The photo above shows a “receiving tomb” at Magnolia Cemetery. A receiving tomb, as its name implies, defines a place where the dead were placed while a final burial site was prepared. Keith Rice, who took this photo, writes, “Magnolia Cemetery is the most fascinating place with all of the live oaks and ornate old graves.”

Exceptionally beautiful, Magnolia Cemetery serves as the final resting place of many prominent South Carolinians, including several former governors. The picture above shows the resting place of the third and final crew of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine. On the night of February 17, 1864, the Hunley was the first submarine to successfully attack and sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic.

The crew’s remains were recovered, along with the Hunley itself, on August 8, 2000. The remains were laid to rest in Magnolia Cemetery on April 17, 2004. The crew was composed of Lieutenant George E. Dixon (Commander), Frank Collins, Joseph F. Ridgaway, James A. Wicks, Arnold Becker, Corporal C. F. Carlsen, C. Lumpkin, and Augustus Miller.

Learn more about famous people buried in Magnolia Cemetery.

SCIWAY thanks E. Karl Braun of North Charleston for this picture taken in July 2012.

Learn more about the history of St Matthews Lutheran Church.

SCIWAY thanks Carroll D. Brown for this picture.

Its main campus is located in the heart of historic downtown Charleston. The building pictured here, Randolph Hall, is listed in the National Historic Register, along with the nearby library and gate lodge.

In the foreground stands an old cistern, which was built in 1857 to help control flooding and fight fires. Eventually this technology became outdated and the cistern was filled in and covered with grass. The Cistern Yard is shaded by live oak trees and is a favorite spot for students to relax and study. It is also the location of the College’s graduation ceremony each May on Mothers’ Day.

SCIWAY thanks William Stuart Morgan III of Columbia for this picture taken in July 2012.

Learn more about the history of the College of Charleston.

Simonds recruited famed New York and Chicago architect Frederick P. Dinkelberg to design a home that would reflect his expanding fortune. Dinkelberg’s design combined the emerging Beaux Arts style with the popular Renaissance Revival style. Key features of the home include the Corinthian-columned portico, a second-floor ballroom, and South Carolina’s first indoor swimming pool!

Plans to restore the mansion to its former glory have been proposed, but so far little has been done. Photographer Brandon Coffey notes, “You look at it now and it’s so neglected – the columns are crumbling, but it’s still beautiful.”

First established as the Carolina Arts Association in the mid-1800s, the museum is named for James Shoolbred Gibbes, a local businessman and lifelong art enthusiast who donated $100,000 in 1899 for its construction.

The museum was designed by famed architect Frank Pierce Milburn, who designed several other notable South Carolina buildings including the SC Statehouse and the Newberry County Courthouse. It opened to the public in 1905.

For more information, please visit the museum’s website.

SCIWAY thanks Gary DuBose of Seneca for sharing this photo he took in April 2012.

The first church was a modest, wooden building constructed in 1681 on the present-day site of St. Michael’s. With the congregation growing, a larger brick church was authorized to be constructed on the current site in 1710. It wasn’t completed until 1723 due to Indian wars and damage from hurricanes. This church would house the congregation for over a century, until it was destroyed by a fire in 1835. Work on the present church began later that same year.

After the fire, the congregation moved into its temporary home in the Tabernacle at Cumberland Street Methodist Episcopal Church. They remained there until 1838, when their new church was finished. The steeple (pictured above), designed by noted architect Edward Brickell White, wasn’t completed until 1850.

Several notable South Carolinians, including governors Charles Pinckney and Edward Rutledge, are buried in the St. Philip’s cemetery. In 1973 St. Philip’s was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.

For more information and service times, please visit the church’s website.

SCIWAY thanks John Birkenheuer of Charleston for sharing this photo he took in 2009.

In the late 1750s, a large tabby fort known as the “Horn Work” was constructed on the west side of what is now Marion Square. This fort served as the city’s primary point of defense during the Siege of Charleston in 1780.

After the war the site was transferred to the newly-incorporated City of Charleston. In the 1800s the square served as a muster ground for the SC State Arsenal (Old Citadel) and became known as the Citadel Green. Even today the city’s lease stipulates that the central portion of the square be kept open indefinitely as a parade ground for the Sumter Guards and the Washington Light Infantry.

Marion Square is also home to several monuments, including the Calhoun Monument, which honors Abbeville County native and accomplished statesman John C. Calhoun. The cornerstone, laid in 1858, contains a cannonball from the Battle of Fort Moultrie, a banner used in Calhoun’s funeral, and even a lock of his hair!

Today the square is one of downtown Charleston’s most popular parks and is home to the Charleston Farmers’ Market and other annual events such as the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, the Charleston Food and Wine Festival, and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Click here for more information and directions to Marion Square.

Historically, a custom house was a building that served as a port of entry into a country, where government officials regulated commerce and collected shipping taxes. By the mid-1800s, Charleston had become one of the busiest port cities in the country and the US Custom Service had outgrown its headquarters in The Old Exchange Building.

In 1849, Congress purchased the waterfront site on East Bay Street to construct a new headquarters. The following year several architects were invited to compete for the commission to design the building. Although Charleston architect Edward C. Jones was initially declared the winner, federal authorities ultimately awarded the project to Ammi Burnham Young, supervising architect of the United States Treasury Department. Young was selected to produce a new design based on the previous entries of Jones and fellow Charleston architect E.B. White, who also designed the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia.

Construction began in 1853, but was interrupted in 1859 due to increasing costs and the possibility of South Carolina‘s secession from the Union. The building sustained considerable damage during the Civil War and wasn’t repaired until construction resumed in 1870. The new United States Custom House was completed nine years later. It was designated part of the Charleston Historic District in 1960 and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The original theater was located on the corner of Church and Dock Streets and opened on February 12, 1736 with a performance of George Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer. The theater continued to host theatrical and musical performances, but was destroyed just four years later in The Great Fire of 1740.

The majority of the present-day structure, located at 135 Church Street, was completed in 1809 when Alexander Calder converted the remains of the theater into a hotel. The Planters Hotel was frequented by wealthy travelers and rice planters from the midlands of South Carolina. The hotel was remodeled in 1835 and received several additions, including the wrought iron balcony and sandstone columns that make up its present facade. At the time it was one of the most prominent buildings in Charleston.

After the Civil War the hotel was abandoned and eventually fell into disrepair. It wasn’t until the mid-1930s that the City of Charleston and the Works Progress Administration restored the facade to its original appearance and recreated the theater inside. What once served as the hotel’s dining was transformed into the theater’s box office lobby. Modeled after those found in 18th century London playhouses, the new auditorium was constructed in the hotel’s old courtyard and featured hand-carved Cypress woodwork from local carpenters. By 1937 the restoration was complete and the Dock Street Theatre reopened on November 26th with a reprise of The Recruiting Officer.

Once again the theater served as the cultural capital of the city. It continued to do so until 2007, when the City of Charleston began their $19 million dollar renovation of the historic landmark. The three-year renovation included new lights, seating, sound, and elevators. The structural integrity of the building was also improved, making it more resistant to possible hurricanes and seismic activity. The Dock Street Theatre reopened for the third time on March 18, 2010.

Today the theater is home to the Charleston Stage Company and hosts many of the city’s notable cultural events including portions of the Spoleto Festival USA. For information on performances and showtimes, please visit Charleston Stage’s website.

SCIWAY thanks frequent contributor Brandon Coffey of North Charleston, who took this photograph in December of 2011.