Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site
181 Redcliffe Rd
Beech Island, SC 29842
803.827-1473

Completed in 1859, Redcliffe’s Greek-Revival mansion was the home of James Henry Hammond and three generations of his descendants. Hammond, whose political career included terms as a United States congressman, governor of South Carolina, and United States senator, was perhaps best known during his lifetime as an outspoken defender of slavery and states’ rights. It was Hammond who coined the phrase that "Cotton is King" in an 1858 speech to the Senate.

A successful cotton planter, Hammond designed Redcliffe to be an estate for relaxation, entertaining and agricultural experimentation. Soon after its completion, Redcliffe quickly became the physical and emotional center of Hammond family life.

In 1935, James Henry Hammond’s great-grandson, John Shaw Billings, began restoring the mansion to its 19th-century grandeur. Billings, an editor of Time, Life and Fortune magazines, donated the estate and its collections to the people of South Carolina in 1973, ensuring that his family’s beloved home place would be preserved..

We encourage you to experience Redcliffe by participating in one of the following Discover Carolina programs. Pre-site, on-site and post-site lesson plans have been developed to ensure a quality educational experience for you and your students.

Park Interpreter Led Programs: Daily Life at Redcliffe Plantation in the 19th Century

Pre-site Activities On-site Activities Post-site Activities

In this program we will be examining the day-to-day activities of people living and working at Redcliffe Plantation in the Antebellum period.  We will be identifying artifacts and discussing their importance to the family and daily life. these day-to-day activities being explored will examine the ways in which South Carolinians modified the landscape and pulled from the natural environment to carve out a lifestyle. Special focus will be on the children of the plantation and how their lives differ from the lives of children today.

Grade Level: 3
Length of time: at least 1.5 hours
Standards: 3.1.2, 3.2.9, 3.8.1, and 3.12.1
Setting: Historic Plantation

In this program we will be examining the artifacts used by the Hammond family and architectural features which give us important information about the house.  These features will help us identify ways in which South Carolinians modified the landscape and pulled from the natural environment to carve out a lifestyle.  Special focus will be on using investigative methods to learn more about Redcliffe and the Hammond family.

Grade Level: 8
Length of time: 2 hours
Standards: 8.4.2, 8.8.5, and 8.8.3
Setting: Historic Plantation