John Rutledge House Charleston South Carolina

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America's Most Historic Inn . . . John Rutledge, one of the fifty-five signers of the U.S. Constitution, built his home in 1763. Now exquisitely restored, it is one of only fifteen homes belonging to those signers to survive- and the only one to now accommodate overnight guests. History records that George Washington called here in 1791; and entry in his diary shows a breakfast with Mrs. Rutledge.

A loving rejuvination has restored the beautiful details of the home's 18th and 19th century architecture: the elaborately carved Italian marble fireplaces, the original plaster moldings, the inlaid floors and the graceful ironwork.

The John Rutledge House Inn® offers nineteen guest rooms within a complex of three buildings. One may choose between the elegance of rooms and spacious suites in the original grand residence or the charm and seclusion of rooms in the Inn's two carriage houses. Antiques and historically accurate reproductions give each room its own warmth and distinction.

Mini Suite King, Room 11
Fireplace and whirlpool tub & shower

King Main House Room 6
Fireplace, Private tub & Shower

Guests may leave cars parked on-site for their entire stay because the best of this beautiful port city is just beyond the doors of the John Rutledge House Inn®. The city's finest restaurants, theatres, shops, Charleston Place, and the Market are all within a few minutes walk. The gracious antebellum residential area "South of Broad" begins directly opposite the Inn. Rutledge is buried in St . Michael's Churchyard. Sometime after 1790, the property was acquired by Gen. John Mcpherson, a Revolutionary Patriot and a prominent figure on the South Carolina turf. He was among several horsebreeders credited with improving the state's stock of horses and with maintaining the high standard of racing which made the South Carolina Jockey Club famous in the annals of racing at a time when it was the "sport of gentlemen.'' The house was sold by his family in 1836 to the Right Rev. John England, Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston, whose executors sold it in 1843.

Ten years later it was acquired by Thomas Norman Gadsden, a real estate broker and slave trader. Gadsden, in 1853, engaged the Swedish architect, P.H. Hammarskold, to remodel the house, adding terra cotta window cornices similar to those on the Mills House Hotel, and the iron balcony, posts, curving step rail and fence. The two story brick kitchen with Gothic arched windows is also by Hammarskold. The ironwork is attributed to Christopher Werner, as it incorporates two of his favorite motifs : the palmetto tree of South Carolina and the eagle of the United States. The ironwork is also a combination of wrought and cast iron work. The drawing room on the second floor is large and has a coved ceiling. In this room the United States Courts sat for a time after the Civil War, until the Federal Governcent bought the Charleston Club House, which stood in the present Post Office Park on Meeting Street.

Arthur Barnwell, who acquired the property from Gadsden's family in 1885, re-modeled the interior, installing eight Italian marble mantelpieces from England and parquetry floors of three kinds of wood, copied from European palaces. It is said the carpenter, Noisette, took eight years to put in the floors. Barnwell sold the property in 1902 to Robert Goodwyn Rhett, who was Mayor of Charleston, president of the Peoples Bank (which built the Peoples Building) and one of the developers of North charleston. During Rhett's ownership, William Howard Taft, U.S. President and Chief Justice, was several times a weekend guest. Tradition says that it was during the Rhetts' residence here that their butler, William Deas, invented she crab soup.

2 room Suite, Room 4 Fireplace, Shower & Tub

2 room Suite, Room 5 Fireplace, Shower & Jacuzzi Tub

A stay in this elegant antebellum home offers the opportunity to experience history as well as the warm hospitality for which the South is justly famous.. Antiques and historically accurate reproductions give each room its own warmth and distinction, complemented by the finest in modern amenities, conveniences, and personalized service.

History . . . John Rutledge House. Tradition (undocumented) says John Rutledge (1739-1800) built this house c. 1763 for his bride, 19-year-old Elizabeth Grimke. It is not known when Rutledge acquired the property, which he sold in 1790. Subsequent documents identity it as ''formerly the residence of Mr. Rutledge. ''Rutledge was a member of the South Carolina Assembly, the Stamp Act Congress, the Continental Congress and the U.S. Constitutional Convention. He was President or ''Dictator", of South Carolina, 1776-78, and Governor of the State, 1779-82. He was Chief Justice of South Carolina and Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and served a term as Chief Justice of the U.S. , although unconfirmed by the Senate."

Directions

From 17-N (Beaufort/Savannah) to Inn Parking

Travel on 17 into Charleston limits and cross Ashley River Bridge into town. Stay in right lane on bridge and take Lockwood Blvd. exit. Follow straight until you reach Broad Street. Turn left and follow Broad to the inn. The inn is on the left side of the street. Parking is $10 per night.

From I-26 to Inn

Take Meeting Street exit and follow straight to Broad Street. Turn right on Broad Street, go through one light and it's the 4th building on the right. Parking is $12 per night.

From 17-S (Georgetown/Myrtle Beach) to Inn

Travel 17-S across the Cooper River Bridge into Charleston. Take Meeting Street exit and follow straight to Broad Street. Turn right on Broad Street, go through one light and it's the 4th building on the right.