The Charleston Museum

A panel will discuss the lives and Revolutionary War contributions of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, Rebecca Brewton Motte and Susannah Smith Elliott. (Full story below.)

We hope you enjoyed Independence Day weekend, Charleston! This waistcoat was worn by Thomas Heyward Jr., (1746-1809) one of the four South Carolina signers of the Declaration of Independence. Heyward, a lawyer and later judge, would be one of the “ringleaders” held in St. Augustine in 1780-1781. He had tried and ordered the ex*****on of British spies during the early years of the Revolution. After the war, Heyward returned to South Carolina to serve as an associate judge and was a delegate to adopt the State Constitution in 1790. You can visit his home at 87 Church Street, now a historic site run by The Charleston Museum.

Waistcoat, c. 1795
Gift of Edward Barnwell Heyward, 1951

Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783 was made possible in part through a grant from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission SC250 – South Carolina American Rev. Sestercentennial Commission.

The Charleston Museum invites residents and visitors to celebrate Independence Week through special America250 programs, family activities, guided tours and rare Revolutionary-era artifacts on display throughout the week of July 4th.