Name/Title
68 Spring Street (St. James Methodist Church / Karpeles Manuscript Museum)Entry/Object ID
SPRING.068.1Scope and Content
Constructed ca 1856. In 1797, St. James's Chapel was established on upper King Street near Line Street. In 1816, St. James's was formally accepted by the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1856, the congregation sold its King Street property and built a new church here renamed the Spring Street Methodist Church. The building was incomplete in 1862 when the Confederate government began to use it as a medical storehouse. During the Federal occupation, the building was used by a black Methodist congregation. By order of the President of the United States, it was restored to the original trustees after the war and in March 1868, the Spring Street congregation returned. Designed by architects Louis J. Barbot and John H. Seyle, the brick and stucco temple has a portico with giant order Corinthian columns and is set on a high brick basement. Pilasters on the sides and back are stepped, diminishing as they ascend. The church was severely damaged by the 1886 earthquake but was sufficiently repaired for use by early 1888. In 1946, the original name of St. James was restored. Today currently serves as Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, the world's largest private collection of original manuscripts and documents. The Karpeles Library System (there are nine nationwide) was founded in 1983 by California real estate magnates, David and Marsha Karpeles, with the goal of stimulating interest in learning, especially among children. (City of Charleston Tour Guide Training Manual.)
File contains newspaper articles (1995); building history from Tour Guide Training Manual (2011); building history from Architectural Guide to Charleston (by Simons & Thomas); excerpts about the church from souvenir publications and from Historic Churches of Charleston; correspondence related to zoning variance and HCF's opposition (1994).Collection
Historic Charleston Foundation Property RecordsAcquisition
Accession
SPRING.068.Source or Donor
68 Spring Street (St. James Methodist Church)Acquisition Method
Collected by StaffLexicon
Search Terms
Spring Street, Uptown, Radcliffeborough and Cannonborough, St. James Methodist Church (Charleston, S.C.), Church buildingsArchive Details
Archive Size/Extent
1 File FolderArchive Notes
Finding Aids: Index to Property Files.
Level of Description: FolderLocation
Location
Shelf
Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023Location
Container
PF Box 98Shelf
Prop File Shelves, Property File ShelvesRoom
Margaretta P. Childs ArchivesBuilding
Missroon HouseCategory
PermanentRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Barbot, Louis J.Person or Organization
Seyle, John H.Related Entries
Notes
2021.011.1, HUGO.002.038, SPRING.068.2Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
April 17, 2012Updated By
admin@catalogit.appUpdate Date
February 17, 2023