Cannonborough Elliotborough in Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Calvary Episcopal Church

106 Line Street

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 18, 2011

1. Calvary Episcopal Church Marker

Inscription. Calvary Church was founded in 1847 to establish a special church for slaves in the Charleston community. Father Paul Trapier held services in March 1848 for the congregation in the basement of St. Philip's parsonage and in mid-July services were moved to temperance Hall on Meeting Street. By early 1849 approximately 30-40 "persons of color" attended in the morning, 100 in the afternoon and 276 in the Sunday school. As laws prohibited teaching a slave to read, all instructions in the church and Sunday school were oral. The original church was a brick structure covered with stucco and painted white with a combination of straight and curved lines. The building was completed and consecrated on December 23, 1849 by the Right Reverend Christopher E. Gadsden. A two- story annex was built at the south of the church in 1924 and housed the kindergarten. Services ended at the old building on November 25, 1940, and the church was deconsecrated. The property was sold and monies from the sale were used to build the present building at Line and Percy Streets. Cavalry Episcopal was recognized as a mission in the Convention of the Diocese

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of SC on May 5, 1965. Father Stephen Macky, the vicar became the first rector. Calvary Episcopal Church celebrated its 155th anniversary on September 29, 2002.

Erected 2003 by Moja Arts Festival City of Charleston.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1848.

Location. 32° 47.633′ N, 79° 56.759′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is in Cannonborough Elliotborough. It is on Line Street near Percy Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 106 Line Street, Charleston SC 29403, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Historic Charleston

and in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one

Calvary Episcopal Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 18, 2011

2. Calvary Episcopal Church

of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jonathan Jasper Wright (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Calvary Episcopal Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Lincoln Theatre / Little Jerusalem (approx. ¼ mile away); Cannon Street Y (approx. ¼ mile away); United Order of Tents Building (approx. ¼ mile away); Weston-Grimke Homesite (approx. 0.4 miles away); Harmon Field / Cannon Street All-Stars (approx. 0.4 miles away); Septima P. Clark Expressway (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Regarding Calvary Episcopal Church. This church, located on Beaufain Street for 91 years, was organized in 1847 to give free blacks and slaves in antebellum Charleston a separate Episcopal congregation of their own. The Rev. Paul Trapier was its first minister, and the church met in the St. Philip's Episcopal Church parsonage, then in Temperance Hall, before acquiring a lot at the corner of Beaufain and Wilson Streets.

Calvary Episcopal Church Marker, at left side of door image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 18, 2011

3. Calvary Episcopal Church Marker, at left side of door

A stuccoed brick church on Beaufain Street was completed and consecrated in 1849. In 1940 Charleston Housing Authority bought the historic church and lot to build the Robert Mills Manor housing project. The congregation bought this lot on Line Street from the city and dedicated this sanctuary in 1942. Three African-American cemeteries have been on this site: one “Colored,” one Baptist, and Calvary Episcopal.(The Congregation)

Calvary Episcopal Church and Marker along Line Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 18, 2011

4. Calvary Episcopal Church and Marker along Line Street

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,070 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 26, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.