Heyward-Washington House

A Georgian-style double house, this historic home was built in 1772 for Thomas Heyward, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 1780, Heyward fled from Charleston when British forces invaded, and the house was later rented out on a weekly basis, including by the city of Charleston to accommodate President George Washington when he visited in 1791. Among its unique features is a kitchen building that predates the house itself, having been constructed in the 1740s. It’s the only building of its kind open to the public in Charleston. The Holmes Bookcase, in the main house, is one of the finest examples of American-made Colonial furniture, and the formal gardens include plants commonly grown in the Lowcountry in the late 18th century.

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