St. Andrew's Society of Charleston records

The St. Andrew's Society is a social and benevolent organization founded in 1729 in Charleston, South Carolina. Named after the patron saint of Scotland, it is the oldest organization of its type and the progenitor for many other St. Andrews Societies in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Established to "do generous and charitable actions... and [to] promote some public good," the organization initially provided assistance through monetary handouts to the poor and disadvantaged of Charleston. Today the organization provides regular funding to various local charities and educational institutions each year.

While membership in the benevolent society was, for the most part, of Scottish origin, the Society did not limit its membership to Scotchmen or persons of Scottish descent. Membership was open to any person over the age of eighteen, regardless of their nationality, religion, or profession. On the eve of the American Revolution membership in the organization had grown to over one hundred. The American Revolution, and later, the Civil War, would interrupt the activities of the Society, resulting in a decrease in membership. Despite these interruptions, membership in the organization would steadily increase, and in 1897, the Society would pass a resolution limiting the number of members to two hundred, with any additional individuals applying for membership to be placed on a waiting list.

Revenues used for charity were acquired through admission fees, annual dues, and contributions. Additional income was generated from fines, including fines for non-attendance, for refusal to serve as an officer, and for failure to perform committee duty. However, regular membership fees constituted the principal source of revenue for the Society. Charity was extended to all cases that seemed worthy and came within the Society's resources. Any individuals requiring immediate relief could receive any sum under twenty dollars. From 1804 to 1812 the Society also provided elementary education for the disadvantaged children of Charleston through its Society School, located at 49 Church Street.

Prior to the construction of St. Andrew's Hall, organizational meetings were held quarterly in member's homes on the last days of February, May, August, and November. These meetings would eventually be held monthly after 1818. General meetings would be taken up with the reports of the Committee of Charity, later the Committee of Relief, and the Committee on the Treasurers Account, as well as any requests for charity, and new business. The annual anniversary meetings, held on the morning of November 30th, St. Andrew's Day, were taken up with the election of the new officers for the forthcoming year as well as the officers for the various committees that comprised the St. Andrew's Society. The day would conclude with the annual anniversary banquet. Originally a small affair consisting of dinner, music, and various toasts, in time the celebration would grow to include bagpipe processions, greetings from sister societies, poems, speeches, addresses by prominent speakers of the day, and honored guests.

Completed in 1815 and located on Broad Street, the St. Andrew's Hall became the headquarters of the St. Andrew's Society and an epicenter for Charleston's social, cultural, and political events. When South Carolina delegates gathered to formally renounce allegiance to the United States, St. Andrew's Hall was selected as the meeting place and has the distinction of being the site where the Ordinance of Succession was signed. In 1861, a fire destroyed a portion of the city, including St. Andrew's Hall. Afterwards the Society would hold their meetings at various locations throughout Charleston. In 1867, the Society began holding its monthly meetings at the South Carolina Society Hall, located on 72 Meeting Street, where the Society still holds its meetings to this day.