Snee Farm
— Charles Pinckney National Historic Site —
Marker is on the farmhouse porch at north entrance):
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site honors Charles Pinckney honors Charles Pinckney of South Carolina, one of the drafters and signers of the Constitution of the United States. Charles Pinckney (1757-1824) was one of the members of the Articles of Confederation Congress who actively worked for the calling of a convention to draft a constitution for the new United States. He was one of South Carolina's four delegates to the 1787 Constitution in Philadelphia. Pinckney played an active role in the Constitutional Convention and in the ratification process that followed. For the remainder of his life he was involved in politics at the state and national level as an ally and supporter of Thomas Jefferson.
In 1776, the signers of the Declaration of Independence had pledged "their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor" to the cause for American independence. Charles Pinckney followed their precepts. Because of his public service, Pinckney neglected his personal affairs and lost his fortune - including Snee Farm.
The acquisition and preservation of Snee Farm is a remarkable story of cooperation between private citizens and the federal government. In 1987, a group of South Carolinians formed an organization called The Friends of Historic Snee Farm. The group's sole purpose was to raise the funds necessary to purchase this 28-acre site as a lasting tribute to Charles Pinckney. By July 1988 The Friends had raised more that two million dollars, bought the property, and turned it over to the National Park Service for preservation and interpretation.
Although this property belonged to the Pinckney family for more than a half-century (1754-1817), this house was not Charles Pinckney's home. His Snee Farm house disappeared sometime early in the first quarter of the 19th century. This building is a classic example of a 19th century lowcountry plantation house and architecturally significant in its own right.
The Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is an interpretation of the life and times of Charles Pinckney and of the contributions made to American history and culture by the diverse population of the South Carolina lowcountry.
[At the top center of the marker is a photograph of:] The signing of the Constitution of the United States, 17 September 1787.
[At the center bottom of the marker is an:] Outline map of South Carolina highlighting colonial parishes in the "lowcounty."
[The map has the following caption:]"Parishes c. 1770"
Snee Farm was located in Christ Church Parish, an area of rice and indigo plantations, in the heart of the South Carolina lowcountry.
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