Last New Year’s we were in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and had an amazing time. After the new year celebration was over, we headed to Charleston to visit one of my high school friends. We had been to South Carolina before to see the state capitol, but had never really explored the area. I have to say, it is absolutely gorgeous. Our hosts showed us a great time and were wonderful tour guides.
One of the places that they took us was to see the Middleton Place Plantation. We had been to Monticello in Virginia before, so I had a small idea of what to expect, but this place was way more than I was expecting. First of all, it is HUGE. It is approximately 110 acres! They have 65 acres of lush gardens, a 900-year-old oak tree, lakes, rice fields, stables, and our course the houses for the owners and the slave quarters. There is also the Inn at Middleton Place for those who want to explore more. They even have gift shops if you are interested.
Before I share more about our visit, I thought I would share a little about the Middleton family and what makes this place so unique among other plantations. John Williams began building Middleton Place in the late 1730s, Eventually Williams son-in-law, Henry Middleton took over the project and completed the house’s main section, its north and south flankers, and began early work on the elaborate gardens. Much later, Middleton’s grandson and great-grandsons, Henry Middleton and Willian Middleton oversaw the transition of Middleton’s Place to a more active rice plantation. Sadly toward the end of the civil war in 1865, U.S. Civil War union soldiers burned most of the house sparing only the south wing, some walls of the north wing, and the main house.
In 1916, Middleton descendant John Julius Pringle Smith and his wife Heningham began the slow process of rebuilding the plantation’s gardens. They also had an architect design a complex of barns, stables, work buildings, and cottages. In the late 1970’s Middleton Place was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Middleton descendants transferred ownership to the non-profit Middleton Place Foundation which maintains the site to this date.
On a historical note, the Foundation opened Middleton Place to the public on February 22, 1975, exactly 110 years to the day after all three parts of the house were burned. Today, guided tours of the House Museum introduce visitors to the men, women, and children who made Middle Place their home for over three centuries. Their stories are told through a collection of original portraits, furniture, silver, china, documents, and many other period objects. One of the main things I wanted to see was the facsimile copy of the Declaration of Independence. A note of history, Arthur Middleton, son of Henry Middleton and Mary Baker Williams, was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. I thought that was so cool.
As we started in the garden I will share some info about the garden. The first thing I noticed, and you can’t miss it even in the winter, is the Spanish moss that is everywhere. The other thing we saw a lot was what is called Camellia Japonica. While there were a few flowers here and there, it was winter so it wasn’t as beautiful as I imagine it is in the spring. What was impressive was the huge reflecting pool on the west side of the gardens. It is apparently 800 feet by 100 feet. It was so beautiful and we had to stop on our way to take a bunch of pictures, including some of our friends, lol. While we had a great time exploring, the gardens we HUGE and we had a timed ticket for the house tour. We did get “lost” for a little while in the gardens, which was a little fun.
We made it to the house tour on time and had to place all our stuff in a locked locker, including our cameras. 🙁 No photos. 🙁 Anyway, we made our way into the two-story Middle Place House. The first floor included the Main Room, Music Room, Front Hall, and Dining Room. The main room contains portraits of the four generations of Middleton Place stewards from 1741-1883. We also saw some family silver pieces made in England between 1765 and 1771 in this room. It is in a cabinet next to a beautiful fireplace, which also contained some silver pieces on top. The front room was very informative and historical. In it we saw watercolors done by John Izard Middleton who is often considered the first American classical archaeologist. There is also a case with a gold tiara mostly liked worn by Mary Helen Middleton, as well as a pass signed by President Lincoln allowing a Middleton daughter-in-law safe passage through Union lines. How scary. There are also artifacts reflecting the lives of plantation mistresses and their slaves. These include cookbooks, a silver soup tureen, a Charleston slave badge purchased to allow an enslaved servant to work for hire, and a library button marked with the family crest. It is a very interesting room. In the dining room, they display an early 19th-century table set with silver epergne and candlesticks both made in London in 1771 and engraved with the Middleton coat of arms.
We eventually made our way up to the second floor which included the Summer Bedroom, the Child’s Room, the Winter Bedroom, and the Library. The summer bedroom depicts their belief of how the bedroom looked when it was the residence of both Henry and Arthur Middleton. The rice bed is draped in mosquito netting and pushed to the center of the room to catch the river breeze. No air conditioning, duh, lol. The Child’s Room was added in 1870 restoration and contains a rosewood dressing and sewing table inlaid with mother of pearl marquetry. On a side note, outside of this room, there are leather-covered metal buckets to hold sand for extinguishing fires. I don’t know why, but this made the experience even sadder for me for some reason. Eventually we made our way to the Winter Bedroom. In this room, there is also a rice bed with a leather trunk at its foot bearing the signature of Governor Henry Middleton. The Library is very interesting. It contains a photograph of the main house and north flanker after 1865 burning by Union troops but before the great earthquake of 1886. It is amazing it, as well as any documentation, made it through both incidents and we are able to see it today.
After we finished touring this amazing house, we explored more of the area including the stableyards. Apparently the stables are home to cattle, cashmere goats, water buffalo, Gulf Coast Sheep, Belgian Horses, and hogs. Sadly we didn’t get to see many animals but we did see horses, goats, and sheep. Very close to the stableyards is Eliza’s House. It is a reconstruction era African American freedman’s dwelling containing a permanent exhibit on slavery. It’s titled Beyond the Fields and is based on extensive research over the course of a decade. The exhibit documents the story of slavery in South Carolina and at Middle Place. It is named Eliza House as she, Eliza Leach, was its last resident. As stated, the building is now a museum and was opened in 1991. It is very informative and worth checking out if you are on the grounds.
It was a very eye-opening experience and one they are very happy to share. I really liked the way the tour guide just explained how it was during those times. No excuses, no apologies, just straight-up facts. No need to downplay or sugarcoat it, and I think that made it more real and authentic. I went through many emotions while on the tour, but so glad we were able to visit. Here is a link to their website with more info. Even if you don’t have time for the house tour, make sure to check out the grounds if you are in the area. It is so amazing and beautiful. I can see why many people choose Middleton Place for an unforgettable wedding venue. If you have been to Middleton Place Plantation, please drop a line and share your visit. I would love to hear from you. Happy travels.
