Like many groups arriving early in America�s history, the French Huguenots who disembarked in Charleston in 1680 were seeking freedom of religious expression. They found it in South Carolina, and the success of their congregation attracted their brethren to the area. Although many Huguenots chose to integrate into American culture, the influence of the Charleston church was great enough that repairs to the building after the Charleston Earthquake of 1886 were immediately funded through donations.
