Old South Carolina Homes | Project Discovery Revisited

The homes of famous people tell us many things about the people who once lived there. Visiting these homes also helps us understand what life was like during their times.

Middleton Place, located on the Ashley River near Charleston, South Carolina, was the home of the Middleton family. More than 100,000 visitors come here each year to learn about the Middletons and to see their beautiful gardens. Today, visitors arrive by car; however, when the Middletons lived here, most visitors arrived at the house, which faced the river, by boat. Four generations of Middletons lived in this home.

Henry Middleton, who was president of the Continental Congress, built the house and established the gardens. His son, Arthur, signed the Declaration of Independence. Arthur's son, Henry, was a governor of South Carolina and a minister to the Russian Court for 10 years. Henry's son, Williams, signed the Ordinance of Secession and helped to save the plantation after the Civil War. Hampton Plantation, a national historic landmark, was built in 1750. The house features a large ballroom with a vaulted ceiling. This room was used for entertaining and hosting large parties. George Washington visited the plantation in the 1790s.

Rose Hill Plantation was built in the 1800s by William Gist, a former governor of South Carolina. Gist pushed the state to secede from the Union, which led to the Civil War. The house, now the outstanding feature of a state park, is shown decorated for Christmas.

Standards

• 3-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the exploration and settlement of South Carolina.
  • The inhabitants of the early Carolina colony included native, immigrant, and enslaved peoples. To understand how these various groups interacted to form a new and unique culture, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the follo...
    • 3-2.4 Summarize the development of the Carolina colony under the Lords Proprietors and the royal colonial government, including settlement by and trade with the people of Barbados and the influence of other immigrant groups.
• 3-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in the antebellum period, the causes and effects of the Civil War, and the impact of Reconstruction in South Carolina.
  • South Carolina played a key role in events that occurred before, during, and after the Civil War; and those events, in turn, greatly affected the state. To understand South Carolina’s experiences during this tumultuous time, the student will uti...
    • 3-4.1 Compare the economic conditions for various classes of people in South Carolina, including the elite, the middle class, the lower class, the independent farmers, and the enslaved and free African Americans.
• This indicator prompts students to inquire about the distribution of landforms, climates, and biomes around the world.
  • 3.2.2.ER Identify and analyze the ways people interact with the physical environment in different regions of the state, the country, and the world.
• 8-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the settlement of South Carolina and the United States by Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans.
  • The human mosaic of the South Carolina colony was composed of indigenous, immigrant, and enslaved populations. To understand how these differing backgrounds melded into an entirely new and different culture, the student will utilize the knowledge and ...
    • 8-1.5 Explain how South Carolinians used their natural, human, and political resources uniquely to gain economic prosperity, including settlement by and trade with the people of Barbados, rice and indigo planting, and the practice of mercantilism.
• 8-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes of the American Revolution and the beginnings of the new nation, with an emphasis on South Carolina’s role in the development of that nation.
  • The events surrounding the American Revolution transformed British colonists into American citizens. To understand South Carolina’s pivotal role in this process, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the following indica...
    • 8-2.6 Explain the role of South Carolinians in the establishment of their new state government and the national government after the American Revolution.
• 8.1.CE Analyze the factors that contributed to the development of South Carolina’s economic system and the subsequent impacts on different populations within the colony.