Middleton Place, Historical plantation in Dorchester County, United States
Middleton Place is a plantation in Dorchester County, South Carolina, covering roughly 65 acres (26 hectares) beside the Ashley River. The grounds hold formal gardens with terraced levels, a house museum displaying period furnishings, and a yard where traditional farming methods are shown.
The Middleton family acquired the land in 1741 and began growing rice using enslaved labor. During the Civil War, most buildings were destroyed, leaving only one wing of the original main house standing.
The site demonstrates 18th-century craft techniques, with blacksmiths and carpenters working according to period methods. Visitors see how everyday objects were made that served both the main house and the quarters where enslaved people lived.
Tours through the surviving building and garden complex take between one and three hours depending on the route. Sturdy footwear helps, as paths cross gravel and uneven ground.
The symmetrical water pools reflect rows of trees and were designed according to French garden principles rarely seen in colonial America. A cypress swamp borders the formal areas directly, showing the local river landscape.
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