Charleston provides southern life within the vibrant hub of twenty-first century amenities and opportunites.The city itself is a "living museum" with over 3,000 historic buildings in the Historic Districts alone. The best way to learn about Charleston's history is to take a walking tour, a carriage tour, or visit several historic homes open to the public. Many Charleston buildings are well over two hundred years old, such as the Old Exchange, a masterpiece of Palladian architecture in which George Washington attended a grand ball in 1791, and whose dungeon once housed two signers of the Declaration of Independence. History buffs will also want to visit America's First Museum, The Charleston Museum, founded in 1773. A stroll by horse-drawn carriage along the harborfront offers fresh sea breezes and grand views of historic Fort Sumter, colorful sailboats and container ships entering one of America's busiest seaports. Many Charleston buildings are well over two hundred years old, such as the Old Exchange, a masterpiece of Palladian architecture in which George Washington attended a grand ball in 1791, and whose dungeon once housed two signers of the Declaration of Independence. A number of old streets are still paved with cobblestones, which came to Charleston as ballast in colonial sailing ships. Entire blocks are devoted to aesthetic landscapes, such as White Point Gardens at the foot of the Battery, where cannons fired against pirates and during the Civil War.

 

Charleston South Carolina attractions and tours includes forts and national sites. Visit each website listed below to discover all that Charleston offers to explore the historic fort sites in the Charleston area. Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Mt. Pleasant (843) 883-3123 - Charles Pinckney was a principal author and a signer of the United States Constitution. This remnant of his coastal plantation is preserved to tell the story of a "forgotten founder," his life of public service, the lives of enslaved African Americans on South Carolina Lowcountry plantations and their influences on Charles Pinckney. Fort Sumter National Monument Charleston Harbor (843) 883-3123 - Where The American Civil War Began . . . Learn about 171 years of American seacoast defenses.  Tension between North and South erupted in civil war on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces tried for nearly four years to take it back. Fort Moultrie is part of the Fort Sumter National Monument. The site is located on Sullivan's Island. Fort Moultrie 1214 West Middle Street Sullivans Island (843) 883-3123 - The first fort on Sullivan's Island was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker and nine warships attacked it on June 28, 1776. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charleston was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel. William Moultrie. In 1780 the British finally captured Charleston, abandoning it only on the advent of peace. Fort Johnson Wildlife and Marine Resources Center 227 Fort Johnson Road James Island, SC (843) 762-5000 -  Built in the early 1700s, the fort was expanded and improved during the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and War of 1812. During this same time the fort was damaged by hurricanes and storms. By the time of the Civil War only a few structures remained and Confederate forces built earthworks on the site. Today a circa 1820s brick powder magazine and a section Confederate earthworks are some of the surviving elements of the fort. Battery Wagner Morris Island, Folly Beach SC - A barrier island, Morris island has suffered from hurricane and storm erosion. As a result, Battery Wagner, and the other Union and Confederate fortifications on the ocean side of the island no longer survive. The movie Glory, based on the July 18, 1863 assault on Battery Wagner lead by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, was filmed in Georgia.

CHARLESTON HISTORIC CHURCHES

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (1890-1907) Broad & Legare Streets Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul (1815) 126 Coming Street Circular Congregational Church (1891-1892) 150 Meeting Street - Circular Church remains a vibrant, diverse community. Visitors are welcome both to explore the grounds and to explore the faith in worship, ministry, and life in community. From its beginning 300 years ago to the present day, the story of Circular Church has been attached by muscle and sinew to the history of the city around it. The beauty and cultural vigor of antebellum Charleston were intensified in this church. Likewise the calamities and dogged endurance of this church put the trials of the city into high relief. Emanuel A.M.E. Church (1891) 110 Calhoun Street First Baptist Church (1822) 61 Church Street - First Baptist Church, Charleston, the earliest Baptist church in the South was organized on September 25, 1682 in Kittery, Maine, under the sponsorship of the First Baptist Church of Boston. Late in 1696, the pastor William Screven, and 28 members of the Kittery congregation immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina. Near this time, two groups of settlers came to Charleston, one from southern England and one from Scotland. The Baptists among these groups were soon drawn into William Screven's church. By 1708 he reported that the membership numbered 98. First (Scots) Presbyterian Church (1814) 53 Meeting Street - Our congregation was established in 1731 when twelve Scottish families separated themselves amicably from the Independent Meeting House (now the Circular Congregational Church). This separation allowed them to govern themselves according to the forms and discipline of the Church of Scotland as opposed to the congregational system. French Huguenot Church (1845) 136 Church Street - The French Protestant Church of Charleston was founded in approximately 1681 by Huguenot refugees from the Protestant persecutions in France. About 450 Huguenots had settled in South Carolina's Low Country by 1700. The first Huguenot Church was built on its present site in 1687, but in 1796 was destroyed in an attempt to stop the spread of fire, which had burned a large surrounding area. The replacement for the original building was completed in 1800 and dismantled in 1844 to make way for the present Gothic Revival ediface, designed by Edward Brickell White and dedicated in 1845 The church was damaged by shellfire during the long bombardment of downtown Charleston in the War Between the States and was nearly demolished in the severe earthquake of 1886. The present building dates to 1845. Grace Episcopal Church (1848) 98 Wentworth Street - When the English colony of Carolina was founded at Charles Town in 1670, the settlers were granted the right to worship in any church, unlike their contemporaries who settled in New England. The colonists who came here came to prosper on the bounty of the land. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Anglican Church in South Carolina had evolved into a strong Episcopal Diocese. By 1846, even though there were four Episcopal churches in the city, the growth of the population and a strong religous fervor led to the founding of Grace Church in the heart of the city. On February 16, 1846, Grace Church was admitted to the Diocese of South Carolina. Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (1840) 90 Hasell Street - The history of Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim is a heritage in which all American Jews can take pride. It is a story of faith, devotion, and perseverance in the American tradition of freedom of worship. Charleston was established in 1670, and the earliest known reference to a Jew in the English settlement is a description dated 1695. Soon thereafter other Jews followed, attracted by the civil and religious liberty of South Carolina and the ample economic opportunity of the colony. These pioneers were sufficiently numerous by 1749 to organize the present congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Holy Congregational House of God) and, fifteen years later, to establish the now historic Coming Street cemetery, the oldest surviving Jewish burial ground in the South. St. John's Lutheran Church (1817) 10 Archdale Street St. Mary's Catholic Church (1837-1899) 89 Hasell Street St. Matthew's Lutheran Church (1872) 405 King Street - We are located at 405 King Street between Calhoun and Vanderhorst streets, across from Marion Square. The Sanctuary building is open for public visitation Monday - Friday from 8:30am - 4:30pm and on most Saturdays from 8:30am - 1:30pm. St. Michael's Episcopal Church (1752-1761) 80 Meeting Street - St. Michael’s Church is the oldest church edifice in the City of Charleston, standing on the site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia. In the 1680’s a small wooden church, the first in the new town of Charles Town, was built on this spot for the families of the Church of England, and named St. Philip’s. By 1727, the town had grown too large for the small church and a more spacious one was built of brick on Church Street, later destroyed by fire in 1835. By 1751, St. Philip’s had again proved too small for the increasing population, and another church as authorized by the General Assembly of the Province, to be built on the old site and to be known as St. Michael’s. The cornerstone was laid in 1752 and in 1761 the church was opened for services. Except for the addition of the sacristy in 1883 on the southeast corner, the structure of the building has been little changed. Unitarian Church in Charleston (1780-1854) 8 Archdale Street - Charleston, with its abundance of churches, is rightfully called the "Holy City." Many of its places of worship are achitecturally noteworthy. The Unitarian Church is one of these places. It is the second oldest church in the city and is designated a National Historic Landmark. It is also considered one of our nation's finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic Revival style.

CHARLESTON HISTORIC HOMES