St. Philip's Church is an historic church at 142 Church Street 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. and

History

Established in 1680, 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. A prominent early rector of St. Philip's was Rev. Thomas Frost, a fellow of

Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

, who became rector of St. Philip's in 1785. Leading the church in the post-Revolutionary War period, he had to create a new role after Anglicanism was disestablished in the United States. Rev. Frost died in 1804 at 46 years of age. Rev. Thomas Downes Frost, son of the first rector Frost, was chosen as assistant minister of St. Philip's on March 12, 1815. The second Rev. Frost died an early death at age 26 in 1819.

Henrietta Johnston Henrietta de Beaulieu Dering Johnston (c. 1674 – March 9, 1729) was a pastelist of uncertain origin active in the English colonies in North America from approximately 1708 until her death. She is both the earliest recorded female artist and ...

, the wife of another early rector, Gideon Johnston, became the first recorded female artist in the American colonies. Mary Roberts, the first female American miniaturist, was connected to the church and buried here in 1761, as recorded in the register.Saunders, Richard H. and Ellen G. Miles. ''American Colonial Portraits · 1700-1776''. Washington, D.C.; Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987. pp. 94-97, p. 163 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 Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...

. The light was used from 1893 to 1915. The use was restored temporarily in 1921 when the normal light needed repairs. The church was the site of a convention on November 17, 2012, which sought to legitimize the disassociation of the

Anglican Diocese of South Carolina The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina (ADOSC) is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The diocese covers an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the state of South Carolina. In 2019, it had 20,195 baptized members an ...

from The Episcopal Church, and to amend the diocesan constitution and canons to remove all references to the Episcopal Church."Special Convention Approves Canonical and Constitutional Amendments Regarding Disassociation"
(November 17, 2012). Diocese of South Carolina. As a result, the title to the building was disputed between the Anglican Diocese and the Episcopal Diocese. On 17 August 2022, the South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed the property rights of six parishes, including St. Philip's Church, of the

, who will be able to keep them because of this decision. File:Alexander Christie House, South of Broad, Charleston, SC (49550209857).jpg, The Alexander Christie House (ca. 1805) has served as the rectory of church since 1908 File:St-philips-episcopal-charleston-sc2.jpg, The building's steeple is adorned with clocks File:St. Philips Church Charleston SC.jpg, The interior of the church File:St. Philip's West Graveyard.jpg, alt=A photograph showing a view of the West Graveyard of St. Philip's Church, The West Graveyard of St. Philip's Church

Notable burials

Notable burials in the church graveyard include: * John C. Calhoun, seventh vice-President of the United States. * Captain John Christie, 60th OR Royal American Regiment, and Founder and First Worshipful Master of Lodge No. 1 at Detroit, Michigan. * Judith DuBose, colonial heiress * Christopher Gadsden, a signer of the

Continental Association The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association or simply the Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774. It called for a trade boycott against ...

. *

Judith Smith Ladson Judith Smith Ladson (May 1766 – September 4, 1820) was an American heiress and socialite who served as the Second Lady of South Carolina. A member of the colonial planter class, she was the daughter of the slave trader Benjamin Smith and the wi ...

, colonial society figure *

Charles Pinckney Charles Pinckney may refer to: * Charles Pinckney (South Carolina chief justice) (died 1758), father of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney * Colonel Charles Pinckney (1731–1782), South Carolina politician, loyal to British during Revolutionary War, fa ...

, US Senator, Governor of South Carolina, and a Signer of the United States Constitution. * Edward Rutledge, Continental Congressman and a Signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America, is the pronouncement and founding document adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at Pennsylvania State House ( ...

and

References

External links

*
St. Philip's Church websiteSt. Philip's Church history
including 9 photos, at South Carolina Department of Archives and History
National Historic Landmarks Program listing for St. Philip's ChurchHistoric Charleston's Religious and Community Buildings, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel ItinerarySaint Philip's Church - Charleston, South Carolina
includes photos and history {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Philip's Church, Charleston, South Carolina National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic American Buildings Survey in South Carolina English-American culture in South Carolina Churches in Charleston, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South Carolina 19th-century Episcopal church buildings Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina Anglican Church in North America church buildings in the United States Former Episcopal church buildings in South Carolina Anglican realignment congregations

History

Notable burials

See also

References

Further reading

External links