My First Cemetery Nightwalk

With my class, I explored two churchyards on a dark and eerie night. Our goal was to identify different types of headstones and explore the past of those buried there. The first churchyard we visited was the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul on Coming Street. It is an Anglican Church which is composed of various believers including Reformed, Catholic, and Evangelical. Slaves crafted the historic, gothic church in 1815. It's cemetery has 626 memorials most of which date back to the 1700-1800s.

We then went around the corner to St. Patrick Catholic Church. Construction of this church began on St. Patricks Day (March 17th) of 1838. On May 17, 1887, the church was consecrated. This churchyard has less variety of monument types. It was smaller, but just as old as the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul.

box tomb

To the left is a more elaborate monument. It is a box tomb of Lieut Benjamin Secundus Grimke and his one year old daughter. He was born August 30th, 1798 and died on November 18, 1825 (27 years old). The two died in the Shipwreck of the Harvest at Boddy's Island. He was married to Mary Augusta Barron Heyward who was buried in New Jersey.

About the Author

My familie's cats Congo and Garfield

My name is Mikayla and I am a student at the College of Charleston taking a course called "Beyond the Grave." I am from New York, but have been living in South Carolina for some years now. While I love the hustle and bustle (as well as the Yankees), the Lowcountry has my heart. I am majoring in international business with a minor in global logistics and transport. With this I hope to become an airline broker as a profession and a pilot just for fun. Seeing the world and experiencing authentic cultures is one of my biggest goals. I also love to cook, be outside, do embroidery, spoil my cat, go to concerts, and be with my friends! :)