Know Before You Go
Just two miles beyond Moncks Corner, look for the historic ruins of Biggin Church. Damaged by fire several times since its founding in 1711, the building was rebuilt in 1761 and again in 1781. Only two walls remain, but you can still appreciate the elaborate brickwork and stroll through the surrounding cemetery. During the British occupation of Charleston in 1781, these tranquil grounds were part of a British outpost, established as a supply depot to furnish ammunition and provisions to patrolling British troops, with the tents of hundreds of men forming a city around the sacred sanctuary. There were 600 British Regulars and 150 mounted South Carolina Loyalist soldiers stationed here under the command of Colonel John Coates.
Biggin Church was part of an important military base for the British Army because it was strategically located at the intersection of roads that led southeast to the Cooper River and Charleston. In the summer of 1781, Patriot Brigadier General Thomas Sumter sent his cavalry units to patrol British supply routes between the Lowcountry and Charleston. He assigned Lieutenant Colonel Hezekiah Maham to destroy nearby Wadboo Bridge, which would obstruct the British supply line from Charleston and hinder Coates’s movement. Colonel Peter Horry’s Light Dragoons would reinforce Maham.
Parking
There are no parking spots, but there is some small pull off space alongside the cemetery.
