Four Corners of the Law

The Four Corners of the Law is a term commonly used to refer to the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets in Charleston, South Carolina. The term was coined in the 1930's by Robert Ripley, creator of Ripley's Believe it or Not!. St. Michael's Episcopal Church, constructed between 1752 and 1761, stands on the southeast corner of the intersection. In its churchyard are the graves of John Rutledge and Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, signers of the United States Constitution. On the northeast corner of the Four Corners is Charleston City Hall, constructed in the Adamesque style between 1800 and 1804. Across the street, on the northwest corner, stands the Charleston County Courthouse, originally constructed in 1753 as South Carolina's provincial capitol, the building was rebuilt in 1792 for use as a courthouse. On the southwest corner is the United States Post Office, built in 1896, and the Federal Courthouse. The term "Four Corners of the Law" represents the presence of institutions representing federal, state, local and ecclesiastical law on each corner of the intersection.