French Quarter in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
St. Philip's Church
St. Philip's are buried
Charles Pinckney
(1757-1824)
Signer of the United
States Constitution
and author of the famous
"Pinckney Draught"
Governor of South Carolina
U.S. Senator & Congressman
Minister to Spain
Edward Rutledge
(1749-1800)
Signer of the Declaration
of Independence
Delegate to First & Second
Continental Congresses
S.C. Legislator & Senator
Governor of South Carolina.
Erected 1969 by South Carolina Society Daughters of American Colonists. (Marker Number 10-6.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches & Religion • Government & Politics • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of the American Colonists, the National Historic Landmarks, and the Signers of the Declaration of Independence series lists.
Location. 32° 46.728′ N, 79° 55.767′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in the French Quarter. Marker is on Church Street, 0.1 miles north of Queen Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 146 Church Street, Charleston SC 29401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Edward Rutledge (within shouting distance of this marker); Calhoun (within shouting distance of this marker); Colonel William Rhett (within shouting distance of this marker); John Caldwell Calhoun (within shouting distance of this marker); Charles Pinckney (within shouting distance of this marker); Richard Hutson (within shouting distance of this marker); Johnson's Row (within shouting distance of this marker); Huguenot Church (within shouting distance of this marker); The Footlight Players Workshop (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Powder Magazine Flags (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.
Regarding St. Philip's Church. It was declared a National Historic Landmark November 7, 1973 - # 73001695
Also see . . .
1. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The present church building is the third structure to house the oldest congregation in South Carolina (established 1681). (Submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.)
2. St, Philip's Church website. (Submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.)
3. Wikipedia entry for St. Philip's Church. St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina. (Submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.)
4. Southern Graves. Site contains a number of photos of graves in the church cemetery. (Submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina.)
5. Charles Pickney. Charles Pinckney (October 26, 1757 – October 29, 1824) was an American politician who was a signer of the United States Constitution, the 37th Governor of South Carolina, a Senator and a member of the House of Representatives. (Submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
6. The Plan of Charles Pinckney (South Carolina), Presented to the Federal Convention. The Pinckney Draught. (Submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
7. Edward Rutledge. Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an American politician and youngest signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. (Submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
8. Edward Rutledge - Find-a-Grave Memorial. Signer of the Declaration of Independence from South Carolina, he was the youngest signer at age 26. (Submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. Charles Pinckney (1757-1824)
Charles Pinckney, (father of Henry Laurens Pinckney), a Delegate, a Senator and a Representative from South Carolina; born in Charles Town (now Charleston), S.C., October 26, 1757; pursued classical studies; admitted to the bar and commenced practice in 1779; member of the State house of representatives 1779-1780, 1786-1789, 1792-1796, 1805, 1806, 1810-1814; fought in the Revolutionary War and was taken prisoner by the British in 1780; Member of the Continental Congress 1785-1787; member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787; member of the State constitutional conventions in 1788 and 1790 and served as president; Governor of South Carolina 1789-1792, and 1796-1798; was elected in 1798 as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Hunter and also for the full term expiring March 3, 1805, and served from December 6, 1798, until his resignation in 1801; Minister to Spain 1801-1804; again served in the State general assembly and as Governor of South Carolina 1806-1808; elected to the Sixteenth Congress (March 4, 1819-March 3, 1821); resumed the practice of law and also engaged in agricultural pursuits; died in Charleston, S.C., October 29, 1824; interment in St. Philip’s Churchyard. (Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.)
— Submitted September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
2. St. Philip's Episcopal Church 146 Church Street (c. 1712)
Established in 1681, this is the oldest congregation in the city. The church originally occupied the land where St. Michael's sits today. In 1723-1724 it was moved to its present-day location. Natural disaster and renovations have claimed the other two incarnations of the church, making this the fourth structure bearing the name St. Philip's Church. Famous figures such a Vice President John C. Calhoun, Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Charles Pinckney, one of the principal drafters of the Constitution, were regular parishioners and are laid to rest in the church graveyard. (Source: Charleston: Key to the City by David Mouser (Summer/Fall/Winter 2011), pg 25.)
— Submitted September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
3. St. Philip's Episcopal Church - National Register Nomination Form (1973)
Description
The church is stuccoed brick with a single tier of windows on either side, designed by Joseph Hyde. There are three tetrastyle pedimented Tuscan porticos, one to the Church Street Facade, and one to either side of it, facing in opposite directions. The interior has a high vestibule, is in the style of an auditorium with high Corinthian arcades, a plaster barrel vault, galleries, and an apsidal chancel. There are notable wrought-iron gates to the front of the building.
The chancel and apse were altered (after a fire in 1920) by Albert Simons, architect. The spire was added between 1848 and 1850 by Edward Brickell White and is set upon a square stuccoed brick base with oculi; the steeple is octagonal with pilasters and oculi; the octagonal spire is capped with s weather vane. The imposing tower, perhaps massive for the portico beneath, is appropriately in the Wren-Gibbs tradition.
Significance
The present church building is the third structure to house the oldest congregation in South Carolina (established 1681). The building, without the steeple, was designed by Joseph Hyde and constructed by 1836. The spire was designed by Edward Brickell White and constructed between 1848 and 1850.
The congregation first had planned to replace their burned church with an exact copy, but Hyde's plans resulted in a very different building. The congregation voted in June of 1836 "that the heavy pillars of the interior of the [former] church be dispensed with, and that in lieu thereof Corinthian columns (as far as practicable) after the style of St. Martin's in the Fields, London, to be adopted." Hyde's columns and their wide-ranging entablatures, however, are meticulously Roman as the period dictated.
In the architectural survey of Charleston, a jury composed of Dr. William Murtagh, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, Professor Bernard Lemann, Tulane University School of Architecture, Mr. Carl Feiss and Mr. Russell Wright, consultants to the city, noted this structure as exceptional. This notation indicates that the building is of the highest architectural design quality, well-proportioned, and architecturally sophisticated. Windows, classical orders or other period designs, chimneys, verandahs, massing, materials, textures, refined detail, and craftmanship are all elegant and innovative. The structure is to be preserved and protected in situ at all costs.
— Submitted October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,531 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 2. submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 3, 4. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 5. submitted on October 8, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6, 7. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 8. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 9. submitted on January 3, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 10, 11. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 12, 13. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 14, 15, 16. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 17. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 18. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 19, 20. submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 21, 22. submitted on February 15, 2010, by Michael Sean Nix of Spartanburg, South Carolina. 23. submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 24, 25. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 26, 27. submitted on September 29, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 28, 29, 30. submitted on September 30, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 39. submitted on October 10, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 40, 41. submitted on June 26, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 42. submitted on October 11, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 43. submitted on April 21, 2015, by Pat Filippone of Stockton, California. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.