From Plantation to Fort

From Plantation to Fort. Fort Fair Lawn. , When you walk the wooded trails of Fort Fair Lawn today, imagine yourself on a prosperous plantation, extending for miles. Here, a British noble family enslaved hundreds of workers, who built their grand estate and cultivated their fertile and lucrative rice fields. Located at the head of the Cooper River and only 30 miles from Charleston, this site was coveted by both British and Patriot troops during the Revolutionary War. It provided a critical transportation and communication link between South Carolina's port city and the backcountry., Eight Lords Proprietor were granted a charter for Carolina by King Charles II in 1663, but only one of the noble families settled in the untamed wilderness. Peter Colleton, son of the original landowner, claimed 12,000 acres known as Fair Lawn Barony. His son, the Honorable John Colleton, built a home on these grounds in 1726. The mansion was called Colleton Castle. John's heir , Sir John Colleton , was living there when war came to the colony. Sir John passed away in 1777. Three years later, in April 1780, as the British laid siege to Charleston, Sir John's widow, Lady Jane Colleton, faced British invaders at Fair Lawn , alone., The Fair Lawn mansion and outbuildings, once a source of wealth and pride, were captured and plundered by British troops. The British established a military base and erected an earthen fort and blockhouse. They used Colleton Castle as a hospital. Eighteen months later, the Patriots regained control of the backcountry and the property was burned to the ground. Only the original 18th-century fortress remains intact. It is one of just two surviving Revolutionary War earthwork fortifications in South Carolina., [Captions:] , View of Fort Fairlawn , This illustration of Fort Fair Lawn presents and aerial perspective of what the grounds may have looked like when the British established an outpost there in 1780., Sir John Colleton , The Honorable John Colleton, 4th baronet, built Colleton Castle at Fair Lawn Plantation. His heir , Sir John , lived at Fair Lawn but did not live to see his property ravaged by war.