“S” is for St. Philip’s Church (Charleston)

“S” is for St. Philip’s Church (Charleston). Located at 146 Church Street, St. Philip’s was the first English church established in South Carolina. A 1697 deed refers to the church as St. Phillip’s. The original wooden structure was replaced by a brick building constructed between 1711 and 1733. It was in the form of a cross and was crowned by an octagonal tower containing bells, a clock, and a lantern topped by a weathervane. The colonial building burned in 1835, but members replaced it with a similar structure that included many of the design element of its predecessor—including its triple Tuscan portico. The church was heavily damaged by bombardment during the Civil War and by the 1886 earthquake, but fully restored in both instances. St. Phillip’s Church was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973.