22 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com Picnics, beaches, cookouts and fireworks. These fun-filled activities are synonymous with our celebration of the Fourth of July. You likely learned in school that the reason for all the celebrating is that it’s our nation’s birthday — the day given to honor the Declaration of Independence. But did you know that four men who signed that important document hailed from the Lowcountry? And one of them had a family plantation in Mount Pleasant. EDWARD RUTLEDGE Rutledge was a mere 26 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence and was the youngest man to do so. Initially, Rutledge was a moderate when it came to the break with England, and he partnered with Benjamin Franklin and John Adams to try to iron out differences the Colonies had with Parliament. But realizing that independence was imminent, Rutledge persuaded the other three delegates from South Carolina to vote for it — after they had initially voted against it. During the war, Rutledge continued to serve in politics, as well as with the militia and was captured during the British occupation of Charles Town. He was imprisoned at St. Augustine with fellow signer Thomas Heyward Jr. and 28 other Charlestonians who had refused to sign an oath of allegiance to the Crown. At the time, rumors were rampant that these men were plotting to burn the town and kill Loyalists. Two decades after the war, Rutledge was elected South Carolina’s governor, and his former home at 117 Broad St. later became a bed and breakfast (update: it was sold in 2022) aptly called the Governor’s House Inn. It stands across the street from his brother John’s home, which is also an inn. (Note: John Rutledge was a signer of the U.S. Constitution.) The Rutledge family’s plantation was in Mount Pleasant on land that is now part of the Phillips Community and Laurel Hill County Park. Rutledge is buried in downtown Charleston at St. Philip’s churchyard. ARTHUR MIDDLETON Middleton Place, a former rice plantation along the banks of the Ashley River, is the birthplace of another signer, Arthur Middleton. The Middleton family was among the wealthiest families in Colonial America. Middleton and his father were both very involved in political affairs and attended meetings in Philadelphia to debate the issue of whether the Colonies should make the break with England. Middleton was at the Second Continental Congress when the vote was taken, and he subsequently signed the Declaration, along with 55 other representatives from the 13 original Colonies. The next time you are in a state government building, look at the South Carolina state seal, which Middleton helped design. His creation is the side proclaiming the Latin proverb “Dum Spiro Spero” — While I breathe, I hope. Many speakers have used those inspiring words, including President Barack Obama in his 2008 victory speech. Middleton is interred in the family tomb at Middleton Place. Local signers of the Declaration of Independence BY MARY COY Editor’s Note: This article originates from the archives of Mount Pleasant Magazine. Edward Rutledge Arthur Middleton Thomas Heyward, Jr. Thomas Lynch Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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