A Brief History of Middleton Place

Middleton Plantation was home to noted generations of South Carolina’s Middleton Family. It is also the home of the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States. The plantation house was begun in the 1730s by John Williams-- father-in-law to Henry Middleton—who completed the house’s main section and its North and South flanks. Henry later served as President of the First Continental Congress (1774). His son, Arthur (a signer of the Declaration of Independence), was born at Middleton Place and lived out his life there. Arthur’s son, Henry, and grandson, Williams, transitioned Middleton Place from a country residence to an active rice plantation, thus earning the name Middleton Plantation. During the Civil War, most of the house was burned, leaving only the South wing and gutted walls. The Earthquake of 1886 finished the job and toppled the walls of the main house.

The restoration of Middleton Place began in 1916 when descendent John Julius Pringle Smith (not to be confused with John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt) and his wife, Heningham, began several decades of reclaiming the gardens. With the help of New York architect, Bancel LaFarge, they designed a stable yard-complex with buildings of brick salvaged from the ruined main house. On November 11, 1971, Middleton Plantation gained its status on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Later that year the Smith Family established the Middle Plantation Foundation.

Because of its renowned gardens, locals call it Middleton Gardens though it is now specifically known as Middleton Place. The gardens, originally open to the public in the early 1870s, include formal hedgerows that enclose a variety of flowers, plants, shrubs, and trees. Notable blooms include camellias, daffodils, azaleas, and countless other species blooming year-round.  The most prominent features of the garden are the reflecting Butterfly Lakes and the Grand Live Oak, whose trunk boasts an impressive 10-foot diameter. The Terraced Gardens and Butterfly Lakes lay East of the Main Residence. Today, this “last large-scale romantic-style garden” is home to much wildlife and welcomes many visitors from around the globe.

~ David Joyner and Kristen N. Granet