Gazing upon this plaque, what echoes of history do you hear? This is the St. Andrew’s Parish Church Plaque. It marks a place with a story stretching back centuries.
St. Andrew’s Parish Church stands as the oldest surviving church building south of Virginia. It began in 1706. The Church Act of 1706 established the Church of England here. It became the official state-supported religion. St. Andrew’s Parish Church served residents along the Ashley River.
Initially, the church was a simple brick structure. It measured forty feet long and twenty-five feet wide. It had two doors and five small windows. Enslaved Africans likely built this early church. A graveyard of seven acres surrounded it.
In 1723, the church expanded into a cruciform shape. This tripled its floor space. Features from this expansion remain today. They include the chancel, the transept, and the barrel-vaulted ceiling. The expansion reflected essential design features of eighteenth-century churches in South Carolina.
The flourishing condition of St. Andrew’s Parish Church resulted from a booming economy. The cultivation of rice fueled this prosperity. Enslaved labor made it all possible. By 1728, there were an estimated 800 free whites and 1800 enslaved blacks in the parish.
A devastating fire struck the church in the early 1760s. Anything made of wood burned. The walls remained standing. The church was thoroughly restored and reopened in 1764. Parishioners funded the work. The rebuilt church included a magnificent reredos and a balcony.
The American Revolution affected St. Andrew’s Parish Church. British troops camped in the churchyard in 1780. They injured and pulled the church to pieces. The parsonage was burned.
Following the war, economic stagnation set in. Rice cultivation declined. St. Andrew’s continued to rely heavily on enslaved labor. By this time 90 percent of the population was enslaved.
Rev. James Stuart Hanckel began a ministry to the enslaved. He was the first to focus on African Americans. Three plantation chapels were constructed for religious instruction. By the end of his tenure, there were twice as many black communicants as white.
In 1855, the church underwent a restoration. The colonial high-backed pews were removed. More fashionable low-backed pews replaced them. Cast iron railings were installed around the pulpit, desk, and altar.
During the Civil War, Rev. John Grimkè Drayton remained in the parish. Union forces used St. Andrew’s Parish Church as a public meeting place. Drayton could not access his own church.
After the war, freed black people reunited with Rev. John Grimkè Drayton. This happened in St. Andrew’s Parish. Drayton began meeting with his black congregants at plantation chapels. White congregants were almost nonexistent.
The Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886 severely damaged the church. As Drayton’s health declined, his black congregation assumed leadership. Magwood’s Chapel became St. Andrew’s Church, later known as St. Andrew’s Mission Church.
After Drayton’s death in 1891, the church became dormant for fifty-seven years. It reopened in 1948. In 2004, the church closed for a year for a great restoration. Today St. Andrew’s Parish Church continues its legacy. It is a testament to resilience, faith, and community.
The St. Andrew’s Parish Church Plaque marks not just a building. It commemorates a journey of faith through war, prosperity, and renewal.