Reaching up to spire's top long agoBy Ann Mitchell
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Ann Mitchell It's cool to have touched the top of the tallest steeple in the Holy City. Only problem is, I can't remember doing it. Back on Jan. 13, 1965, a fire at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church sent the steeple tumbling into the churchyard. The 265-foot-tall steeple was once the tallest structure in the state, according to the city of Charleston's tour guide study book, and as the folks at the church will tell you, even today, no point in the city is higher than the top of their steeple. At the time of the fire, my father, Jack Mitchell, was a Charleston architect who had done some work for the church, and he got a call asking for his help with the restoration. One day when the steeple was resting on its side in the churchyard, Mom and Dad bundled me up along with my two older sisters for a special trip from our house in Mount Pleasant to downtown Charleston. When we got to St. Matthew's, Dad carefully led us over to the steeple and told us to touch the top of it. "Now you can tell everybody that you touched the top of the tallest building in Charleston!" he said. I was 2 1/2 years old. Much has changed since then, but St. Matthew's steeple still stands as tall as ever, a special place in the Holy City. Nothing can touch it — believe me. Ann Mitchell is the features editor for The Post and Courier. |
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Comments
This article has 4 comment(s)
Posted by CedarPosts on July 2, 2008 at 10:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Turn carefully back the pages of Charleston's history and you'll find some remarkable things.
Did you know that most of the remains of the steeple are still where they fell on the church grounds? Look to the south side near the entrance, marked at least back several years ago by a small plaque.
http://cedarposts.blogspot.com
Posted by STREETLAW on July 2, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Was it that long ago? We piled the kids in the car and drove downtown from James Island and watched the spectacle from the other side of Marion Square. One of the most dramatic fires I had seen in the city since the Tidewater Terminal fire over a decade earlier.
Does anyone remember what caused the church fire?
Posted by Tulane75 on July 3, 2008 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember that day! After my Bar-Mitzvah lesson on Radcliff Street, my grandfather picked me up and took me over to King Street. It was a Sunday morning and very cold, if I remember correctly. We watched the firemen work, but the destruction was sad indeed.
Posted by CedarPosts on July 3, 2008 at 4:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
According to the church history: “The St. Matthew’s fire.” was caused by the overheating of an incandescent light fixture located in the rear of the Gallery while the interior of the sanctuary was being repainted.
Members of the congregation waded in knee-deep water throughout the night in an effort to save as much of the interior of the sanctuary as possible. The pulpit, lectern, altar, baptismal font, chancel windows, candelabra and windows underneath the Gallery were saved. According to the church history: “The St. Matthew's fire” was caused by the overheating of an incandescent light fixture located in the rear of the Gallery while the interior of the sanctuary was being repainted.
Members of the congregation waded in knee-deep water throughout the night in an effort to save as much of the interior of the sanctuary as possible. The pulpit, lectern, altar, baptismal font, chancel windows, candelabra and windows underneath the Gallery were saved.