OUR GRAVEYARD
St Mary of the Annunciation's Graveyard is a treasury of Charleston's Catholic history that is linked to the present. The first burials took place in the late 1700s. It is estimated that about 550 are buried here, including ancestors of current parishioners. Predominant inscriptions are written in Latin, French and English. Seventeen nationalities are represented, spanning two centuries and three continents. Under the leadership of one of our parishioners, Michael Willson, an updated inventory and mapping of the graveyard began in 2017 and was completed in the spring of 2018. His efforts were assisted by other parishioners and a team of graduate students in Conservation from the College of Charleston, with the guidance of Professor Frances Ford. See below for documents. |
We are called to pray for the faithful departed year round, but the Church focuses more intently on it during the month of November, which is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. God is perfectly just, yet also infinitely merciful, and as members of the Communion of Saints, prayers for those souls in Purgatory can ease their suffering while they undergo purification. In addition, especially during the first week in November, indulgences may be applied to those souls. (See videos below for more information.)
|
|
|
Immediately below are location maps to assist in locating a particular marker number.
The first shows where to find each area on the church grounds, as well as which marker numbers are included in each area.
The remaining twelve show each area in detail, with marker numbers indicated.
Not included in this survey are the five pastors of St Mary's who were buried inside the church. Their stones are on the floor of the aisles.
Rev. Richard S. Baker,1847. Died January 30, 1870
Rev. Claudian B. Northrop, 1870. Died September 21,1882
Rev. Thomas F. Hopkins, D.D., 1894. Died August 23, 1904
Rev. George A. Kraft, 1901. Died April 16, 1923
Rev. Bernard Fleming, 1928. Died January 6, 1931
Additional files are available at the bottom of the page, including complete lists of names
sorted by last name, marker number, and area number, as well as scans of historical documents.
*Please note that these additional resources are extremely large PDF files.*
They may not display properly on mobile devices because of their format and/or size.
The first shows where to find each area on the church grounds, as well as which marker numbers are included in each area.
The remaining twelve show each area in detail, with marker numbers indicated.
Not included in this survey are the five pastors of St Mary's who were buried inside the church. Their stones are on the floor of the aisles.
Rev. Richard S. Baker,1847. Died January 30, 1870
Rev. Claudian B. Northrop, 1870. Died September 21,1882
Rev. Thomas F. Hopkins, D.D., 1894. Died August 23, 1904
Rev. George A. Kraft, 1901. Died April 16, 1923
Rev. Bernard Fleming, 1928. Died January 6, 1931
Additional files are available at the bottom of the page, including complete lists of names
sorted by last name, marker number, and area number, as well as scans of historical documents.
*Please note that these additional resources are extremely large PDF files.*
They may not display properly on mobile devices because of their format and/or size.
graveyard_overview_map.jpg |
graveyard_area01.jpg |
graveyard_area02.jpg |
graveyard_area03.jpg |
graveyard_area04a.jpg |
graveyard_area04b.jpg |
graveyard_area05.jpg |
graveyard_area06.jpg |
graveyard_area07.jpg |
graveyard_area08.jpg |
graveyard_area09.jpg |
graveyard_area10.jpg |
graveyard_area11.jpg |
(PDF files - please note format and size before downloading on mobile devices)
Graveyard Map by Area (very large file, 43MB)
Graveyard Listings by Alpha, 1 (191KB)
Graveyard Listings by Alpha, 2 (194KB)
Graveyard Listings by Location (205KB)
Graveyard Listings by Section Number (201KB)
1936 Inventory List (very large file, 22MB)
"Little Black Book" (very large file, 92MB)