This is perhaps the most remarkable home on Charleston's downtown waterfront. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Aiken-Rhett House is a revealing architectural portrait of the antebellum South. Owned at one time by wealthy planter and former South Carolina governor William Aiken, the house is decorated with fine examples of classical art and sculpture. Around the home, the original servants quarters, sheds, kitchens and stables reveal a fuller view of Charleston life in the 1800s. The courtyard adjoining the house is used for a variety of events and programs as well.
Named after William Wallace McLeod who acquired the plantation in 1851, the McLeod plantation is a historic site on James Island. The plantation covers an 1858 Georgian style house, slave cabins, cemeteries, oak allees and the surrounding woods. You can get an overview of African American history and the slavery trade during those times by visiting this place. The Friends of McLeod is the charitable organization that is striving to protect and promote this heritage site in South Carolina. The plantation is currently owned by the American College of Building Arts.
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Located in the City of Charleston, the building was built in the year 1772 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the year 1970. It is a three-story Georgian Style building with brick laid in both Flemish and English styles. Impressive chimney with brick composition, the six-bay front façade, stone steps and 18th-century windows give the structure the antique feeling. Rehabilitated and repaired many times since, the structure still retains its original taste, and currently serves as an annexure to the adjacent Charleston County Courthouse.
Designed by Gabriel Manigault for his brother, Joseph, this three-story brick house is built in the Adam style, or Federal style of architecture. The mansion features a sweeping staircase and rooms that are decorated in period style. There is also a garden and slave quarters on the property. Each December, the mansion is decorated for the holidays by the Garden Club of Charleston, using plants that would have only been available at the start of the 1800s. Tickets can be purchased at the house or through The Charleston Museum. Check the website for further details.
