While you’re stuck at home, we would like to share with you some of our favorite places in Charleston. Join the Preservation Society every week, as we share a virtual tour through the diverse burial grounds of the Charleston Cemetery Historic District!
Incorporated in 1849, Magnolia Cemetery’s founders hired local architect Edward C. Jones to design the grounds and buildings of the cemetery. By July of 1850, the grounds were laid out and main avenues of looped roads were constructed. Man-made lakes supplied with water from the Cooper River and a footbridge were constructed, all to give romantic variety to the landscape. Historically, Jones’ design featured a chapel, keeper’s house, receiving tomb, and formal garden. Of these structures, only the receiving tomb is known to be original to Jones’ design. Since its founding, this nondenominational cemetery has grown to include over 30,000 burial sites, including those of many of Charleston’s most renowned historical figures. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and today occupies approximately 150 acres.
