Calvary Episcopal Church
106 Line Street
Calvary Church was founded in 1847 to establish a special church for slaves in the Charleston community. Father Paul Trapier held services in March 1848 for the congregation in the basement of St. Philip's parsonage and in mid-July services were moved to temperance Hall on Meeting Street. By early 1849 approximately 30-40 "persons of color" attended in the morning, 100 in the afternoon and 276 in the Sunday school. As laws prohibited teaching a slave to read, all instructions in the church and Sunday school were oral. The original church was a brick structure covered with stucco and painted white with a combination of straight and curved lines. The building was completed and consecrated on December 23, 1849 by the Right Reverend Christopher E. Gadsden. A two- story annex was built at the south of the church in 1924 and housed the kindergarten. Services ended at the old building on November 25, 1940, and the church was deconsecrated. The property was sold and monies from the sale were used to build the present building at Line and Percy Streets. Cavalry Episcopal was recognized as a mission in the Convention of the Diocese of SC on May 5, 1965. Father Stephen Macky, the vicar became the first rector. Calvary Episcopal Church celebrated its 155th anniversary on September 29, 2002.
Marker is on Line Street near Percy Street, on the right when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
