Established in 1670, Mother Church of the Province, originally stood on the site where St Michael's stands today. The second structure at the present site was completed in 1724 but destroyed by fire in 1835. The present building was constructed between 1835 and 1838. During the Civil war its bells were converted into a cannon. On July 4, 1976, new bells were placed in the steeple, and again St. Philip's was known as the lighthouse church, a light having been put into the steeple to help guide ships to port. The federal government actually maintained this light early into this century. In the churchyard are the graves of John C. Calhoun, Edward Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, and Dubose Heyward.
