An impeccably preserved rice plantation headquarters and home to the country's oldest landscaped gardens, Middleton Place was first settled in the early 1700s and later acquired in 1741 by Henry Middleton. The estate would be the family seat for four generations who played important roles in the history of America (Middleton was the second president of the First Continental Congress and his son, Arthur, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence). Remarkably, the site remained under the family's stewardship for 320 years and is today a National Historic Landmark.