The Churches Of Charleston And The Lowcountry

Standing as a proud testament to Charleston's religious tolerance, churches and synagogues scattered throughout the historic port have defined Charleston's landscape since its founding. Built by Anglicans, Huguenots, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, Jews, Catholics, African Methodist Episcopalians, and almost every other denomination found on American shores, Charleston's sacred structures comprise the finest collection of antebellum religious architecture in the country. In one grand photographic tour, The Churches of Charleston and the Lowcountry captures the drama, history, and architectural significance of the buildings that continue to draw architects, historians, architectural enthusiasts, and tourists to the city for study, reflection, and inspiration. From St. Michael's, a Charleston landmark, to such lesser known but equally impressive houses of worship as the Unitarian Church and St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, the sixty structures spotlighted in this volume offer glimpses into the religious, social, and economic development of Charleston and into the architectural fashions of colonial, federal, and antebellum America. The Preservation Society of Charleston, America's oldest community-based preservation organization, documents the city's illustrious religious heritage through congregational histories, architectural descriptions, and stunning interior and exterior photographs. Palladian, neo-Gothic, Georgian, Federal, and neo-Romanesque churches tell the story of a city blessed not only with a variety of religious communities but also with an array of architectural styles. With its compelling blend of architectural, religious, and social history, The Churches of Charleston and the Lowcountry preserves a visual record of the structures that have earned Charleston's celebrated stature as the "Holy City."

In this elegant hardbound volume, photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley take you on an intimate tour of some of the finest historic homes, gardens, churches, and plantations of the old city of Charleston and its surrounding Lowcountry. Their luminescent photographs reveal an insider's look at the definitive architecture and landscape of the region, ranging from private gardens hidden behind wrought iron gates to some of America's first landscaped garden vistas. From colonial-era French Quarter homes to Federal and Greek Revival townhouses and antebellum plantation houses, the selection featuring old family, private homes to museum showplaces make this an essential book for visitors, architects, preservationists or armchair travelers. Photographers Steve Gross and Susan Daley specialize in photographing interiors and the architecture of the changing American landscape. They are the coauthors of ten previous books on the various styles of American homes and design, including Creole Houses, Old Florida, and most recently Farmhouse Revival and The Creative Cottage. Their work has been published extensively in magazines around the world and is in private collections including the Smithsonian Institution

The tranquility of the magnificently restored Saint Andrew’s Parish Church, surrounded by stately oaks and ancient gravestones, belies a tumultuous past. If its walls could talk, they would tell a story as old as the human condition. Founded in the forest of a new colony, this simple Anglican church served planters and their slaves during the heyday of rice and indigo. Before the Civil War, ministry shifted to the slaves, and afterward to freed men and women. Following years of decline and neglect, Saint Andrew’s rose like the phoenix. The history of the oldest surviving church south of Virginia and the only remaining colonial cruciform church in South Carolina is one of wealth and poverty, acclaim and anonymity, slavery and freedom, war and peace, quarrelling and cooperation, failure and achievement. It is the story of a church that has refused to die, against all odds.

American folklife is steeped in world cultures, or invented as new culture, always evolving, yet often practiced as it was created many years or even centuries ago. This fascinating encyclopedia explores the rich and varied cultural traditions of folklife in America - from barn raisings to the Internet, tattoos, and Zydeco - through expressions that include ritual, custom, crafts, architecture, food, clothing, and art. Featuring more than 350 A-Z entries, "Encyclopedia of American Folklife" is wide-ranging and inclusive. Entries cover major cities and urban centers; new and established immigrant groups as well as native Americans; American territories, such as Guam and Samoa; major issues, such as education and intellectual property; and expressions of material culture, such as homes, dress, food, and crafts. This encyclopedia covers notable folklife areas as well as general regional categories. It addresses religious groups (reflecting diversity within groups such as the Amish and the Jews), age groups (both old age and youth gangs), and contemporary folk groups (skateboarders and psychobillies) - placing all of them in the vivid tapestry of folklife in America. In addition, this resource offers useful insights on folklife concepts through entries such as "community and group" and "tradition and culture." The set also features complete indexes in each volume, as well as a bibliography for further research.

Classic photo-and-text survey of extant plantation homes, churches and chapels built between 1686 and 1878 along South Carolina coastal plain. Detailed photographs, fascinating history, distinguishing characteristics of Medway, Middleburg, Exeter, Crowfield, Hampton, The Rocks, Lowndes' Grove, 48 other structures.

The different faces of Charleston, South Carolina, have created curiosity and wonder among writers for centuries. In Literary Charleston and the Lowcountry, Curtis Worthington compiles this intriguing and surprising, first-ever collection of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry selections by thirty-four local and internationally acclaimed authors. It provides a rich tapestry of one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. The stories of this often mysterious and much-loved Colonial city is revealed through the eyes of writers who lived there or visited over the centuries. From the winding back alleys and ringing church bells of the historic district, to the expansive former plantations of the Low Country, to the seductive dune and white sands of nearby beaches, Literary Charleston and the Lowcountry presents a picture of Charleston never fully explored or appreciated, until now. Contributors include: William Bartram, William Gilmore Simms, Edgar Allen Poe, Henry James, Amy Lowell, Debose Heyward, Josephine Pickney, John Galsworthy, James Dickey, Pat Conroy, Shelby Foote, William Price Fox, Harlan Greene, Josephine Humphreys, Walker Percy, Padgett Powell, Louis D. Rubin Jr., Andy Warhol, and sixteen others.