Unitarian Church in Charleston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Unitarian Church in Charleston |
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The Unitarian Church in Charleston
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Unitarian Universalist Association |
| Leadership | The Reverend Rebecca Hinds, Minister
Community Minister, Rev. Nathan Woodliff-Stanley |
| Location | |
| Location | 4 Archdale Street, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A. |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Francis D. Lee |
| Architectural style | English Gothic architecture |
| Completed | 1787 |
| Website | |
| Unitarian Church in Charleston | |
The Unitarian Church in Charleston is a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina. It is located at 4 Archdale Street. This church is home to a Unitarian Universalist group. It is the oldest Unitarian church in the Southern United States. It is also the second oldest church building on the Charleston peninsula.
The Unitarian Universalist Association has recognized this church as a "Welcoming Congregation." This means it is a safe and open place for everyone. It also has "Green Sanctuary" certification, showing its care for the environment. The church is well-known in Charleston for its work on social justice issues. In 1976, the Unitarian Church in Charleston was named a National Historic Landmark. You can visit the church for tours at certain times. It also hosts public concerts, talks, and events about current social topics. Check their website for more details.
Contents
Early History and Becoming Unitarian
The Unitarian Church building was first started in 1772. It was meant to be a second meeting place for the Independent Church in Charleston. This group was also called the Society of Dissenters. They needed more space than their first building could offer. The new building was designed in a simple Georgian style.
Construction was almost finished in 1776 when the Revolutionary War began. Both American and British soldiers used the building. Because of this, it needed many repairs after the war. The building was finally opened in 1787 and was called the Archdale Street Meeting House.
For 30 years, both church buildings worked together. They shared the same ministers and even the same sermons each Sunday. In 1815, one of the ministers, Reverend Anthony Forster, changed his religious beliefs. He became a Unitarian in 1817. This caused the church group to split. About half of the members left to form a new, independent church at the Archdale Meeting House. This new group was officially named the Second Independent Church of Charleston in 1817. The original Independent Church is now the Circular Congregational Church.
Reverend Forster became ill and passed away in 1819. Samuel Gilman, a graduate of Harvard College, then became the minister. He was a strong Unitarian. Gilman helped the church fully become Unitarian. He was also famous for writing Harvard's school song, Fair Harvard. His wife, Caroline Howard Gilman, was a well-known writer. She was inspired to create the beautiful churchyard next to the church in the 1830s. This garden was designed to be a peaceful place for people to enjoy. Samuel Gilman served as minister until he died in 1858. During his time, the church grew a lot. The famous writer Ralph Waldo Emerson also spoke at the church twice in 1823. In 1839, the church officially joined the American Unitarian Association and became the Unitarian Church in Charleston.
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A Gothic Style Makeover
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In 1852, Francis D. Lee, a Charleston architect and church member, was hired to make the building bigger and more beautiful. He was inspired by famous English Gothic buildings, like the Chapel of Henry VII at Westminster Abbey. Lee finished the project two years later with Edward C. Jones, another local architect.
The project involved raising the entire roof of the building by four feet. They also added a Chancel, which is the area around the altar. They built false flying buttresses to make the church look more like a Gothic building. The tower was also made taller. The inside of the church was given a special fan-vaulted ceiling. This ceiling, along with the nave (main part of the church) and chancel, looked very much like their English examples. The stained glass windows were considered some of the best in the country. This church might have been one of the first Gothic-style buildings built in the United States. This style is called English Perpendicular Gothic Revival.
The large Chancel window was made in 1854 by the Henry E. Sharp glass company in New York. The two side windows in the Chancel are also from the same company. These windows are mostly painted and etched glass. The main window shows scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. It has figures like Moses and Aaron, and the Ark of the Covenant at the bottom. Above them are the four Gospel writers.
The inside of the church was furnished with new pews, a pulpit, and a communion rail. All of these were made from or topped with walnut wood. Gas lighting was also put in at this time. More recently, a handrail made by Philip Simons was added.
Surviving Disasters
During the American Civil War, many church members left Charleston. The church closed its doors until 1865. Soon after the war began, the Great Charleston Fire of 1861 swept through the city. It destroyed five churches and came very close to the Unitarian Church. From August 1863, Union forces bombed Charleston for 18 months. The church was within range but was not hit.
Charleston surrendered in February 1865, and the church began holding services again. Many members had lost their money or did not return to Charleston. This made it hard for the church financially. However, one member, Alva Gage, had kept most of his money. He was very generous and helped the church through these tough times.
The Universalist Church in Charleston had closed in the 1850s. After the war, its remaining members joined the Unitarian Church. They donated their funds to help repair the church. Unitarians and Universalists officially joined together in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association. But they clearly had a friendly connection much earlier!
While the church avoided major damage during the Civil War, it faced challenges from two natural disasters in 1885 and 1886. The Cyclone of 1885 hurricane in 1885 hit Charleston with strong winds. It blew out all the windows in the Nave of the church.
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New side windows were donated by Unitarian churches in Boston. These new windows are in the Art Nouveau style. They look different from the older windows in the Chancel. These windows are made of solid stained glass. They were made by Redding, Baird & Company of Boston. These windows also share the theme of the Old and New Testaments. They have the words "The Lord is One" in Hebrew and "Spirit of God" in Greek.
The next year, the great Charleston earthquake of 1886 hit the city. It caused major damage to the Unitarian Church. The entire top of the church tower fell into the Nave of the church. This left a large hole in the roof and damaged part of the beautiful fan-vaulted ceiling. Luckily, Unitarians from all over the country donated money to help rebuild. Boston architect Thomas Silloway restored the inside of the church to its original design. However, the tower was rebuilt in a simpler way. Its top parts were lowered and made less fancy. This was done to make it stronger if another earthquake hit Charleston.
More than a hundred years later, Charleston faced another big natural disaster. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo destroyed about 30 large trees in the churchyard. These trees were replaced with smaller ones like dogwood, silverbell, crepe myrtle, and Japanese maple. More than 60 gravestones were also damaged in that storm. The Larrisey Gravestone Conservation Project was started to repair them. So far, 65 have been fixed.
Church Campus Today
Today, the church campus covers 1.3 acres. It includes the church building, a lovely churchyard, Gage Hall, and a Religious Education Annex. The main church building is often called the Landmark. This is because it was named a National Historical Landmark in 1976. In 2005, the outside of the building was cleaned and repaired. In 2010, the inside was also fixed and repainted. It is still a beautiful example of fan-vaulting. With its lovely painted and stained-glass windows, it is a peaceful place for quiet thought.
The churchyard is a green space in the middle of Charleston. You can enter it from King Street or through gates on Archdale Street. It is also part of Charleston's Gateway Walk. Even though some stories say famous people are buried there, no one famous is actually buried in the churchyard. However, the gravesites and other areas are planted with many different trees, bushes, and plants. This means there are flowers blooming all year round. Camellias and roses grow around a sundial next to a monument honoring Samuel and Caroline Gilman.
Across the churchyard from the main church building is Gage Hall. This building was built in 1893. It has offices, meeting rooms, and spaces for religious education. It is also used for concerts and parties. Gage Hall was once the site of the Gage Hall debates. These were discussions on important topics that were broadcast on the radio in the 1960s. The kitchen in Gage Hall has a large stove. This stove was bought when the church hosted one of the first Head Start programs in Charleston. Church volunteers helped teach and provided lunches for the children. Today, coffeehouse concerts are held regularly to raise money for field trips for children from city schools.
Gage Hall was named after Alva Gage. He was a main supporter of the church for many years. He gave money for the building and left much of his fortune to the church. He is buried in the churchyard.
In 2013, a new opening was made in the entryway wall to allow wheelchair access to the church. This meant removing many of the original bricks. The church decided to use these removed bricks to build a memorial. This memorial honors the enslaved people who worked to build the church. It is in the churchyard near the church entrance. On the front is a metal bird looking backward. This is a Sankofa, an African symbol. It means "learning from the past to move forward." An inscription on the monument dedicates it to "the enslaved workers who made these bricks and helped build our church."
The Religious Education Annex is located behind Gage Hall. It was built in 1997-98. It has classrooms and an apartment for the church caretaker.
See also
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- List of National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Charleston, South Carolina
Images for kids
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The Unitarian Church in Charleston
