At 87 Church Street in Charleston, the Heyward-Washington House is an 18th-century home museum with period furnishings, a formal garden and a historic kitchen building open to the public. Built in 1772 for Thomas Heyward Jr., a South Carolina signer of the Declaration of Independence, the house hosted George Washington during his 1791 visit. A self-guided audio tour explains the rooms and their contents. Take time to see the brick kitchen and garden, which help show how work and daily life were organized around the house.
A house linked to two notable Charlestonians
The house at 87 Church Street was built in 1772 by Daniel Heyward for his son, Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas was one of South Carolina’s signers of the Declaration of Independence. The property’s name recalls both him and George Washington, who stayed here during his visit to Charleston in 1791. The city rented the home for Washington’s stay, which lasted a week.
Heyward lived in the house until 1794. The building later opened as a museum in 1930, the first historic house museum in Charleston. Today it is part of the Charleston Museum. Its history connects a family home to the city’s Revolutionary-era past, while the rooms and grounds give the visit a more domestic scale than a conventional museum display.
Rooms, furnishings and the audio tour
The house is furnished with colonial-era pieces made in Charleston, including furniture collected by the Charleston Museum. Look closely at the room settings and individual objects as you move through the house. The audio guide is self-paced and gives explanations of the rooms and some of their contents. It includes a choice of tour options, with additional audio available beyond the sections visitors may be prompted to play.
The furnishings reflect the wealth of the household, but the house’s layout also points to the labor behind its daily life. Food was prepared in the separate kitchen building and carried into the main house. The audio tour can help put that relationship into context, including the work enslaved people were required to do for the household. That history is an essential part of understanding the property and the lives shaped by it.
The kitchen building and garden
Behind the house, the brick kitchen building dates to the 1740s and is the only historic kitchen of its kind in Charleston open to the public. Its separate location makes the process of preparing and moving food easier to picture alongside the furnished rooms in the main house.
The formal garden includes plants associated with the South Carolina Lowcountry in the late 18th century. It gives visitors another way to consider how the property worked, beyond its public rooms and furniture. Leave time to explore both the indoor spaces and the garden, rather than treating the kitchen as a brief stop on the way out.
Häufige Fragen
Where is the Heyward-Washington House?
It is at 87 Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina.
How long does a visit take?
Allow about 45 minutes for a quick visit, or up to two hours to explore the house and grounds more fully.
Does the house have an audio tour?
Yes. The visit is self-guided, with an audio guide that explains rooms and furnishings and includes a choice of tour options.
Can you visit the historic kitchen?
Yes. The property’s 1740s brick kitchen building is open to the public.
