I've mentioned it before, but I am finishing up work as a concierge at The John Rutledge House Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. I have adored working here and want to tell everyone why.
About John:
John Rutledge was a lawyer, the first Governor of South Carolina, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, a signer of the US Constitution, a Justice on the Supreme Court and the 2nd Chief Justice overall.
I am very fond of the story of the special relationship John and his wife had, considering the time they lived. The colonial times were a period when most marriages were arranged and John's mother was absolutely beside herself that John refused to agree to one because he was in love with Elizabeth Grimke. They were married in 1763 and had 10 children, 9 of whom grew to be adults. This was also unheard of for the time period!
Elizabeth's death in 1792 affected John very deeply. Due to rumors of mental illness and alcoholism following her death, he attempted suicide in 1795 and died at the age of 60 in 1800. He is buried right down the street from The John Rutledge House Inn, in the cemetery at St. Micheal's Episcopalian Church.
About his house:The House was built in 1763. That's right. 1763. That's thirteen years before the Declaration of Independence was adopted and 24 years before the US Constitution was ratified.
John Rutledge was 24 years old, newly married and needed a present for his 19 year old wife, Elizabeth Grimke
(For all you John Rutledge's out there: you're about 7 years too late and I don't even need you to build me a house, there are plenty for sale!). When the home opened at Christmas time, it was the place to be and be seen. The Rutledge's used the house as their city residence until the late 1700's and Elizabeth was even lucky enough to host George Washington for tea during his tour of the South in 1791. It is even believed that John Rutledge wrote part of the US Constitution in the ballroom in the house.
After the John and Elizabeth both died, the home went on numerous others including Bishop John England, the first Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Charleston Mayor R. G. Rhett, and was also the original location for the prominent Gaud School for Boys.
In the 1970's and 80's the home was a law office and when they law firm left in 1983, the house stood vacant 5 years until it was bought and turned into a bed and breakfast.
The home survived a cannon during the Civil War, the Charleston specialty She-Crab Soup was invented here in the 1920's and it was barely damaged by Hurricane Hugo, the Category 4 storm that devastated much of Charleston and the surrounding Low Country in 1989.
About the Inn:The House has been a fully functioning bed and breakfast for 21 years. There are 19 rooms total with 11 in the Main House and 8 rooms split between the Cooper and Ashley Carriage Houses out back. Nine of the rooms in the Main house are considered “Deluxe” or “Suites” and this means they are more authentic to the time period when the house was build. They have canopied beds, hardwood parquet floors, working fire places with Italian marble mantle pieces, and 14 foot ceilings. The picture below is Elizabeth Grimke's room and my favorite. :)
My absolute favorite part of the whole property is the balcony off the ballroom on the 2nd floor. It's open all day and all night, has a beautiful view and there's almost always some breeze. (It also happens to be where I had one of my favorite moments with my boyfriend: the weekend we met, he came by here to say goodbye and we spent about 15 minutes out on the balcony. I was so nervous and then really disappointed because he didn't kiss me! Over the past 6 months, he's expressed regret for
not kissing me so on the last night of his last trip to visit me in Charleston, I took him up to there and told him he could cross it off his lists of regrets. It very easily could be my favorite memory of the two of us in Charleston!).
Included with each stay is breakfast each morning, an informal tea service each afternoon, complimentary port, sherry and brandy in the ballroom, and turn-down each evening. The only additional charges are parking, which is 12$ a night (city living, what can you do?).
The John Rutledge House Inn has won many awards including the AAA Four Diamond Award and is a member of the Select Registry. The Inn is managed by
Charming Inns of Charleston, a hotel group which owns 3 other properties, the Fulton Lane Inn, the Kings Courtyard Inn, and the AAA Five Diamond Award-winning Wentworth Mansion, and a restaurant, Circa 1886 (but more on that some other time!).
If you ever get to Charleston, I wholeheartedly believe The John Rutledge House Inn would provide you with a unique experience you will never forget!
kOb
*This is a shameless plug done solely on my own. At no point was I asked to write this for Charming Inns.
