Joseph Manigault House

In 1920, the house nearly became a gas station. That threat pushed a group of Charlestonians to organize what would become the Preservation Society of Charleston — the city's first serious preservation effort, born specifically to save this building. Designed by Gabriel Manigault for his brother Joseph in 1803, it stands as an early and well-preserved example of Adam-style architecture. The Charleston Museum has owned and operated it since 1933, when a private benefactor purchased it at a tax auction and donated it outright.