. The congregation is the oldest in South Carolina, founded in 1680, the year Charles Towne moved to this peninsula. The present building, designed by Joseph Hyde, went up after fire destroyed the earlier church in 1835, and Edward Brickell White added the tall steeple between 1848 and 1850.

The churchyards, on this side of the street and across it, hold some of the most famous names in South Carolina history. Christopher Gadsden, a Revolutionary leader, is buried here, along with Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Charles Pinckney, a signer of the Constitution. So is John C. Calhoun, the senator and vice president whose forceful defense of slavery helped lead the South toward secession.

If the gates are open, wander the churchyard quietly. Calhoun's tomb is in the western churchyard, across Church Street.

Getting here: Continue north on Church Street for half a block; the church sits right in the bend of the street.

Did you know?: From 1893 to 1915, a light in the steeple served as one of a pair of range lights that guided ships into Charleston Harbor.

Photo op: Stand a little south on Church Street, near the Dock Street Theatre, to frame the steeple at the end of the street.

More on Wikipedia: St. Philip's Church · John C. Calhoun · Christopher Gadsden · Edward Brickell White

St. Philip's Church - A Steeple That Guided Ships

Stops on this tour