356 Middleburg Lane

Middleburg Plantation is known as one of the earliest rice plantations in America and was once the center of commerce, culture and rice production that provided much of the wealth of Charleston in the antebellum era. The avenue of majestic oaks spans approximately 1500 feet from Cainhoy Road to the front steps of the main house and provides a stunning sense of entry to one of the most historic plantations in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Middleburg was settled by rice planter Benjamin Simons in 1690. The Middleburg house is known as the oldest frame house in South Carolina and the house and property are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original house had two stories with two rooms on each floor. Sometime before 1717, an addition, with one room on each floor, was

Middleburg Plantation is known as one of the earliest rice plantations in America and was once the center of commerce, culture and rice production that provided much of the wealth of Charleston in the antebellum era. The avenue of majestic oaks spans approximately 1500 feet from Cainhoy Road to the front steps of the main house and provides a stunning sense of entry to one of the most historic plantations in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Middleburg was settled by rice planter Benjamin Simons in 1690. The Middleburg house is known as the oldest frame house in South Carolina and the house and property are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The original house had two stories with two rooms on each floor. Sometime before 1717, an addition, with one room on each floor, was added to the house. Simons increased the acreage of Middleburg over time and amassed 1,545 acres by 1717. Benjamin Simons died leaving the plantation to his 4-year-old son Benjamin II. Benjamin Simons III inherited the plantation upon his father's death in 1772 and increased the tract to 3,342 acres. Thereafter, Revolutionary War battles surrounded Middleburg and British Colonel Banastre Tarleton targeted the house to be burned. It is unknown why the house was spared, but scars remain. Colonel Tarleton's saber left a lasting mark in a column by the front door and a British general etched his name on a windowpane. John Coming Ball took possession of Middleburg in 1872. He had previously acquired Halidon Hill Plantation and Smoky Hill and merged all three back into one. He married a Simons descendant and once again turned Middleburg into a profitable rice plantation. Ball passed away in 1927 and with him died the cultivation of rice at Middleburg. Marie Guerin Ball Dingle inherited the property upon her father's death. Marie Dingle died in 1963 leaving the plantation jointly to her four nephews  John, Charles, Coming, and James Gibbs. John Gibbs was owner of record in 1976. Jane and Max Hill purchased the Plantation in 1981 and began a painstaking restoration of much of the property and buildings as possible. The Hills (Hill Family Limited Partnership) sold the plantation to entrepreneur Howard Martin Sprock III (Middleburg Plantation LLC) in 2015. The 4 bedroom, 3 ½ bath main house is accompanied by a two-bedroom kitchen building, three-bedroom servants building and a two-story, 2 bedroom brick and frame structure known as the Commissary Building. Recent restoration efforts were focused on the historic renovation of the two-storied main house with the original Carolina heart pine flooring, cypress paneling and moldings. The house is a splendid example of Charleston's classic Georgian "single house". The structure retains the plan of a one-room width, and also the notable post and girt construction of the 17th century, even though it is two stories in height. The kitchen building, servants' quarters and Commissary were also fully restored and are all maintained in impeccable condition today. Of particular interest is the Commissary building which was known as the "corn house" or plantation store when Middleburg was a working rice plantation. The small barred ventilation windows were to keep people out, not in - it's thought that the ground story was designed to store seed rice while it was drying, and the design must have played a part in helping keep it from spoiling. Seed rice was harvested and prepared by hand. It was the planter's competitive edge, the product of years or even generations of careful culture to maximize flavor and yield, and it was also delicious, so if not locked up, would be eaten. If destroyed, the planter was out of luck, since no other planter was likely to be able to provide seed rice. All of the buildings as well as the remnants and ruins of the servant's cabins, toll office, livestock stable and magnificent rice mill are architecturally significant, historically important and each has its own unique story. The original formal garden at Middleburg was known as the oldest original garden in America and the open land has been gradually returned to its pre-1926 appearance. The primary crops harvested at Middleburg were timber, pine tar, turpentine and of course, Carolina Gold Rice. A welcoming fire pit constructed with old Charleston bricks sits in the middle of the courtyard and invites you to pull up a chair and indulge in nights of warm firelit conversation and entertainment. Middleburg resides on the Eastern Branch of the Cooper River with rice fields and marshlands stretching as far as one can see. The expansive 326 acre property offers history, privacy, bountiful deer, duck, dove, quail and turkey hunting as well as endless agricultural, recreational, cultural and entertainment opportunities. With its multiple structures, ample acreage and prime location 30 minutes from Charleston, Middleburg Plantation is the perfect home or country retreat.