Old Bethel United Methodist Church is the third oldest existing church building in Charleston, and it is the only Black Methodist Church that originated in the Antebellum period. Old Bethel began as a racially mixed congregation; as a result, it…

Charleston has one of the longest and richest histories of Black church communities in the United States. The church has served as a rallying point for the Black community―before and after emancipation―to organize for political, social, and…

Constructed in 1891, Central Baptist Church marks a notable achievement during the early Jim Crow era for being the first church in Charleston that was designed by a Black architect, funded by the Black community, and built by Black workers. Though…

The building at 5 Glebe Street was designed by Edward C. Jones and constructed between 1847 and 1848. Jones was influenced by the simplified classicism seen in English churches of the same period. There are only a few church buildings in Charleston…

The origins of this Thomas Street church, constructed in 1878, lie in the free Black community that composed its congregation. During the antebellum period, the free Black community of Radcliffeborough and Cannonborough lived under tight…

Here at 34 Wentworth Street stood St. Peter’s Catholic Church from 1867 to 1967. While a single church can be lost within the many steeples of Charleston’s “Holy City,” St. Peter’s Church illustrates an exciting chapter in Charleston history:…

Where the Courtyard by Marriot Hotel sits on the corner of Meeting and Calhoun streets, once stood Zion Presbyterian Church, one of the most important churches within the African American community in Charleston. Originally, the nearby Second…

Marion Square is located in the heart of downtown Charleston. Named after Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion, the square is physically bounded by Calhoun, Meeting, Tobacco, and King Streets. The space today is what remains from a 10-acre parcel once owned…

Thomas Miller was born on June 17, 1849 to free Black parents in Ferrebeeville, South Carolina. His family moved to Charleston in 1852 where he went to Black schools before moving to Hudson, New York. He attended Lincoln University (PA.) on…

At 105 Wentworth Street stands College of Charleston’s Kappa Sigma Fraternity house. Beyond the surface of a residential home for the College’s frat life, this property holds a special part of Charleston’s Black history. On May 3rd, 1898, Septima…