Old St. Andrew's Parish Church

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Old St. Andrew’s Parish Church

The Old St. Andrew’s Parish Church is one of the ten Anglican congregations established by the Church Act of 1706 of South Carolina. The original church structure was built the same year. The church expanded to the present cruciform plan in 1723. At first, the church served the rich plantation owners and their families along the Ashley River. And then when rice became less profitable and many of the plantation owners left, the church focused more on remaining slaves and freedmen following the Civil War.

Unlike many of the city’s larger churches, the humble building survive wars and natural disasters. To date, Old St. Andrew’s is the oldest existing church structure in Charleston.

Interesting Facts About the Old St. Andrew’s Parish Church

Reverend John Grimke Drayton, owner of nearby Magnolia Plantation, was a minister of St. Andrew’s for 40 years, preaching to both whites and slaves.
When Reverend Drayton died in 1891, the church stopped holding services and only resumed after 57 years in 1948, when the population of the neighborhood began to grow needing for its own church.
The church served as one of the administrative centers of colonial government of South Carolina, serving as a place where proclamations and public notices were read and posted, important records are kept, relief for the poor was dispensed, and orphans were cared for.

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