Charleston's St. Michael's Church
During the Revolutionary Era
Watch the Video below on "How St. Michael's Helped to Form the Faith in America"
The Founding of St. Michael’s Church
St. Michael’s Church is the oldest extant church building on the Charleston peninsula. It was commissioned in 1751, twenty-five years before the founding of the United States. As the population of Charles Town grew, St. Philip’s, the first Anglican church, could no longer provide sacred services to all parishioners. On June 14, 1751, the governor signed a bill into law establishing a new Anglican parish named St. Michael’s to be erected on the southeast corner of Meeting and Broad Streets. Charles Town’s residents were divided into two parishes: those living north of Broad Street were assigned to St. Philip’s, while those residing south of Broad were assigned to St. Michael’s.
The Building of St. Michael's
Nine Commissioners were charged with overseeing the construction of the church and its parsonage.
The building took approximately ten years to complete, from 1751 to 1761. Samuel Cardy, a master
carpenter, was engaged to complete the carpentry and finishing work. Although numerous artisans
and craftsmen—including the prominent Charles Town cabinetmaker Thomas Elfe—contributed to the
project, Cardy is widely credited as the church’s principal architect. He made significant modifications
to the structure during construction. The design is traditionally attributed to James Gibbs and is
believed to have been inspired by St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London.
Financing and Architectural Significance
The public treasury initially approved £17,000 for construction. Remaining expenses were to be covered through the sale of pew subscriptions. Substantial cost overruns ultimately brought the final cost to £53,533, with roughly sixty percent funded by public monies and the remainder by private subscribers. In modern terms, this investment would equate to many millions of dollars. St. Michael’s is widely considered one of the most sophisticated colonial ecclesiastical buildings in the United States. Architectural scholar Louis P. Nelson praised it as "one of the most sophisticated and rightfully celebrated churches erected in America."; St. Michael’s Church is designated a National Historic Landmark..
Pre-Revolutionary Years
The Reverend Robert Cooper performed the first service at St. Michael’s on February 1, 1761. He served the parish for fifteen years during a period of growing political tension between Great Britain and the American colonies. As disputes intensified, Anglican clergy faced difficult questions of loyalty—to the Crown and the Church of England on one hand, and to their congregations on the other. Despite mounting pressures, Reverend Cooper continued to offer prayers for the King. On July 2, 1776, the vestry of St. Michael’s voted to dismiss Cooper because of his loyalty to the crown. Cooper subsequently returned to England, where he received a government pension as a Loyalist. For several years thereafter, St. Michael’s functioned without a permanent rector.
St. Michael’s During the American Revolution
During the Revolutionary War, St. Michael’s steeple served an important strategic and navigational role. The tower functioned as a visual landmark, a lookout for fires, and a military observation point. In an effort to reduce its visibility, the white steeple was painted black—an action that reportedly made the structure even more conspicuous. The church sustained significant damage during the British siege and occupation of Charles Town in 1780. The British held the city from May 1780 until December 1782, during which time St. Michael’s operated under military authority.
The Bells of St. Michael’s
When British forces evacuated Charles Town, they removed St. Michael’s bells as spoils of war. In 1783, the bells were returned—a gesture widely interpreted as symbolic of renewed ties between Britain and the former colonies. The bells remain among the church’s most treasured historic artifacts.
The Patriots of St. Michael's
St. Michael’s counted among its parishioners many prominent figures of the Revolutionary generation.
Many served in the armies that fought against the British. Among them were five officers who had
various commands of forces and who served as civilian leaders of South Carolina and the new country.
Two of the five pew holders, Thomas Heyward Jr. and Thomas Lynch Jr., were signers of the
Declaration of Independence. In 1787, the other three, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Rutledge,
and Pierce Butler, were South Carolina delegates to the Constitutional Convention and writer/signers
of the Constitution. Buried in St. Michael’s churchyard are Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and John
Rutledge, as well as the wife of Pierce Butler.
Post-Revolutionary Charleston
Charles Town was formally renamed Charleston on August 13, 1783. George Washington visited Charleston in May 1791. Among his many engagements was attendance at a service at St. Michael’s Church, where he sat in Pew 43. After ascending the steeple, Washington observed that the city contained "about 1,600 dwelling houses and nearly 16,000 souls."