117 Broad Street, Charleston, SC, 29401

There are very few places in the United States where someone can lay claim to living in the home of a ''Founding Father.'' Edward Rutledge, signer to the Declaration of Independence, lived in this magnificent Georgian-style mansion from 1763 until his death in 1800. Rutledge also served as South Carolina's 10th Governor. Now known as The Governor's House, this home was first built in 1760 by James Laurens, brother to the President of the Second Continental Congress, Henry Laurens. His son John Laurens served as aide-de-camp to President George Washington and was a close friend to Alexander Hamilton. Sitting on nearly 1/2 acre just outside the original walled city, on the site of the former Charleston Orange Garden, the house has been altered and added onto since construction.