Middleton Place, located in Charleston, South Carolina, is a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation, built by Henry Middleton in 1741. The building has survived revolution, civil war, and earthquake. It was the home of four generations of Middletons, beginning with Henry, president of the First Continental Congress; Arthur, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; another Henry, Governor of South Carolina and an American Minister to Russia; and William, a signer of the Ordinance of Secession. A 60-acre garden was nurtured and embellished by the Middletons with utmost care until it was destroyed in 1865. The house was burned and looted by a detachment of the 56th New York Volunteer Regiment of the Union Army. The structure survived total devastation and is today the Middleton Place House Museum. The Middleton Place is maintained and exhibited as a national historic site by the Middleton Place Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization. Its goal is to preserve and interpret its features to future generations. The collections and programs, gardens, house, stableyards, and such affiliated property as the Edmondston-Alston House, are maintained to a high standard. The Museum Shop is a source of plantation-made craft items. Craftspeople working in the stableyards create items once made by skilled slaves during the 18th and 19th centuries. Other items in the shop include books about art, architecture, gardening, and history related to the plantation. Among the main attractions of the historic site is the Garden Market and Nursery, where gardening enthusiasts can purchase rare Middleton Camellia Japonicas and Middleton Oak tree seedlings, as well as numerous other annuals, perennials, and herbs. In addition to plants, customers also are treated to an assortment of garden accessories, plantation-crafted wares, and locally produced specialty foods. The gardens at Middleton Place reflect the grand classic style that remained in vogue in Europe and England into the early part of the 19th century.