"S" is for South Carolina Society

"S" is for South Carolina Society. The South Carolina Society is a social and benevolent organization established in Charleston in 1737. Its membership has included gentlemen of the highest rank in the history of both the city and the state. The society was founded by Huguenots--mostly artisans and small merchants--who gathered weekly at a local tavern and collected funds for the relief of their distressed countrymen. Within a few years the French character of the organization was diluted by the admission of English, Scots-Irish, and Scots members. In 1804 the society built its own hall on Meeting Street, which was designed for use as a school and a social hall. The school closed in 1840. The South Carolina Society is now primarily a social organization and only descendants of early members are admitted to membership.