Heyward-Washington Garden

87 Church Street

The Heyward Washington House was built in 1772, and is named for its original owner, Thomas Heyward, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President George Washington. President Washington stayed at the residence for a week during his 1791 tour of the Southern states. The property was purchased by the Charleston Museum in 1929 and has been restored and maintained as Charleston’s first house museum since then. In 1931, Emma Richardson, Assistant to the Director of the museum, set out to recreate a garden indicative of a Charleston garden of 1791, the year George Washington stayed at the house. The Garden Club of Charleston has maintained the parterre garden since 1941. The word “parterre” is a French word which means “on the ground.” The parterre garden, with its carefully designed plots and walkways, was to present an artistic pattern when looked upon from above. We preserve the design and still use plant material that would have been used in Charleston gardens during the late 1700’s.

Garden volunteers meet most Tuesday mornings around 8:30 am for approximately 1 ½ - 2 hours. We do not meet in January, most of February, July, and August (weather dictates). Please come when you can, as you are not expected to attend every Tuesday. You do not have to be an expert gardener; the only requirement is a desire to learn.
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