6:00 pm
In the early 1700’s Charleston earned the nickname “the Holy City”, but it wasn’t just for its numerous church steeples that form our skyline. The nickname is paired with the fact that it was widely recognized as a city of religious tolerance. The earliest settlers to Charles Towne, named for King Charles II, were British, but were later followed by immigrants from Scotland, France, Germany, Ireland, and others. They brought numerous Protestant denominations to Charleston as well as Judaism and Roman Catholicism. Immigrants of all faiths came to Charleston for this religious freedom. The Trinity Methodist Church congregation was founded in 1791 and is one of many historic churches in downtown Charleston. Inside one of the smaller chapels of the church is a large stained-glass window that survived the Charleston Fire of 1861, the Civil War, and the Charleston Earthquake of 1886. It is recognized as the oldest original stained-glass window in Historic Charleston.
6:45 pm - 11:00 pm
Originally constructed in 1840, Hibernian Hall is nationally significant for its use during the 1860 Democratic Convention, in which a badly divided Democratic Party failed to select a single presidential nominee, ensuring victory for the Republican Party in coming election. Hibernian Hall was the headquarters for Democratic candidate Stephen A. Douglas, and many hoped that he would bridge the gap between the northern and southern delegates. The first floor was used for meetings, and the upper floor was filled with hundreds of cots for the Democratic delegates, as the Mills House Hotel next door was far past its own capacity. It is the only remaining building involved with the 1860 Convention, one of the significant events that led to the Civil War.