This is the second-oldest synagogue building in the U.S. and the oldest in continuous use. The congregation was formed in 1749, and the synagogue was erected in 1794, although it was destroyed by fire in 1838. The present building was constructed in 1840 as one of the country’s finest examples of Greek Revival architecture. This was also the birthplace of Reform Judaism in the U.S., with the roots of the movement going back to 1824 and the synagogue one of the founding members in 1873 of what became the Union for Reform Judaism. Francis Salvador, a member of the congregation, was delegate to the South Carolina Provincial Congresses of 1775 and 1776 and the first known Jew to die in the Revolutionary War. The small synagogue museum tells the story of the congregation with rare artifacts, including prayer books dating from 1766.