Wanderly

Established under South Carolina's Church Act of 1706, Old St. Andrew's Parish Church was built the same year and is the oldest surviving church in the Carolinas. It is also South Carolina's only remaining colonial cruciform church.

In its early years, some of Charleston's richest families attended services in the building. However, as the price of rice became less profitable in the mid-1800s, many white families left the area. Those white families owned some of the area's largest plantations and they left behind their enslaved laborers with their departure. By 1868, 533 of the 548 Old St. Andrew parishioners were Black.

Reverend John Grimke Drayton, a plantation owner, led the Old St. Andrew's congregation for more than 40 years. Upon his death in 1891, the church was abandoned and sat dormant for 57 years. In 1948, a group of Episcopalians reopened the church and have worked to restore it since.

Old St. Andrew's was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Scroll through to see the church then and now.

Happy National Pineapple Day from one of our favorite Charleston spots! 📸