Explore Some More With Ruth

Graveyards. There are a lot of them, especially in Charleston. But why? Why do we see so many different churches representing so many different faiths? And what do mosquitos have to do with them?

Ruth Miller
with one of her favorite tombstones

Guest speaker Ruth Miller, who was a tour guide for more than 40 years in Charleston has the answers and even more knowledge that she shared with us in our last class. She took us through Charleston´s history all the way back to the 1600s when Charleston was still an English colony.

After the Puritans beat the Anglicans in the American Revolution, they chopped off the English King´s head. And is it not interesting that the next King, Charles 2^nd, decided to have a “party time,” as Ruth Miller told us, and gave away his colony? "Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper and his friends were given all of Carolina," Miller stated, and now there are two rivers named after him!

tombstone pictures Miller
brought to show us

She continued, that he was also the one who civilized the land by offering land for free. Furthermore, he made it the only colony with the freedom of religion, making this place very attractive for persecuted believers coming from Europe. Miller added, "All it takes for a religion is seven people," which was very surprising for me!

According to Miller, Anglicans, Quakers, Congregationalists and Baptists came from England- each building their own churches and graveyard. Lutherans came from German-speaking areas, Protestants from France building Huguenot Churches and even more faiths came.

And guess who is responsible for us playing golf here today? Right, the Scots. Scottish Presbyterians came to the South, where slavery was a big part of everyday life. Charleston actually was the center of the English slave market with 30% of all slaves sold in Charleston!  And as very white people coming from Scotland, Presbyterians became rich fast and played European rich people´s sport- golf!

And now, Charleston´s historic district “has more 18 century graveyards then any state of the United 

States,” as Miller let us know. And there are even more interesting facts she told us:

• In 1776 Charleston was as bis as Boston, Massachusetts and had more money than New York
• It was the most cosmopolitan city (mainly because of religious freedom)
• Charleston has no stone; stone was brought by ships with the slaves
• The mosquito plague in the South (killing 60% of the population by yellow fewer) drove rich people north (Boston), bringing back expensively hand-carved slate tombstones
• Charleston has the oldest Jewish Reformed Congregation in the entire world

Ruth Miller´s books

And to also add a little fun fact about Ruth Miller that she told us: She actually got interested in graveyards walking over one at St. Michael´s Church with a tour group of morticians- how peculiar! They started telling her about the buried people´s lives, which sparked her interest.

And if you are also interested to learn more about Charleston´s graveyards and what they tell the living, you should definitely check out Ruth Miller's books about Charleston´s graveyards!