John Rutledge was a former governor of the state of South Carolina. He was also a signer of the US Constitution and older brother to Edward, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and another former SC governor. The two brothers were neighbors with their properties sitting just next to each other in Broad Street, the John Rutledge House erected at Number 116 and Edward’s at Number 117.

The John Rutledge House, built in 1763, is now a National Historic Landmark mostly for its association with the former governor. It was then transformed into the John Rutledge House Inn in 1989. It features 19 guest rooms, 11 of which is found at the main house and 8 are in the former carriage house. AAA gave it a 4 Diamond rating.