View the Video version of this Episode at: https://www.jenniferobrienhomes.com/2022/04/12/four-corners-of-law/
Do you know where to find the 4 Corners of Law in Charleston?
Stay tuned and I’ll tell you where it’s located!
The intersection of Meeting and Broad St. was coined the “Four Corners of Law” by Robert Ripley – of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! – in the 1930s. The four corner buildings represent God’s law (St. Michael’s Episcopal Church), State Law (Charleston County Courthouse), City Law (Charleston City Hall), and Federal Law (Federal Courthouse).
God’s law is represented in the southeast corner, at the famous St. Michael’s Episcopal Church. Constructed in 1751.
Today the church is open for tours and still holds services every Sunday.
Charleston’s City Hall, which represents city law, rests upon the northeast corner of the intersection.
Today, it is the second oldest still-in-use city hall building in the nation. Its history shows through the gallery on the second floor, which features commissioned works of famous visitors – including George Washington + James Monroe.
On the northwest corner is state law – the Charleston County Courthouse, first constructed in 1753 and used as the South Carolina State House. Overlooking Meeting Street, the first reading of the Declaration of Independence in South Carolina was conducted from the balcony of the second floor.
The United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse rests on the southeast corner, representing federal law.
It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and still functions as a post office and courthouse.
There you have it, the only place in Charleston where you can get hitched, ditched, taxed, and imprisoned all in one intersection.
