Rutledge, Gov. John, House - Charleston, SC
N 32° 46.574 W 079° 56.015
17S E 599873 N 3626983
Governor John Rutledge House, located in historic Charleston, South Carolina, was listed on the National Register in 1971 and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.
Waymark Code: WM4GDD
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 08/21/2008
Views: 45
A historical marker located on the front of John Rutledge's home reads as follows: "This house, built before the American Revolution, was the residence of John Rutledge (1739-1800), first Governor of the State of South Carolina. He was President of South Carolina, 1776-78, and Governor, 1779-82, signer of the U.S. Constitution, 1871, Chief Justice of South Carolina, 1791-95, and Chief Justice of the United States, 1795. The house was altered in 1853 by P.H. Hammarskold, who added the ornamental iron."
From the South Carolina Department of Archives and History:
John Rutledge, a signer of the Constitution and wartime Governor of South Carolina, 1779-1782, lived at 116 Broad Street from 1763 to 1800. Rutledge was one of the foremost lawyers in South Carolina. He opposed the Stamp Act and in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 he was chairman of the committed which wrote the memorial and petition to the House of Lords. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses and helped write the South Carolina Constitution of 1776. Rutledge served as Governor from 1779 until 1782. In 1784 he began his judicial career with election to the chancery court of the state and from 1784-1790 also sat in the state House of Representatives. In 1789 Washington appointed Rutledge Senior Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and he held this office until February 1791, when he resigned to become Chief Justice of South Carolina. Rutledge died in Charleston on July 23, 1800. The house is a large three-story over elevated basement brick house with a slate covered roof, a pair of large brick chimneys set in either side wall, and an elaborate two-story cast and wrought iron porch on the front elevation. The first two stories were built by Rutledge in 1763 and the third floor was added by Thomas M. Gadsden in 1853. Listed in the National Register November 7, 1971; Designated a National Historic Landmark November 7, 1973.
From Wikipedia:
Gov. John Rutledge House, also known as John Rutledge House, is a house at 116 Broad Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Completed in 1763 by an unknown architect, it was the home of John Rutledge, a governor of South Carolina and a signer of the U.S. Constitution. John's younger brother Edward was another governor of South Carolina and lived at the Edward Rutledge House at 117 Broad Street. Following the American Civil War, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina met here, from 1866 until 1868.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. Christopher Werner is believed to have done the wrought iron work.
John Rutledge House Inn
In 1989, the house was renovated and opened to the public as the John Rutledge House Inn.
The inn has 19 guest rooms, ranging from standard hotel rooms to large suites. 11 of these rooms are located in the main house, with the remaining 8 being in the carriage houses (located at the rear of the property). In addition to the guest rooms, the house contains a ball room (open to the public), which is used for afternoon tea as well as breakfast.
The John Rutledge House has received a 4 diamond rating from AAA, and is a member of both the Select Registry and Historic Hotels of America.