Historic Charleston Foundation

Historic Charleston Foundation mourns the passing of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, staff, and the people of South Carolina he served.

Senator Graham and his office were longtime supporters of HCF's preservation work. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he backed HCF's request for $1.25 million in Economic Development Initiative-Community Project Funding for our Common Cause Loan Fund. That funding will be used to complete exterior repairs on 17 historic homes for qualifying owners at or below 80% of the Area Median Income, helping keep long-term Charleston families in their historic homes.

Each year during National Preservation Advocacy Week, Senator Graham's office made time to meet with HCF's advocacy team and learn about historic preservation priorities across South Carolina.

We are grateful for his years of partnership, and our thoughts are with his family and staff.

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Only 4 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from South Carolina. You can still stand where they lived.

Today marks 250 years since the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration, on July 4, 1776. Their homes are still standing:

📍 Hopsewee Plantation: birthplace of Thomas Lynch Jr.
📍 Middleton Place: home of Arthur Middleton
📍 Heyward-Washington House, 87 Church St.: home of Thomas Heyward Jr.
📍 Laurens-Rutledge House, 117 Broad St.: home of Edward Rutledge

These aren’t just addresses. They’re where the Revolution actually happened, not just where it’s remembered today. Preserving them keeps the history specific, tied to real rooms and real names, instead of flattened into a paragraph in a textbook.

Happy birthday America250 🥳