New information on an Old Church

Over vacation we posted pictures from an old Episcopal Church. That church is actually the oldest church in Charleston, St. Michael's Church. Famous people, like George Washington, Layfayette and General Robert E. Lee have all sat in the pews and worshipped. The pews were very interesting to me: they had doors on them and were compartmentalized! In Colonial America, families would buy a pew and then put up doors and walls to keep others out and I suppose keep their family members in. Doesn't seem very welcoming in today's standards. St. Michael's had a beautiful organ and the podium for the Bible readings was ornate with a winding staircase and carvings! Wow! During the Civil War, churches like St. Michael's would paint their steeples and take down their bells. These bells were melted down to make cannon balls. After the war was over, some churches remained "silent churches" as respect for the lives lost in the war. Many lost significant parts of their congregations.