Carolina Gold: From Rice to Riches at Middleton Place
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Middleton Place National Historic Landmark will present Carolina Gold: From Rice to Riches, a special exhibit in the House Museum opening March 8th and continuing through August 30th. The exhibit will be comprised of assembled jewelry and miniatures that emphasizes the art of goldsmiths and miniaturists favored and patronized by Middleton family members in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Composed principally of heirlooms from private collections of present-day Middleton descendants plus rare museum examples, the exhibit is tangible proof of the wealth generated by the Middleton’s successful planting of South Carolina’s fabled Carolina Gold rice. A few of the priceless collections on exhibit include: a jeweled tiara and gold rams head bracelet worn by Governor Henry Middleton’s wife in the 1820s at the court of St. Petersburg in Russia; a miniature of Thomas Middleton containing a braided lock of his hair, and a gold friendship locket worn by Eliza Middleton. These rare exhibit pieces are also evidence of the taste and sophistication of an extraordinary American family polished by international travel, political leadership and intellectual pursuits.
Tidal rivers once produced millions of pounds of Carolina Gold rice, and the golden grain dominated Low Country agriculture from the mid-1700s until after the Civil War. Rice cultivation provided the immense wealth which allowed the Gardens at Middleton Place to be created over 269 years ago. In addition to the special exhibit this spring and summer, visitors can view Carolina Gold rice growing in the flooded rice field, late May through autumn harvest, and learn about the African origins of rice and its importance in colonial and antebellum South Carolina.
Middleton Place is open daily, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Garden and Stableyards admission is $25 for adults, $5 for children (ages 7-15), 6 and under are free. Tours of the House Museum, including the special exhibit, are $10. Middleton Place Foundation Members are free. For additional information, visit the website at www.middletonplace.org or call (843) 556-6020.
Composed principally of heirlooms from private collections of present-day Middleton descendants plus rare museum examples, the exhibit is tangible proof of the wealth generated by the Middleton’s successful planting of South Carolina’s fabled Carolina Gold rice. A few of the priceless collections on exhibit include: a jeweled tiara and gold rams head bracelet worn by Governor Henry Middleton’s wife in the 1820s at the court of St. Petersburg in Russia; a miniature of Thomas Middleton containing a braided lock of his hair, and a gold friendship locket worn by Eliza Middleton. These rare exhibit pieces are also evidence of the taste and sophistication of an extraordinary American family polished by international travel, political leadership and intellectual pursuits.
Tidal rivers once produced millions of pounds of Carolina Gold rice, and the golden grain dominated Low Country agriculture from the mid-1700s until after the Civil War. Rice cultivation provided the immense wealth which allowed the Gardens at Middleton Place to be created over 269 years ago. In addition to the special exhibit this spring and summer, visitors can view Carolina Gold rice growing in the flooded rice field, late May through autumn harvest, and learn about the African origins of rice and its importance in colonial and antebellum South Carolina.
Middleton Place is open daily, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Garden and Stableyards admission is $25 for adults, $5 for children (ages 7-15), 6 and under are free. Tours of the House Museum, including the special exhibit, are $10. Middleton Place Foundation Members are free. For additional information, visit the website at www.middletonplace.org or call (843) 556-6020.
