25. First Baptist Church   
61 Church Street
circa 1822

The First Baptist Church, often referred to as the “Mother Church of Southern Baptists,” is the oldest Baptist church in the South. The church was designed by Robert Mills and dedicated in 1822. Mills considered the First Baptist Church to be “the best specimen of correct taste in architecture of all the modern buildings in this city.” He described the building as “purely Greek in its style,” although it is more accurately described as a Georgian Composition. The trim Doric portico topped with triglyphed entablature and pediment are decidedly Greek in style, however they are juxtaposed Roman arches and Tuscan columns.

26. Edmondston-Alston House   
21 East Battery
circa 1825

The house bears two names to recall two of its distinguished prior owners. Charles Edmondston commissioned the house and was the first to live there. It was later sold to a wealthy rice planter named Charles Alston. The Middleton Place Foundation has opened the first two floors of this beautiful home as a house museum. For a small fee you can step back in time to the antebellum period of Charleston’s history.

27. White Point Gardens   
The Battery
circa 1844-1845

Also known as Battery Park, this Charleston landmark is located at the south end of town along the waterfront. There are several reminders of the Civil War on display, such as cannons and the statue shown. There is a also a picturesque gazebo. The walk from Battery Park to the main pier is very interesting with several old houses along the way. Also, this area has parking along the waterfront, so if you are having trouble finding a spot downtown, perhaps you can try along this historic spot. A visit to Charleston is not complete without a visit to the Battery.

28. Calhoun Mansion   
14-16 Meeting Street
circa 1876

The land upon which this Italianate manor house was built was originally part of the plot of the Lowndes House, property of Gov. Charles Pinckney, and the site of three visits by George Washington in 1791. Recognized as one of the greatest post-Civil War homes on the Eastern Seaboard, the Calhoun Mansion is the largest residence in Charleston with 24,000 square feet, 35 rooms, 14-foot ceilings, a grand ballroom, 35 fireplaces, and a 75-foot high domed ceiling in the stairwell. After a succession of owners, the house gradually deteriorated, was condemned in 1972, and finally saved and renovated over the past 25 years.

29. Miles Brewton House   
27 Kings Street
circa 1765

This house is considered to be one of the finest Georgian Palladian houses in America, and is still owned by descendants for original owner and slave trader Miles Brewton. The “Charleston double house” features ornate marble steps and platform, and an elliptical fanlight. In 1822 after reports of an attempted slave uprising, a vast wrought iron barrier of “cheveaux-de-frise” was added. It was used as a military headquarters during the Revolutionary and the Civil Wars. The history and stories of the house and its residents are numerous and legendary.

30. First (Scots) Presbyterian Church   
53 Meeting Street
circa 1814

This church was organized in 1731 by 12 Scottish families. The first structure on this site was built in 1734. The current building was constructed in 1814, making it the fifth oldest church building in Charleston. The building features twin towers capped by domes and a partially recessed portico. In 1863 the congregation voted to donate their bells to the Confederacy, and they were not replaced until 1999. The window over the main entrance displays the seal of the Church of England, and because it survived a fire in 1945, the seal’s motto, “Nevertheless it was not consumed,” is all the more poignant.