The Miles Brewton House is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

residential complex located in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. It is one of the finest examples of a double house (a reference to the arrangement of four main rooms per floor, separated by a central stair hall) in Charleston, designed on principles articulated by

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of th ...

. Located on two acres, its extensive collection of dependencies makes it one of the most complete Georgian townhouse complexes in America. The house was built ca. 1765-1769 for Miles Brewton, a wealthy

slave trader The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and Slavery and religion, religions from Ancient history, ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The socia ...

and planter.Jonathan H. Poston, ''The Buildings of Charleston: A Guide to the City's Architecture'' 288-30 (University of South Carolina Press 1991).

Design

The architect Ezra Waite started construction of this "double house" in 1765 for Miles Brewton and completed it in 1769. Noted for its architectural quality and significance, the well-preserved house was declared a

in 1960. and The Miles Brewton House is set on the west side of King Street near the southern tip of the Charleston peninsula. The property is ringed by walls topped with iron fencing. The wall is lower at the front, with an iron gate leading into a courtyard area flanked by brick walls on the north and south, and on the west by the main house. The house is a two-story brick structure, set on a high stone basement, with marble steps flanking a projecting Classical two-story porch on either side. The porch is supported by columns (Doric on the first floor, Ionic on the second), and is topped by a fully pedimented and dentillated gable. The interior is richly finished in wood, plaster, and marble. The entrance to the house includes one of the few remaining

chevaux de frise The ''cheval de frise'' (plural: ''chevaux de frise'' , "Frisian horses") is a defensive obstacle, which existed in a number of forms and were employed in various applications. These included underwater constructions used to prevent the passa ...

, or defensive spikes that were used to keep out intruders, and commonplace amidst concerns of slave revolt. On the north side of the house is what is referred to locally as a "plantation lane", along which the property's outbuildings are located. These include period slave quarters, a kitchen, and a pavilion, all joined by an arcade. The large garden space directly behind the house retains its basic 18th-century layout.

History

Miles Brewton

Miles Brewton (1731-1775) was an elder child of parents who were well-established in Charleston. His father was a goldsmith, and associated with the city's banking and financial circles in that period. Brewton married Mary Izard, daughter of a wealthy planter family, and acquired some property through her. He became a successful slave trader and merchant, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the province. He soon owned eight trading ships, and more than one plantation. In 1765 he commissioned design and construction of a fine Georgian house in the Palladian style in Charleston; it was completed in 1765. Elected as a delegate to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...

, he was traveling to Philadelphia with his family in late August 1775 when their ship went down and they were all lost at sea.Nicholas Michael Butler, "Brewton, Miles. January 29, 1731—August 1775"
''South Carolina Encyclopedia'', 2016; accessed 03 November 2018

From the Revolutionary War to the present day

The house was inherited by his sisters Frances (Mrs. Charles Pinckney) and Rebecca (Mrs. Jacob Motte). In 1780, after the British occupied Charleston during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, they took over the Brewton house to use as the British headquarters for Henry Clinton. One of Motte's daughters married Capt. William Alston of Marion's Brigade. He bought this Charleston house for his town residence, as an alternative to his plantation on the

Waccamaw River The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1,110 square miles (2886 km²) in the coastal plain ...

. Their daughter, Mrs. William Bull Pringle, inherited the house. Since then, the house has been referred to as the Pringle House on King Street. Motte was living in the townhouse when the British took it over for Henry Clinton in 1780 during the War of Independence. Clinton's profile is still visible where it was scratched on a marble mantelpiece. She moved with her daughters and domestic slaves to Mt. Joseph plantation, which she had also inherited from her brother Miles, about 95 miles outside the city on the

Congaree River The Congaree River is a short but wide river in South Carolina in the United States; It flows for approximately 53 miles (85 km). The river serves an important role as the final outlet channel for the entire Lower Saluda and Lower Broad wate ...

. The house was taken for use as Union headquarters in 1865 during the federal occupation of Charleston in the Civil War. It was used as the headquarters of US Brigadier General Alexander Schimmelfennig during this period. As of 1979, the house was still owned by a descendant of the Brewton-Motte family.

References

External links

Miles Brewton House webpage

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...