Other Historical Churches
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
110 Calhoun Street
The church established in 1791. It's original congregation consisted of slaves and freed blacks. The church was built in 1891 and still has the original gas lanterns, altar, communion rail and pews from 1891. Emanuel Church is one of the few historical churches in Charleston to have kept it's original interior. It is the oldest black congregation south of Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1816 a group from Charleston Methodist Episcopal Church led by Morris Brown, left the church because of a disagreement over the burial ground and made a new congregation called Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Later Brown along with other ministers was arrested for allowing freed blacks and slaves to worship without white supervision.
Citadel Square Baptist Church
Citadel Square is the daughter church of First Baptist. Located across the street from the old Citadel academy, it began in 1854. In 1856 the 1,000 seat church was opened and at the time there were only 217 members and 119 of them were slaves.
St. John's Lutheran Church
Corner of Clifford and Archdale
Founded in 1742 St. Johns is one of the oldest congregations of Evangelical churches in the country. At the time of the Civil War, the church bell was melted down to make cannon balls for the Confederate army. In 1992 the church had the bells replaced.
St. Matthew's Lutheran Church
In 1840 St. Matthew's was organized as the first German Lutheran Church in Charleston. In 1875 the church was built and is the same building being used today. The church has the tallest church steeple in all of South Carolina at 297 feet above sea level.
Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul
126 Coming street
The Cathedral began as the ''Third Church'' of Charleston Episcopalians. It was completed in 1815 as St. Paul’s and was the first Episcopal church in the area to be consecrated by an American Bishop. In 1949, the Parish added the congregation of St. Luke’s on Charlotte Street, and was designated the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of South Carolina in November, 1963.
During the Civil War, The Cathedral was used to help protect church congregations that were in the way of the Union cannons that were shooting from James Island and other Union Forts at the city of Charleston. The Bells from the Cathedral were sent to Columbia during the Civil War and were soon melted into cannons and cannonballs.