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Survey of
Historic Sites and Buildings

	MULBERRY PLANTATION South Carolina
Location: 30 miles north of Charleston on U.S. 52, beside Cooper River, Berkeley County.

Ownership and Administration (1961). Private.

Significance. Besides possessing a considerable degree of architectural interest, Mulberry Plantation illustrates well a number of important facets of 18th-century American history. It was constructed in 1714 by Thomas Broughton, later a Royal Governor of South Carolina. Located on the frontier, the house was built over a cellar fort, with firing slits in the foundation walls. During the Yamassee War, 1715-16, Mulberry Plantation was a fortified stronghold to which a number of neighboring colonists fled for protection. During the latter days of the American Revolution, when British troops overran the surrounding countryside, the plantation served as headquarters for a cavalry unit.

A view across the north ricefield of Mulberry Plantation, from high ground near the mansion. (National Park Service)

Present Appearance (1961). With its ricefields, dikes, and canals still in a good state of preservation, Mulberry is one of the most impressive of the river rice plantations that brought great wealth to the colony in the 18th century. Architecturally, the most distinctive features of the mansion are the four "flankers" that extend from the corners of the central section, with hipped roofs, bell-shaped turrets, and iron weather vanes. The house and grounds are in excellent condition. Major interior alterations were made in 1800 and some restoration in the early 20th century, but apparently few major structural changes have been made since the house was built. The two main ricefelds still exist, as well as the original dikes and rice canals. Mulberry Plantation is not open to visitors. [69]