The closest plantation to Charleston was McLeod Plantation. Dating back to 1741, the plantation not only grew cash crops (most notably cotton), it was used as military headquarters in the Revolutionary War and by both the North and the South during the Civil War. After the Civil War it was used as the Freedmen’s Bureau for the area. It was home to the McLeods until 1990, when it was turned over to the Historic Charleston Foundation. In 2011 it was sold to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and will soon be open to the public as a county park.
A local's eye view
