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Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution at a Home of a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Middleton Place is one of only eleven remaining sites in the United States where visitors can experience the birthplace, home, and landscape associated with a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
In 1776, at just 34 years old, Arthur Middleton signed the Declaration, risking his fortune, his family’s security, and his life in pursuit of independence from Great Britain. The following year, he left the Continental Congress to serve South Carolina more directly. When Charleston fell to British forces in 1780, Middleton was arrested and imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida. After his release in a prisoner exchange, he returned to Congress in Philadelphia, determined to see the war end in American victory.
Arthur Middleton died at Middleton Place on January 1, 1787 at age 45, only three years after the British formally surrendered. He left behind his wife, Mary Izard Middleton, and their eight children, along with a legacy deeply entwined with both the founding ideals of the nation and the realities of enslavement that shaped life at Middleton Place.
As a National Historic Landmark with profound Revolutionary-era connections, Middleton Place offers a rare Lowcountry setting to explore the layered meanings of liberty and independence. The 250th anniversary of the American Revolution presents an unprecedented opportunity, and responsibility, to examine this history with greater clarity, context, and moral rigor.
As we mark this milestone, we invite you to visit Middleton Place and engage with one of the core stories of our nation: freedom. Throughout the year, visitors can participate in public programs including lectures, guided tours, special events, and hands-on activities for all ages.
A Human-Centered Interpretation of the Revolution
Central to this commemoration is a new exhibition, Conversations of Freedom: The American Revolution at Middleton Place, funded in part by the SC 250th Commission. Presented in the South Flanker House Museum, the exhibition features remarkable 18th-century textiles worn by Henry and Arthur Middleton, alongside a rare silk edition of the Declaration of Independence.
Rather than focusing solely on political milestones, Conversations of Freedom centers the human experience of the Revolutionary period (1770–1783). Visitors will encounter the lives of Arthur Middleton and his family alongside the experiences of the many people they enslaved, revealing how revolutionary ideals were debated, lived, and constrained in practice. Through immersive period rooms and personal narratives, the exhibition examines themes of war, displacement, resistance, and survival, asking visitors to consider who freedom served, who it excluded, and how its meaning has evolved.
Conversations of Freedom: The American Revolution at Middleton Place opens to the public in April and is included with general admission. Get ticket here
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