Charles Towne was originally settled at this site, but ten years after the original landing in April 1670 the town moved to the present location of Charleston, leaving the property in private hands until the state purchased it from its last owners, Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Ioor Waring. Mrs. Waring, whose family, the Legares, owned the property for over a century, spent many decades transforming the working plantation into impressive gardens and lagoons. The South Carolina Tricentennial Commission acquired the original site for a permanent historic park and nature preserve on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Charles Towne, realizing her foresight and desire to preserve the birthplace of South Carolina for future generations.