Charleston County · Marker 10-112
College of Charleston
N side of George St., between St. Philip St. and Porters Lodge, Charleston
Front inscription
Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, the College of Charleston is the oldest college in S.C. and is among the oldest in the U.S. The Cistern Yard, representing the core of campus, has three buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Randolph Hall (c.1830), Porter’s Lodge (1851), and Towell Library (1856). Randolph Hall is one of the longest-serving academic buildings in the U.S.
Reverse inscription
Initially a private school, in 1837 the College became the first municipal college in the country. It resumed private operations in 1949 to avoid racial integration. The school was all-male until 1918 and integrated in 1967. It became a public institution again in 1970, overseen by the State of South Carolina. In 1972, the College established its first graduate program and formalized its status as a university in 1992.