Visit the historic Heyward-Washington House and walk through rooms once frequented by owner Thomas Heyward Jr., a Declaration of Independence signer. The Georgian-style double house was Heyward’s home until he fled from British forces invading Charleston. The house was then rented out. It accommodated President George Washington in May 1791, inspiring the current name, Heyward-Washington House. Heyward sold the home in 1794 to a Revolutionary War officer, father of Sarah and Angeline Grimke, famous abolitionists and suffragettes.
As a guest of this house museum, a national historic landmark, pass through a 1740s kitchen. In the main house, notice the Holmes Bookcase, an excellent example of American-made colonial furniture. Outside, appreciate the formal gardens that include common Low Country plants grown in the late 1700s.
After your visit, walk 5 minutes to the nearby Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. The building was originally a public meeting place and market. When Charleston was seized by the British during the Revolutionary War, its lower floor became a prison. Heyward was actually imprisoned here after the Siege of Charleston.
The Charleston Museum maintains the Heyward-Washington House. Visit this important museum on Meeting Street to learn more about the region’s natural and cultural history. Permanent exhibits include the Lowcountry History Hall, with materials related to colonists, slaves and the Native Americans who first inhabited the area. The Armory exhibit has examples of historic weaponry and Becoming Americans outlines Charleston’s vital role in the American Revolution.
The Joseph Manigault House is another historic home cared for by the Charleston Museum and often combined with a visit to the Heyward-Washington House. Built in 1803, the home is representative of the urban lifestyle of a wealthy, rice-planting family and their African-American slaves. Among its most impressive attributes are a beautiful curved staircase, historic pieces of American, English and French furniture and a classical Gate Temple overlooking a historic garden.
Find the Heyward-Washington House on Church Street in Charleston. The museum is open daily and offers regularly scheduled tours. Purchase single or combination tour tickets for the Heyward-Washington House, the Charleston Museum and the Joseph Manigault House.
