Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
Snee Farm House, 1940
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Location in South Carolina Show map of South Carolina Charles Pinckney National Historic Site Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
Nearest city	Charleston, South Carolina
Area	28.45 acres (11.51 ha)
Established	September 8, 1988
Visitors	45,254 (in 2011)
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Charles Pinckney National Historic Site

Snee Farm-Charles Pinckney National Historic Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark

Nearest city	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Built	1824
NRHP reference No.	73001702 (original) 100007048 (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 13, 1973
Boundary increase	October 10, 2021
Designated NHL	November 7, 1973

The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is a special place in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. It's managed by the National Park Service, which protects important historical sites in the United States. This site keeps alive a part of Snee Farm, which was once a large farm and country home belonging to Charles Pinckney.

Charles Pinckney (1757-1824) was a very important person in American history. He came from a well-known family in South Carolina. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was even held as a prisoner for a while. After the war, he helped create the United States Constitution. Because of his important role, he is known as one of the Founding Fathers.

Snee Farm became a National Historic Landmark in 1973. This means it's a place recognized for its outstanding historical value. Later, in 1988, it was named a National Historic Site.

Exploring the Site
A Look Back at Snee Farm's History
Images for kids
See also

Exploring the Site

The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is located about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Charleston, South Carolina. It covers about 25 acres (10 ha) on a piece of land called Wando Neck. This land is where the Wando and Cooper rivers meet.

The site has different kinds of natural areas. You can find wooded and swampy parts, as well as a neat grassy area. Around the main house, there are pretty plants and flowers. Besides the main house, the property also has a barn, a corncrib, and a home for a caretaker. There's also a stone monument, called a cenotaph, honoring Colonel Charles Pinckney. He was Charles Pinckney's father and first developed Snee Farm as a farm for growing rice and indigo.

A Look Back at Snee Farm's History

Early Days and the Pinckney Family

Colonel Charles Pinckney bought Snee Farm in 1754. He turned its 715 acres into a working farm, growing valuable crops like rice and indigo. When he passed away in 1782, his son, Charles Pinckney, inherited the farm.

Charles Pinckney used Snee Farm as both a working farm and a country getaway. It was easy to reach Charleston by boat from the farm. He owned Snee Farm until about 1816.

New Owners and Changes

In 1817, Francis G. Deliesselines bought the property. Later, in 1828, William Mathews, another local farmer, purchased Snee Farm. Mathews decided to tear down the old buildings. He then built a new main house that same year, likely on the same spot as the original house. Mathews owned many farms and had a large number of enslaved people working for him. He owned Snee Farm until 1848.

The house you see at Snee Farm today is a "Coastal Cottage" style. It's a typical country home from that time. It has a rectangular shape, a roof that slopes on two sides, and a porch across the front. Inside, there are fancy decorations like detailed molding and paneling. In the past, there were also rows of cabins for enslaved people on the property.

Preserving History Today

The original 715-acre estate stayed mostly the same until the 1970s. At that time, the owners divided the land to build new homes near Charleston. The central part of the historic estate, including the house and 28 acres, is what makes up the site today. Preservationists bought this important part in 1988.

After the United States Congress passed a law, the National Park Service bought the current site. Since the buildings from Charles Pinckney's time are no longer there, experts learn about his life at Snee Farm through digging up old items and studying historical documents. The museum at the site today displays items from the Pinckney family and later owners. These items, numbering over 173,000, include pottery made by enslaved people and tableware from the 1700s and 1800s. They help tell the story of life on the farm for nearly 200 years.