Manigault House: Christmas In Charleston

Merry Christmas everyone!  While visiting family for the holidays, my husband and I got to sneak away and spend a magical, christmas-y two days in one of our very favorite spots, Charleston, SC.  The entire city had decked their halls, and it truly felt like stepping into a storybook.  As we often do when in Charleston, we toured an historic home, and this one was extra special as it was decorated for the holidays by the Garden Club of Charleston.  Now, owned by the Charleston Museum and restored to its orignal form, the Manigault house has a rich and eclectic past.  Built by Garbriel Manigault for his brother John, the home is one of the first US examples of the Adam School of architecture, and the very first in Charleston to vary from the "single" and "double" house standard.  In the early twentieth century, after the family had moved on, the house fell into disrepair and the grounds were converted into an Esso gas station.  Subsequently, the home has served as a tenement, a U.S.O., and a dry cleaner.  Lucky for us, the home was eventually purchased by an heiress, and mostly restored before being donated to the Charleston museum for posterity.

 So come with us as we tour the Joseph Manigault House.