Visit South Carolina

Here on this hub page and in the connected Hub Pages about South Caralina you can find out all kinds of interesting things about the State of S.C. and the many interesting places in S.C. You will also find some interesting reading about South Carolina's Ghosts and much much more. Be sure you check the links at the bottom of the hub page to find our other hub pages on S.C.

Below you can read about Middleton Place Plantation which is located on the Ashley River Road in Charleston S.C.You will also find information and videos about Drayton Hall and the other plantaions you can visit on the Ashley River Road in Charleston S.C. And be sure not to miss the link to our hub page about S.C. Ghosts.

Also below you will find our complete guide to Charleston S.C. If your planning a trip to Charleston S.C. you want to be sure that you check out all the great information below on Charleston S.C. 

A haunting, other worldly aura pervades Charleston's Ashley River Road. Ancient live oaks cast ragged shadows. Spanish moss drifts in the breeze's and winding drives lead to a string of old rice plantaions. The most iconic of these , Middleton Place, offers a glimpse of plantaion life and a stroll through America's oldest and most historic gardens.

The original plantaion house was built sometime in the early 1700's to front the river which served as a highway during colonial and antebellum times. Here slaves loaded barges with Carolina Gold, the rice grown on this sprawling plantation that at its height was home to one of South Carolina's most influential planter families and a large African American Slave Community.

Experience Generations Of History

The Gardens at Middleton Place were laid out in 1741 by Henry Middleton, president of the First Continental Congress. Henry's son, Arthur, signed the Declaration of Independence.His grandson and namesake, Henry, served as govenor of S.C., and his great grandson , William, signed the Ordinance of Secession.

When the original Plantaion House was torched by Union troops during the Civil War , the family relocated to what had been a gentleman's guest wing, It now serves as the Middleton House Museum. complete with collections of Middleton Family furniture, paintings , books and documents.

Tour The Oldest Landscaped Gardens In America

The classic gardens begin with a imposing expanse of open lawn that gives way to manicured formal spaces, woods, and water. Sweeping grass stairs, designed to mimic the stairs of the former plantation house, lead to two butterfly lakes and the Ashley River. The garden unfolds into lanes walled by trimmed trees and shrubs, past sundials,canals,reflection pools and shaded ponds where black swans drift. Des[ite the gardens formality, the site offers a relaxing atmosphere. Children romp in patches of sunlight. A young couple loll on a bench and sheep graze in the distance.

A Peek At Plantation Life

Behind the facade of the house and gardens lie the stableyards, where a hive of activity kept the self contained plantation running. It still houses water buffalo, sheep,goats,pigs, and cattle.Using methods and tools from long ago, blacksmiths,carpenters,coopers,potters,millers and weavers demonstrate their crafts while guides answer questions about plantaion life and slavery.

A board inside Eliza's cottage , a preserved freedman's cabin on the site lists the names of 2,600 former slaves owned by the Middleton Family, a dark reminder of the high cost of slavery. Beside each name is a figure denoting the price paid for the slave.

The Inn And Resturant At Middleton Place

Located on the bluffs of the Ashley River, the Inn at Middleton Place serves as a counterpoint tpthe formality of the gardens. Each of the 55 beautiful rooms has a view of the Ashley River. Guests can choose from a selection of recreational activities, or they can board a plantaion carriage and roll through forests and along the banks of the river. Later at a candlelit table overlooking the rice pond, guests enjoy low country fare like okra soup , pan fried quail, Caralina Gold Rice and much more depending on the season of the year. A moonlite stroll will through the gardens end the day as it began, with a haunting dreamscape of antebellum plantaion life. And watch carefully as you walk along and you may just catch a glimpse of the many ghost said to roam these grounds.

Haunted South Carolina

Be sure that you don't miss our Hub Page on Haunted South Carolina.

Click Here To Visit Our Haunted SC Hub Page

Have you ever wondered what a true southern plantation might have been like. Then Drayton Hall should be at the top of your list of places to visit in Charleston SC. Built in 1738 it has survived the centuries in near perfect condition. It is almost exactly the same as it would have been when it was a working plantaion. So be sure you visit Drayton Hall on the Ashley River road while you are in Charleston S.C. 

To wander the streets of Charleston S.C. is like a history lesson that spans more than 300 years. The first English colonists arrived in 1670 and developed a site along the Ashley River with thick forests and abundant wildlife. In 1680, Charles Towne was moved to the peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper rivers which provided better protection, and the first French Huguenots arrived.

By the 1700's, vast plantations supported by the ever expanding slave trade were flourishing with the export of cotton, rice , and indigo. Lowcountry planters were among the wealthiest in the colonies and Charles Towne was firmly rooted as a center of commerce , politics , and culture.

War, Fires, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes would later threaten the city, but she remained resilent.The cities historic district today has barely changed boasting 73 pre revolutionary buildings , 136 late 18th century strutures and over 600 buildings built before the 1840's. The city is easily toured by foot or by horse drawn carriage, Area attractions include a renovated Congressional Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point and Aquarium Wharf , home to the IMAX Theater , the S.C. Aquarium , boat tours and much much more. The beaches are only a few minutes away with Folly Beach only a few minutes from downtown Charleston. So why not visit Charleston S.C. soon.

It was a chilly evening on February 17 1864 when the look out on the USS Housatonic saw something strange in the water. At first he thought he was seeing a porpoise but something about this one didn't seem right. A alarm was sounded and their was panic on the Housatonic as the CSS Hunley slowly approached the ship. Union soldiers on the Housatonic fired rifles and pistols at the strange shape in the water. The men in the Hunley rammed their torpedo into the side of the Housatonic and then backed off as the 150 foot detonation rope played out. When the sub backed up to the end of the rope their was a large explosion and the era of submarine warfare had begun.

The Housatonic sunk a few minutes later with the loss of five Union sailors but the Hunley never made it back to shore. It also went missing that night and it was not discovered until 1995 when Clive Cussler found the CSS Hunley setting on the bottom of Charleston Harbor. Lt Dixon and the other 7 courageous crew members of the Hunley were recovered and on April 17 2004 the crew listed below were buried.

Hunley Crew Burial Lieutenant George E. Dixon, Arnold Becker, Corporal J. F. Carlsen , Frank Collins, Lumpkin Miller, James A. Wicks , Joseph Ridgaway

The eight men were buried side by side in Charlestons Magnolia Cemetery. At last they had come home after all those years on the bottom of Charleston Harbor.