Old House Plantation, also known as Daniel Heyward Plantation, is a historic plantation site and grave located near Ridgeland,

Jasper County, South Carolina Jasper County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,791. Its county seat is Ridgeland and its largest city is Hardeeville. The county was formed in 1912 from portions of ...

. The plantation was first settled in 1743 and was likely active through the first quarter of the 19th century. It was the birthplace and burial site of

Founding Father The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

Thomas Heyward, Jr., one of South Carolina's four signers of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

. The plantation site includes a variety of plantation structures including the main house, two probable flanking outbuildings (one of which is likely a kitchen), a

tidal mill A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one-way gat ...

, stable and likely slave quarters. The original 500-acre plantation grew to 16,000 acres, but it was destroyed by fire in 1865. Associated with the plantation is the Heyward family cemetery and surrounding brick wall. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1997.

References

Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Jasper County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Jasper County, South Carolina Slave cabins and quarters in the United States Homes of United States Founding Fathers {{JasperCountySC-NRHP-stub