Scotsman and cotton trader Charles Edmondston built this home in 1825. When the cotton market turned sour 13 years later, Edmondston sold the house to monied Charleston rice planter Charles Alston, who added the third-floor piazza and other Greek Revival details. A tour of the manse, with its triple-storied piazza supported by Doric and Corinthian columns, depicts the life of Charleston's 19C elite. The second-floor library contains more than 1,000 rare volumes.