On Wednesday, Mar. 22, at 11 a.m., members of the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) will visit Old St. Andrew's Church to lay a commemorative DAR wreath in honor of the church's history.
Revolutionary Skirmish
According to ABC News 4, the ceremony will include the dedication of two historical markers placed at the location by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, between which the wreath will be laid. One of the markers is for the church, founded in 1706 and constructed that same year. The second historical monument memorializes the skirmish on and around the church grounds and the church creek on Mar. 22, 1780. The presence of a marker reportedly commemorates this event. This battle served as a precursor to the British taking control of Charleston in May 1780 and occupying the city for two years.
The ceremony will be presided over by Fr. Marshall Huey, the rector of Old St. Andrew's Church and a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. Paul Porwell, the church's historian, will briefly discuss events almost two centuries and fifty years ago. After the service of dedication, the church will be hosting a lunch in the St. Andrews Annual Tea Room. Sandwiches, salads, soups, and various desserts will all be available for purchase.
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Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is recognized as one of the country's most welcoming and diverse genealogical societies. It currently has 190,000 members among its 3,000 chapters in the United States and worldwide. There are no racial, religious, or ethnic requirements for membership; all that is required is for a woman to be at least 18 years old and be able to demonstrate that she is a direct descendant of a Revolutionary War hero.
The DAR National Headquarters takes up an entire city block in the heart of Washington, D.C., and is home to one of the most important genealogical libraries in the United States, as well as one of the most important collections of pre-industrial American decorative arts, Washington's largest concert hall, and an extensive collection of early American manuscripts and imprints. NSDAR is free from paying federal income taxes due to the rules of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Tax Code, and the organization does not receive any financing from the government.
Old St. Andrew's Church
As per Discover South Carolina, the Old St. Andrew's Parish Church is one of the oldest churches in South Carolina that is still in use today. It was constructed in 1706. The Anglican Church in the United Kingdom founded ten churches in South Carolina during that year, including one in Charleston.
The church is a straightforward building designed as a cross, much like most churches constructed during the Colonial era. Initially, the church along the Ashley River provided services to the planters and their families. At the end of the Civil War, however, the church focused more on the plantation enslaved people and freedmen. Rev. John Grimké Drayton, who was responsible for the construction of the stunning gardens at Magnolia Plantation, was also the rector of the church for forty years. During that time, he oversaw the congregation's survival through the civil war, reconstruction, and the earthquake in 1886.
After Drayton passed away in 1891, the church was mainly left unattended until the middle of the 20th century, when the post-war building boom drew parishioners to the suburbs around the former plantations. Moreover, when the church was about to reopen, the ladies of the congregation would spend the day cleaning in preparation for the services.
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