Remembering
Our Founding Father Charles Pinckney
G 80
EORGE WASHINGTON ATE HERE.
“I must apologize for asking
you to call at a place so indiffer- ently furnished and where your fare will be entirely that of a farm,” wrote Charles Pinckney
in his 1791 invitation to the president. Washington stopped at Pinckney’s farm during his tour of the South, before continuing to Charleston, where he
BY MARGARET ANN MICHELS PHOTO BY STEFANIE McCARRON
met with the proprietor – a man he knew as a former delegate to the Continential Congress, a fellow mem- ber of the Constitutional Convention and the gover- nor of South Carolina. What remains of that 715-
acre property is the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. Created in 1988, it is the only site in the National Park System previously owned by a signer of the Constitution. While other signers might be more fa- miliar, Pinckney, sometimes referred to as “the forgotten founder,” played an impor- tant role at the 1787 Consti- tutional Convention. In 1784, at only 26 years of age, Pinckney was a South
The 1828 Lowcountry cottage standing on the site of Pinckney’s plantation house includes a visitor center, museum and gift shop.
Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress. Tree years later, after advocating for a general convention to address weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, he arrived in Philadelphia as part of the South Carolina delegation with his cousin Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Pierce Butler and John Rutledge. Charles Pinckney was a strong advocate for a cen-
tral government, separation of powers and protect- ing property interests. His draft of the Constitution contained more than 30 provisions that were included in the final document. Upon his return to South Carolina, he worked diligently to get the state to ratify
the new Constitution, then served as president of the South Carolina State Constitutional Convention. Pinckney’s primary residence was in Charleston, but he maintained seven plantations, including “the farm.” Snee Farm, known as Pinckney’s favorite country estate, was originally part of a 1698 grant to Richard Butler. Pinckney’s father purchased it in 1754, and it remained in the family until 1817. Snee Farm was a typical Lowcountry plantation. In addition to produce grown and animals raised to sup- ply the family’s homes, cash crops of rice and indigo were planted. Later, cotton replaced rice as the princi- pal crop. After Pinckney sold it, Snee Farm remained a working farm well into the 20th century. Since 1997, the National Park Service and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigra- tion Services have united to hold the swearing-in ceremony for America’s newest citizens at the site. Te naturalization ceremo- ny has even more signifi- cance because it takes place on 28 acres once owned by one of our country’s founding fathers. “Tis is a most appropri- ate site to welcome new citizens into this country and to reflect on the mean-
ing and responsibilities of citizenship,” said Tim Stone, superintendent at Fort Sumter National Monument. He also oversees the Fort Moultrie and Charles Pinckney sites. Other programmed events held throughout the year include archeological digs, school group tours and living history programs. On living history weekends, volunteers demonstrate some of the skills from the Pinckney period, such as brick masonry, iron smithery, rice pounding, yarn spinning, indigo dyeing and African drumming. Now, don’t ya’ll go all at once.
Te Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is located at 1254 Long Point Rd. For more information, visit
www.nps.gov/chpi.
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