Charleston Tea Plantation
The first confirmed cultivation of tea in the U.S. occurred when French botanist André Michaux brought to plants to Middleton Barony on the Ashley River between 1799-1802. Large-scale production, however, was not attempted. Beginning in 1880 the U.S. Congress subsidized renewed cultivation efforts. The Pinehurst Plantation in Summerville was the most successful of these attempts.
In 1963, cuttings from Pinehurst Plantation were transferred to 127 acres on Wadmalaw Island; land that is now the Charleston Tea Plantation. Because the Pinehurst plants had grown wild and cross-pollinated for decades prior to transfer they are now considered “South Carolina hybrids.” Charleston Tea Plantation remains the only site of large-scale commercial tea production in the U.S.
Where it stands. 6617 Maybank Hwy., in front of visitors center, Wadmalaw Island, Wadmalaw Island