St Philip’s Church, Charleston, South Carolina

Oldest religious congregation in South Carolina. It was formed around 1670, when a colony of settlers disembarked in Apr. at “Albemarle Point.” By 1679 the settlers had moved to the peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers to form Charles Town, named after Charles II, King of England at the time. The first permanent church edifice, built of cypress wood, was completed about 1681-1682. It was usually called “the English Church,” but its official name was St. Philip's. By 1710 an act provided for the building of a new brick church on Church Street, three blocks away. The work began that year and was completed in 1727, when the first building was taken down. This second building burned on Feb. 15, 1835. The cornerstone of a new and third St. Philip's Church was laid on Nov. 12, 1835. The new church was built on the foundation of the old one. John Wesley preached in the church and George Washington worshiped there. It is still in use.