Charles Duell was 31 years old when he inherited Middleton Place from his grandfather in 1969. His sudden inheritance compelled him to leave a finance career in New York and move his family to South Carolina, where he found the national landmark languishing. Birthplace of a Declaration signer and a First Continental Congress president, Middleton Place also had been home to hundreds of enslaved men, women and children. As the new man in charge, Duell's challenge was to preserve the history contained in the houses and lands of his forebears, while also making them sustainable, relevant and accessible for future generations.