150 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
Voice: 843-577-6400

Organized in 1681, this church became The Independent Church of Charles Towne. The original church was lost. In 1806 a third building was built. It was a unique circular building, designed by Robert Mills, and it became known as the Circular Church. In 1861 a fire destroyed this building. Then in 1891, the fourth and present building on the site was built.

The graveyard is said to contain the oldest known tomb in the city. Henry Simonds gifted the land to the church in the 1690s and is believed to be in the oldest unmarked tomb along with his wife and their son.

Other notable persons said to be buried here include Major Anthony Toomer.  He became a leader of the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War. the box tomb of Major Toomer is part of the Warham family plot. His wife's inscription is the only one still legible on this monument. There is David Ramsay who served in the Continental Congress. The top of his gravestone is broken off, but the remaining inscription is easily readable. And there is the Hutson-Peronneau Vault. It is the largest burial monument in the churchyard. It is believed that Arthur Peronneau may have been the first person buried in the vault in 1774.

KAT'S VIEW