The site of present-day Middleton Place was deeded in 1675, just five years after the first permanent English settlement in South Carolina. Mary and John Williams built the family home on a bluff above the Ashley River not far from Charleston. Their daughter married Henry Middleton who laid out an enormous English garden.
Oldest Landscaped Gardens at Middleton Place
Middleton ancestors added to the main house, built a rice mill, brought in varieties of exotic plants, and introduced azaleas, roses and tea olives. The end result is America's oldest landscaped gardens, designed in perfect harmony and symmetry. A carpet of deep green sculpted grass gradates to the river below. Throughout the year, but especially in the spring, the garden is ablaze in vibrant shades of yellow, pink, orange and white from roses, tulips, camellias and azaleas. Spanish moss drips from age-old oaks.
Four generations of Middletons who served their country resided on the plantation from 1741 to 1865. Henry Middleton was a president of the First Continental Congress. Arthur Middleton signed the Declaration of Independence. A second Henry Middleton was a South Carolona governor and later served as minister to Russia. Following another course in history, Williams Middleton signed the ordinance of Secession.
Middleton Place Illustrates Early Plantation Life
After a great earthquake and years of neglect, the gardens were restored, and guests were welcomed. Today, visitors can tour Middleton Place House to view rare original furnishings, silver, china, historic documents and books.
Learn more about early plantation life at the bricked stableyards where craftspeople do demonstrations in carpentry, blacksmithing, dying and weaving of flax and wool, candle-making, pottery throwing and cow milking. Dressed in 18th century garb, these crafters are surrounded by the domestic animals that live and work among them such as goats, lambs, water buffalo, sheep, horses and colorful peacocks.
Nearby, Eliza's House was built in the 1870s for those emancipated slaves who wanted to stay at Middleton Place after the Civl War. The simple dwelling was named for Eliza Leach, the last African-American to live there. In the house, visitors learn how the plantation was impacted by the labor of African-Americans.
Adjacent to the main house are a restaurant, garden market, museum shop and 55-room inn set in the tranquil woodlands. Guests of the inn can take advantage of the plantation's natural habitat with kayak tours, black water cypress swamp excursions, nature hikes and horseback riding.
Throughout the year, Middleton Place offers special public events such as springtime camellia walks, summer wine strolls, and interactive hands-on rice planting, cultivation and harvest. Plantation Days in the fall explore different aspects of 18th and 19th century plantation life. Family yuletide and grand illumination highlight the Christmas holidays.
Middleton Place National Historic Landmark
Middleton Place House, the plantation stableyards and America's oldest landscaped gardens are all part of the 110-acre Middleton Place National Historic Landmark, which was designated in 1972. The Landmark, Middleton Inn and Middleton Riding and Hunt Stables are within 725 acres on the National Register of Historic Places.
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