Oak trees on the lawn of Middleton Place in Dorchester County outside Charleston seem like living sentries looking out over the Ashley River. The site was established as a plantation on land granted in 1675, but settled several years later. It is the birthplace of Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Its gardens, thought to be the oldest surviving formal landscaped gardens in the country, are known for their collection of camellias introduced by French Royal botanist Andre Michaux in 1786, according to the S.C. Encyclopedia. For more on the historic site, click here. Photo by Michael Kaynard, Kaynard Photography.
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