Charleston's Museum Mile
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In the Historic District of Charleston runs Meeting Street, and on this street and the adjacent cross streets are an amazing number of museums, historic homes, churches, municipal buildings, squares and parks. All sites add to the history of Charleston, many buildings are open to the public or are functioning in their original capacity.
Aiken - Rhett House - Built in 1820 and greatly expanded by Governor & Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. in the 1830s, this house and its outbuildings have survived as a time capsule virtually unaltered since 1858. / 48 Elizabeth Street / 843-723-1159 / Open - Monday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 2 to 5 pm / Combination tickets with the Nathaniel Russell House available.
Charleston County Courthouse - First built in 1753 as the provincial capitol for the colony of South Carolina, the building was reconstructed in 1792 and used for the Charleston district courts. The original Statehouse building was two stories high, the Provincial court met on the ground floor, the Commons House of Assembly and the Royal Governor's Council Chamber met on the second floor. From the second story balcony overlooking Meeting Street, great affairs of state were announced to the public, including the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in South Carolina.
The original building burned during the Constitutional Ratification Convention of 1788, leaving only the foundation, walls and doorways. The city quickly began reconstruction of the building in a Neoclassical style which was completed in 1792. Major additions and changes occurred throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, resulting in insensitive alterations to the building. The courthouse was recently restored to its late 18th-century appearance and still houses court and county government functions. / 84 Broad Street / Open to the public during normal business hours
The Charleston Museum - America's first museum showcases the cultural and natural history of South Carolina's Lowcountry, look for a rich variety of exhibited objects ranging from ancient fossils and an enormous whale skeleton to Civil War artifacts and historic Charleston silver. / 360 Meeting Street / 843-722-2996 / Open - Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm / Combination tickets with the Heyward - Washington House & the Joseph Manigault House are available.
Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry - This fun museum and learning center offers eight hands-on interactive learning environments for children 3 months to 10 years! A Pirate Ship, a Medieval Castle, a Charleston Market grocery, and an Art Room for creativity are some of the fun activities found here. / 25 Ann Street / 843- 853-8962 / Open - Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm
City Hall - Once the Charleston branch of the First Bank of the United States, it is the second-oldest City Hall in continuous use in America. Open to the public, it houses a notable collection of paintings. / 80 Broad Street
Circular Congregational Church, United Church of Christ - Founded in 1681, Circular Church is one of the oldest continuously worshipping congregations in the Southeast. Today, it has over 300 members and is affiliated with the United Church of Christ. / 150 Meeting Street / 843-577-6400 / Tours are offered Monday through Friday at 10:30 am
Citadel Square Baptist Church -
Citadel Square is a daughter of the oldest Baptist congregation in the South, the First Baptist Church of Charleston.
Designed in the Romanesque Revival style, this church had its first steeple toppled by a hurricane in 1885. The rebuilt second steeple was taken by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. A new steeple was raised in 1990 which matched the 224-foot height of the first. / 328 Meeting Street / Call 843-577-3707
Confederate Museum in Market Hall - Operated by the Daughters of the Confederacy since 1898, the Confederate Museum contains flags, uniforms, swords and other Confederate memorabilia. / 188 Meeting Street / 843-723-1541 / Open - Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 3:30 pm / January & February open Thursday through Saturday only
Edmondston - Alston House - In 1861, General Beauregard joined the Alston family to watch the bombardment of Ft. Sumter from the piazza facing the harbor. This handsome home was built on the High Battery in 1825 and contains Alston family furniture, silver, books and paintings. / 21 East Battery / 843-722-7171 / Open - Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 4:30 pm, Sunday 1:30 to 4:30 pm, Monday 1 to 4:30 pm
Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church - The oldest AME church in the south, founded in 1808, Emanuel is referred to as "Mother Emanuel" and houses one of the largest and oldest continuous black congregations south of Baltimore. / 110 Calhoun Street / 843-722-2561
First Baptist Church - Known as the "Mother Church of Southern Baptists", it is the oldest Baptist Church in the South. Designed by Robert Mills and dedicated in 1822, the Church was founded in South Carolina in 1696, the Baptists first settled in Somerton, near Charleston. The present lot was donated to the Church 1699 by William Elliot and a frame building was constructed. Several pastors in the past were instrumental in opening the first Baptist College and Seminary in the South. The First Baptist Church remains an active congregation within the Charleston Old and Historic District. / 61 Church Street / 843-722-3896 / Tours are given Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10 am to 12 pm
First Scots Presbyterian - First Scots Presbyterian Church, the fifth oldest church in Charleston, was constructed in 1814. Its design may have been inspired by the Baltimore Basilica, built from 1806-1821 in Maryland, designed by Benjamin Latrobe. The congregation of First Scots dates to 1731, their first building was finished in 1734 and used for worship until the current church was built. Recently an English bell made in 1814, the year of the church’s construction, was hung in the north tower, replacing the original which had been given to the Confederate army for cannons. / 53 Meeting Street / 843-722-8882 / Open to the public Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm
French Huguenot Church - Designed by renowned Charleston architect Edward Brickell Wright, completed in 1845. This building houses the oldest continuously active Huguenot congregation in the country, organized in 1687 and today is the only French Calvinist congregation in the United States. Each year, a service is conducted in French commemorating the Edict of Nantes. / 140 Church Street / 843-722-4385
Gibbes Museum of Art - The Gibbes contains collections of Colonial, Charleston Renaissance and Contemporary art with a primary emphasis on Southern and Lowcountry pieces. From Colonial period portraits and Charleston area landscapes to the Charleston Renaissance of various media and local themes of the early 20th century to the Charleston art scene today, the museum is the home to a unique body of superb works including painting, sculpture and photographs. / 135 Meeting Street / 843-722-2706 / Open - Tuesday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm
Heyward - Washington House - Currently under the auspices of the Charleston Museum, the Heyward - Washington House was built in 1772. Known as the "Charleston's Revolutionary War House', it was the town-home of Thomas Heyward, Jr., Revolutionary War patriot and signer of the Declaration of Independence. The home features Charleston-made furniture and a formal 18th century garden. / 87 Church Street / 843-722-2996 / Open - Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm / Combination tickets with the Joseph Manigault House are available.
Joseph Manigault House - Also under the auspices of the Charleston Museum, the Joseph Manigault House is known as "Charleston's Huguenot House". Built in 1803, it is a fine example of Adam-style, or Federal, architecture. Housing an outstanding collection of American, English and French furnishings of the period, it captures the lifestyle of a wealthy, rice-planting family. / 843-722-2996 / Open - Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday 1 to 5 pm / Combination tickets with the Heyward - Washington House are available.
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim - The home of the first Reform Jewish congregation in the United States in 1841, worship dates to 1749 where it began as a a Sephardic Orthodox congregation. The sanctuary is the oldest surviving Reform synagogue in the world and home to the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the continental United States. A National Historic Landmark, the 1842 sanctuary building is considered one of the most impressive examples of Greek Revival architecture in America. / 90 Hasell Street / 843-723-1090 / Open with docent on duty Monday through Friday 10 am to 12 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm / Closed Saturday and Jewish holidays.
Marion Square - Once the parade ground for the South Carolina Military College in 1843, the Old Citadel building, dominates one end and a memorial to John C. Calhoun on a fluted stone pillar, the other. Renamed for Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the square contains over 6 acres and is a privately owned park, leased to the city under the specific requirement that the center of the square be used as a parade ground. Some of the last remnants of the City’s Revolutionary War fortifications can be found here. / Meeting & Calhoun Streets
Nathaniel Russell House - Visitors have admired the grand Federal style townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell since its completion in 1808. Set amid spacious formal gardens, this National Historic Landmark contains elaborate plasterwork ornamentation, geometrically shaped rooms and a magnificent free-flying staircase. / 51 Meeting Street / Call 843-724-8481 / Open Monday through Saturday - 10 am to 5 pm / Sunday 2 to 5 pm / Last tour begins at 4:30 pm
Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon - The Old Exchange was a pivotal building in the Colonial period as the events of the Revolution swirled around the structure. Built from 1767 to 1771 as the Exchange and Customs House, the building became a meeting place for the Provincial Congress of South Carolina, a British barracks and a military prison. After serving for a short time as a meeting place for the State Legislature, and a ball room for visit from George Washington, the Old Exchange became a post office, and currently houses DAR meeting rooms and offices as well as a museum. Surviving earthquake damage and Civil War artillery it has been preserved as a National Monument. / 122 East Bay Street / 843-727-2165 / Open daily 9 am to 5 pm
Old Slave Mart Museum - A slave auction gallery and the Slave Mart Museum is the only remaining building from the original complex. First constructed in 1859, the open ended building was referred to as a shed and used the walls of the German Fire Hall to its west to support the roof timbers. Slave auctions were held inside. Customarily in Charleston, slaves were sold on the north side of the Exchange Building but an 1856 city ordinance prohibited this practice of public sales, resulting in a number of sales rooms, yards, or marts. The building was used for this purpose only a short time before the Civil War led to the end of slavery. In 1878, the Slave Mart was renovated into a two-story tenement dwelling and in 1938, the property was purchased by Miriam B. Wilson, who turned the site into a museum of African American history, arts and crafts. / 6 Chalmers Street / 843-958-6467 / Open Monday-Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm
Postal Museum - A special room inside the Charleston Post Office building of 1896, sits the Postal History Museum, a little gem of history in Charleston. The building at Meeting and Broad streets is the oldest continuously operated post office in the Carolinas. / Meeting & Broad Streets / Open Monday through Friday 9 am to 5 pm
The Powder Magazine - Built around 1713, the Powder Magazine was an arsenal within the old walled city of Charleston. Considered South Carolina's oldest building, the Magazine offers programs and exhibits chronicling its Colonial history. / 79 Cumberland Street / 843-722-9350 / Open Monday through Saturday 10 am - 4 pm / Sunday 1 to 4 pm
St. Mary of the Annunciation - The first Roman Catholic Church in the Carolinas and Georgia, the history of St. Mary's congregation dates back to the arrival an Irish priest in 1788 to minister to immigrant families who arrived at the port in the later half of the century. The land was purchased the next year and the first church was completed by 1801. The 1838 fire took the original church and the present church was built in 1839 the Classical Revival style. Paintings that hung over the altar in the 1801 church were salvaged and restored after the fire by the original artist and appear in the church today. / 89 Hasell Street / 843-722-7696 / Open to the public Monday through Friday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm
St. Michael’s Church - The oldest church building in Charleston, it stands on the 1680s site of the first Anglican Church built south of Virginia. Formerly St. Philips, the original church outgrew it's population and a new larger sanctuary was built. The smaller church site became the home of St. Michael's, also with a new sanctuary completed in 1761. Except for the addition of the sacristy in 1883 on the southeast corner, the structure of the building has been little changed. Earthquakes, bombardments and storms have damaged the structure but it has been restored after every trial. The church has hosted George Washington as President, and Robert E. Lee at services and the sanctuary has a number of prized antique treasures dating throughout it's 250 years of history. / 71 Broad Street / 843-723-0603
St. Philip’s Church - Housing the oldest congregation in South Carolina, this was the first Anglican church established south of Virginia. The third church building, the first framed structure was built in 1681, a second brick church followed in the 18th century, that church burned in 1835. The current St. Philip’s was constructed from 1835 to 1838 by architect Joseph Hyde, and incorporated some of the feature’s of the former building, the steeple was designed by E.B. White, was added a decade later. The chancel was damaged during the Civil War, when St. Philip’s steeple was used for siting during Union bombardment of the city. Many prominent people are buried in the graveyard, including several colonial Governors and five Episcopal bishops, former U. S. Vice President John C. Calhoun, Rawlins Lowndes (President of South Carolina in 1778-79), and author and playwright, Dubose Heyward. / 142 Church Street / 843-722-7734 / Building and graveyard are open to the public Monday through Friday, 10 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 4 pm
Second Presbyterian Church - By 1809 the First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, this congregation and in 1811, a new church, "The Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston & Its Suburbs" was formed. Currently Second Presbyterian is the oldest church building of this denomination in Charleston and has been named by the Presbyterian Church of the United States as "Historical Site Number One." Though hurricanes, fires and the 1886 earthquake has damaged the church, the 1811 building and sanctuary have been carefully restored and retains its original character. / 328 Meeting Street / 843-723-9237
South Carolina Historical Society - Fireproof Building - Constructed in 1827, the Fireproof Building was designed to store public records safely, no flammable materials were used in its construction, it was originally known as the Charleston District Record Building. Designed by Robert Mills, Charleston native and first native-born American to be trained as an architect, the building was so solidly constructed that it withstood the 1886 earthquake unharmed, except for the exterior stairs. The present occupant of the building, the South Carolina Historical Society collects, preserves and publishes South Carolina’s history. Collections date from 1670 and include books, manuscripts, plats and images. Historical and genealogical are researchers welcome. / 100 Meeting Street / 843-723-3225 x 21 / Open: For Tours: Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 2 pm / For Research: Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 4 pm, Saturday 9 am to 2 pm - Please note: there are no elevators in the building, accommodation will be made for researchers in ground floor rooms with advanced notice.
Trinity United Methodist Church - Built around 1791, Trinity is perhaps the least altered of Charleston’s late-Greek Revival church buildings, this imposing structure presents a monumental Corinthian-columned portico and massive dual flight of stone steps, modeled after The Church of the Madeline in Paris, it also has the largest Tiffany stained glass window south of New York City. In 1926, the Trinity Methodist congregation purchased the building from Westminster Presbyterian Church. / 273 Meeting Street / 843-722-8449
Washington Park - Laid out as part of the city square in 1818, the park was developed in its present form in 1881 as part of a civic improvement program and renamed in honor of George Washington. / Broad & Meeting Streets
Wragg Mall - The heirs of John Wragg planned his estate as the suburb of Wraggborough, naming streets for various members of the family. Wragg Mall was gifted in 1801 as a pedestrian tree-lined walkway and park and was always to be open to the public and remains open green space today. A picturesque three-tiered circular fountain within a brick pool was added in 1990 with fish around bottom of the lowest tier. / Between Wragg Square & Ann Street bounded by Elizabeth & Meeting Streets
Wragg Square - Another gift from the heirs of John Wragg, this tree-lined park surrounded by a handsome wrought iron fence offers a graceful open green space in front of the Second Presbyterian Church. / At the corner of Charlotte & Meeting Streets
Charleston's Museum Mile
50 to 360 Meeting Street
Charleston Visitor Center - 375 Meeting Street / Charleston, SC 29401
phone: 843-724-7174
8:30 am - 5 pm / Open daily, closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
