Mount Pleasant Magazine May/June 2019

35 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ReadMPM.com 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. Thomas Heyward Jr. added his name to the Declaration of Independence at the age of 29. By that time, he’d already been quite active in the independence movement during the preceding years. But later, when the British occupied Charles Town in 1780, Heyward was arrested and imprisoned in St. Augustine (which was also occupied by the British at the time). Tradition has it that, while imprisoned there, he rewrote the words to the British anthem “God Save the King,” — Americans recognize the melody as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” — replacing it with the words “God Save the States, Thirteen United States, God Save Them All.” The song apparently caught on and was sung as a hymn in many of Charleston’s churches. A decade later, when President George Washington visited the city, he stayed at the Heyward home at 87 Church St. — hence the name the Heyward-Washington House, now a house museum. Heyward later lived at 18 Meeting St., where there is another historical plaque. He is buried at his former plantation in Jasper County. He shared his name with an uncle, so the younger Heyward added “Jr.” to his signature to avoid confusion. Heyward-Washington House. Photo by Mary Coy. CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE 843.849.6122 1423 STUART ENGALS BLVD. MOUNT PLEASANT, SC 29464 Automotive Painting Our expert technicians color match second to none. Collision Center All repairs come with a limited lifetime guarantee.