The first permanent English settlement in what is now S.C. was established here in 1670. Named for King Charles II, Charles Towne was built on Albemarle Point, on the west bank of the Ashley River. It began in 1670-71 with a palisaded fort and a few houses. As it grew, additional lots were laid out across the Ashley River on Oyster Point. In 1680 the proprietors of the colony moved the capital to that site, in present-day downtown Charleston. By 1700 this site was known as Old Town Plantation, and it was used for farming for almost 300 years. The last owners, Doctor and Mrs. Joseph I. Waring, renovated the overseer’s house as their home and created 80 acres of landscaped gardens. In 1969 they sold more than 650 acres to the state of S.C., which developed a park here for the S.C. Tricentennial of 1970. The site became a state park in 1971.
