Here’s an old white building somewhere in South Carolina. Where is it? Any other information you can provide? Send your guess to feedback@statehousereport.com — and remember to include your name, home city and contact information.
Last week’s mystery, “Repair work,” really tested veteran photo sleuths. It showed construction work – and a lot of scaffolding – around the steeple of Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Charleston.
Hats off to these intrepid readers for getting it right: Bill Segars of Hartsville; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Jim McMahon and Carol Ann Smalley, both of Charleston; and Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant. Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, wins the perseverance award for identifying the photo a few days after he gave up. Happy holidays, all!
Segars shared that the Second Presbyterian Church is the oldest of its denomination in Charleston. “”The congregation was established on April 24, 1809, and brothers James and John Gordon designed and built this Classical Revival building for the first service on April 3, 1811. The cost of the structure even at that time was $100,000. It has seen many alterations and renovations during its 210-year life.
“This renovation is due to a lighting strike that caused a fire in the steeple. Fortunately this occurred during the daylight hours of April 19, 2020, so it was noticed rather quickly, providing the capable Charleston Fire Department a good chance to extinguish the fire before it spread to the interior of the building. April seems to be an eventful month for Second Pres.”
- Send us a mystery. If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com and mark it as a photo submission. Thanks.
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