Middleton Place, a plantation on the Ashley River near Charleston, developed from the late 1730s into a principal Middleton family residence and is renowned for the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States. Henry Middleton expanded the house and created formal terraced gardens ending at the Butterfly Lakes, while the estate became linked to colonial and early national politics through Henry and Arthur Middleton. It was damaged by British troops during the Revolution, associated with the 1783 surrender terms for British withdrawal from the Southern colonies, and later became known for rice cultivation and horticultural innovation. After destruction in the Civil War and earthquake damage in 1886, descendants restored the gardens beginning in 1916.