The Four Corners of Law is a term commonly used to refer to the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. It was coined in the 1930s by

Robert Ripley LeRoy Robert Ripley (February 22, 1890 – May 27, 1949) was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and amateur anthropologist, who is known for creating the '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' newspaper panel series, television show, and radio show ...

, creator of ''

Ripley's Believe it or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

'' and refers to the buildings occupying the four corners of the intersection: #

St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina) St. Michael's Anglican Church (formerly St. Michael's Episcopal Church) is a historic church and the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston, South Carolina. It is located at Broad and Meeting streets on one of the Four Corners of L ...

, constructed between 1752 and 1761, stands on the southeast corner of the intersection. # On the northeast corner of the Four Corners is Charleston City Hall, constructed in the Adamesque style between 1800 and 1804. # Across the street, on the northwest corner, stands the

Charleston County Courthouse Charleston County Courthouse (1790–92) is a Neoclassical building in Charleston, South Carolina, designed by Irish people, Irish architect James Hoban. It was a likely model for Hoban's most famous building, the U.S. White House, and both buildi ...

. Originally constructed in 1753 as

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

's provincial capital, the building was rebuilt in 1792 for use as a courthouse. # On the southwest corner is the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse, built in 1896. The term "Four Corners of Law" represents the presence of institutions representing federal, state, local and ecclesiastical law on each corner of the intersection.

References

{{reflist Geography of Charleston, South Carolina