Post on the Old Charlestonian "Arnoldus Vanderhorst"

Following the war, Vanderhorst spent most of his time in Charleston. He operated a mercantile firm and came to own considerable property around the city.

Arnoldus Vanderhorst 

Governor. Vanderhorst, the son of Arnoldus Vanderhorst and Elizabeth Simons, was born on March 21, 1748, in Christ Church Parish. He married Elizabeth Raven on March 5, 1771, and they had six children together. A successful planter and slaveholder, Vanderhorst owned a 1,350-acre plantation on Kiawah Island as well as substantial landholdings elsewhere in South Carolina     

1790 United States Census

Vanderhorst's carrier began in 1772, when he was elected to the Thirtieth Royal Assembly by Christ Church Parish. As the Revolutionary War approached, he served on the Committee of Ninety-Nine (1774) and representing his home parish in the First (1775) and Second (1775–1776) Provincial Congresses. During the war, Vanderhorst served as a militia captain at Haddrell’s Point (1776) and as a colonel under General Francis Marion (1782).

Following the war, Vanderhorst spent most of his time in Charleston. He operated a mercantile firm and came to owned numerous properties around the city. He also became an active figure in civic affairs, serving twice as the mayor for Charleston (1785– 1786, 1791) and as a trustee for the College of Charleston (1785–1791). Still a landowner in Christ Church, he represented that parish in the General Assembly nine times between 1776 and 1794, twice in the House and seven times in the Senate.

Vanderhorst mansion present day,
listed in the National Register of Historic places in 1973

Vanderhost Plantation 1801

Vanderhorst’s Federalist connections, led to his election as governor on December 17, 1794. While in office he requested improvement of state jail facilities and sought revision of the criminal code, proposing “instead of the indiscriminate punishment of death …inflict a long or short term of solitary confinement on the offenders, in some measure proportionate to their crime.”(Vanderhorst)

State Penitentiary 1866 to 1994

Vanderhorst served a final term in the House as a representative for St. Philip’s and St. Michael’s Parishes (1798–1799). He died in Charleston on January 29, 1815, and was buried at St. Michael’s Churchyard.

               

Arnoldus Vanderhorst headstone

St. Michael's Episcopal Church 

             

Trip to the One and Only Magnolia Cemetery!

Last Monday I visited the one and only Magnolia Cemetery with my FYE classmates. My overall impressions of the historic cemetery were all positive. I enjoyed learning and hearing stories about some of the people buried there. We also got to walk the paths and actually go into some of the mausoleums which was a very unique experience.  I found Magnolia to be chillingly beautiful and different from any cemeteries I visited prior. I'm glad I got to explore/experience it along with my "Beyond the Grave Classmates"!

Pictured is one of the ponds and the bridge that leads
to the other side of the cemetery. 

I enjoyed walking the beautiful grounds that the cemetery sits on. Magnolia has a prime location, with views of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, and the Cooper River. According to magnoliacemetery.net the cemetery first opened in 1850, and sits on what used to be a rice plantation. In the past people would come to the cemetery for picnics, play, and to visit lost loved ones. I can see why people would picnic there and enjoy the grounds and its many offerings like ponds, old oak trees and lots of green space perfect for picnicking. Magnolia's many paths make it easy to walk around and observe the graves of the 35,000 people buried there. 

Pictured above is one of the many beautiful old oak trees at Magnolia Cemetery. I've always found oak trees very beautiful, and I think that they add a lot of character and uniqueness to Magnolia Cemetery.

William Burroughs Smith Pyramid (1894)

The William B. Smith Pyramid is one of my favorite monuments that I saw at Magnolia. It's one of my favorites because of it's large size and unique pyramid shape that immediately drew my eyes to it. This monument is featured in Patrick Harwood's book, "In the Arms of Angles". The book says that William B. Smith was a weathy merchant, banker, investor, and financier. He became a successful cotton merchant who went on to have a long carrier at the Union Bank in Charleston. His estimated wealth was $2 million, which would be about 20 million in today's dollar. The pyramid was an idea his 3 daughters come up with, they chose to memorialize him in a style of Egyptian Revival funerary architecture. One of a few dozen massive mausoleum's found in America. Was designed by Francias D. Lee, an associate of Magnolia Cemetery designer Edward C. Jones. 

Inside of the William Burroughs Smith Pyramid

When you peak through the entrance of the monument you can see Tiffany-styled stained glass. I found this beautiful and had to take a picture of the light shining through the colorful glass. I find it amazing that after more than a hundred years the glass is still vibrant in color. Engraved in the glass you can see multiple flowers and ivy leaves. The flowers symbolize the frailty of life and the leaves symbolize memory, immortality, friendship, fidelity, faithfulness, undying affection, eternal life.

Vanderhorst Mausoleum (Circa 1856)

This is another monument that stood out to me, the door in particular is what caught my eye first. Its marble finish and abstract cross design make it hard to miss. This monument is dedicated to the Vanderhorst family. They had a plantation on Kiawah Island in the 1700s. There is actually a street named after them near the College of Charleston's campus. Arnoldus Van Der Horst was a Revolutionary War hero, he also served as Charleston's mayor twice. According to "In the Arms of Angles", the Vanderhorsts likely saw themselves as tycoons and  wanted their wealth to live on through such an iconic monument. The stucco collored columns symbolize mortality and the prominence of the Vanderhorst family. 

Charles Otto Charlotte Sophia Reeves Witte Monument (circa 1890)

When we walked by this monument I remember asking myself what the image on the face of it is. It is still a mystery to me but my best guess is that it's a Native American, because she looks like he's wearing a headdress. But I also think it has some similarities to a goddess because she has wings. The top of the monument is a Celtic Cross which symolizes hope and eternal life.

This monument was designed by the famous Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of Charles Tiffany who founded New York's Tiffany & Co.. Tiffany designed this monument for Charles and Charlotte Witte. Charles was born in Blomberg, Germany into a wealthy family. In 1846 at he age of 22, Charles immigrated  to New York City. Then moved he moved to Charleston in 1847 because of a job opening. In just two years he started his own business. At the age of 43 he met Charlotte(Lottie) who was only 21. After getting married they moved to Europe but after only a year they were back in Charleston where Charles become the president of People's National Bank until 1899. Lottie passed away in 1890 at the young age of 44. Charles lived another 18 years before he passed at age 85 in 1908.

Pictured: Me (Erin Hogan) and Hannah Harvey 

Overall I really enjoyed my first trip to this "Grand Victorian Necropolis". I'm glad I had the opportunity to visit and learn about Magnolia's history and some of the people  buried there. I also enjoyed walking the paths and the beautiful location that magnolia sits on. I would like to revisit Magnolia Cemetery sometime in the future to discover and notice more about the unique monuments. 

Ruth Miller's Class Talk

Ruth Miller

A very ventured woman, with interesting facts and stories about topics relating to Charleston's history. Ruth Miller owned a tour guide business for over 30 years and this took her to many different places around the United States. Living in different areas she grew a passion for history.

Ruth's Interest in Cemeteries

In society today and the past, death is feared and unknown. But after Miller visited with a group of morticians, she discovered that it's the opposite. We all know that death is inevitable and that we cannot escape it. After talking to the morticians she began to explore different cemeteries and acquire many facts about the people buried in them. Ruth wrote books about what she saw and learned at the different locations. The book is titled Touring the Tombstones -A Guide To Charleston’s Historic Graveyard.

In Ruth talk she says that "graveyards tell you who is important and who isn't". To give a little context to this quote, Miller was addressing the fact that Baptist churches didn't bury blacks in the church graveyards. Though both whites and blacks made up the church congregation, they were not treated as equals. For every one white person there would be four blacks. However, the graveyard was used for the whites while blacks were buried in separate burial grounds. 

Charleston Graveyards and Cemeteries

Ruth discovered that the graveyards in Charleston are congregations of religious groups from all over the world. She said that "we had more religious freedom than any of the 13 colonies". She also states that "Charleston has more 18th centenery graveyards than any city in colonial America". Each graveyard was distinguished by religion and ruth was able to determine were people migrated from in the 1600s. 

Immigrants of European descent were the primary occupants of the grave sites. Many different religions from Europe had their own church or meeting houses in Charleston. One example being the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. It is the oldest English speaking church in the Carolina's and Georgia.  

More about St Mary's Roman Catholic Church...

Originated from the French after they fled from Haiti. The Roman Catholic church contains lots of iconography, because like some may not know, the Roman Catholics attending at that time couldn't read or write and much of the sermon was given in Latin, so they depended on such images to make correlations to biblical figures according to Miller. 

Charleston's Religious Freedom

Ruth Miller talks about the colonial times, a time when religious freedom wasn't allowed. Charleston was the only city that allowed people their religious freedom. This became somewhat of a business deal for the city. It resulted in large groups of people with all kinds of religious backgrounds to pour into our city of Charleston. 

A little about the Quakers(Anglicans)...

Newbold-White House: A Colonial Quaker Homestead
Oldest known brick house in North Carolina that is open to the public

The Quaker religion converted to the Anglican Church in the 18th century. The Quakers were given all of James Island. Fun fact: Quakers don't meet in churches they meet in meeting houses. According to Carolana.com, the Quaker's meetings were held in private homes until 1715, when a meeting house was finally built in Charleston. This meeting house is on Meeting Street, which is how meeting street got its name! Many of the early members were buried in the Friends Burying ground. By 1791, there were only fifteen members in Charleston.