Vtg Large Albumen Photo Original Grave, John Calhoun, Charleston SOUTH CAROLINA

Description: Large albumen photograph of the grave of John C. Calhoun, St. Philip’s Churchyard West. This 9.25" x 6.75” albumen photo of John C. Calhoun’s grave/final burial site—not to be confused with his modern tombstone. This photo is of great historical significance as it is taken from a different angle of the three grave photos pictured in Thompson, Jack: Charleston at War: The Photographic Record 1860-1865. Calhoun, born on March 18, 1782 and died in Washington DC of tuberculosis on March 31, 1850. His body was placed in a new kind of sarcophagus-like casket, “Fisk’s Patent Metallic Burial Case”,, lay in state in the Senate chamber of the US capitol. The face plate of the casket was removed so that the face could be viewed through the glass. A silver plate on the casket carried the inscription, “John C. Calhoun, born 18th march 1782. Died 31st March, 1850.” The body was transported to the Congressional Cemetery and placed in a vault to await transport to Charleston. The casket arrived Charleston on April 25th, 1850. After a procession to City Hall where Calhoun lay in state, the casket was at last placed in a vault in the west cemetery of St. Philip’s churchyard. Locals feared Yankees would desecrate the grave/body of Calhoun who was labeled the “Firebrand of the Confederacy” beginning with his secession efforts while US Vice President under Andrew Jackson using the Nullification process over tariffs. On April 15, 1863, when Union forces were about to invade Charleston, Calhoun’s casket was exhumed , placed in a wooden box, and moved to a place under the north gallery stairs of the church building and the next night buried next to the church. For added security, different workmen were used each night—the crew that exhumed did not rebury the casket. Following the war, the coffin was returned in 1871 to its original site in the West churchyard. In 1884, the casket was moved once again to it current location in the west churchyard. In this photograph taken in an east to west exposure shows the magnolia sapling at the northern end of the bricked grave has survived in its same location of the later/current monument over the grave in ? year. Ref. Harrington, Hugh T. “John C. Calhoun’s Casket” in Carologue, ,Fall 2009, pp. 24-25 and Thompson, Jack: Charleston at War: The Photographic Record 1860-1865, I-14.

Price: 400 USD

Location: Clemmons, North Carolina

End Time: 2025-01-19T15:55:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 14.95 USD