In choosing our wedding venue, it was important to us to learn the full history of Middleton Place and share it with our guests.
Henry Middleton, a prominent civic leader, became the second President of the First Continental Congress; his son Arthur followed in his footsteps as a delegate to Congress. In that capacity, Arthur was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Their grounds became the first landscaped gardens in the United States, and the first camellia in American history was planted here in 1786.
Generations of Middletons lived on this land–as did generations of enslaved African Americans, who built the Middleton’s homes, tended their gardens, raised their children, and cooked their meals. Fifty years ago, a descendant of the Middletons created a nonprofit foundation to preserve and care for this land, and to educate current and future generations of Americans about the contributions of all who lived and worked here. While the Middletons’ place in American history is secured by a signature on the Declaration of Independence, the lives and histories of the hundreds of others who lived here are now preserved and shared through the work of the Middleton Place Foundation.
Today, the Middleton Place Foundation hosts reunions for the descendants of all the people who lived on this property. They’ve also created an education assistance fund to directly support the descendants of the enslaved people who lived and worked at Middleton Place. As a part of choosing to get married here, we’ve made a donation to the Middleton Place Foundation in support of this mission. If you are interested in joining us, you can donate here: https://14292.blackbaudhosting.com/14292/Middleton-Scholars-Education-Assistance-Fund
“When we stand on the same land as generations of the enslaved and the free, take in its exquisite beauty and its inherent brutality, we understand that the stories of Middleton Place are American stories. Black stories. White stories. Essential, life-changing human stories. Keeping those stories alive inspires our imagination, understanding, and empathy – and in so doing, they lead us all, together, to the next chapter, and the next.” -Middleton Place Foundation