The earliest known reference to the site is in 1681 in a land grant of 470 acres (1.9 km2) from owner Theophilus Patey to his daughter Elizabeth and her new husband Major John Boone as a wedding gift.

[7] Boone was elected to the colonial Grand Council during the 1680s, but was removed twice because he illegally trafficked enslaved Native Americans, became associated with pirates, and concealed stolen goods.

The work of talented slaves, with self-taught and acquired skills, including carpentry, mathematics, and geometry, were central to the construction and appearance of many Charleston-area structures.

"[10] Canadian Thomas Stone purchased Boone Hall Plantation in 1935 from the Horlbeck estate, coinciding with the Colonial Revival architectural era.

Boone Hall is still owned by the McRae family, which has made great efforts to preserve the original structures and gardens.

Thomas Stone commissioned architect William Harmon Beers to design a larger, modern residence in the Colonial Revival style.

[5] Built on the gently sloping banks of Horlbeck Creek, the south-facing residence is a two-and-half story building that incorporates materials from the plantation's old farm structures, as well as salvaged historic brick recovered from the Laurel Hill Brickyard.

A small one-story brick wing on the north elevation, with hipped roof and exterior chimney, was originally used for farm-related storage.

[3] As a modern-built, classical revival/Colonial Revival structure, the interior of the historic house echoes design choices made by master builders of the 18th century.

The walls are clad in dark green painted cypress paneling, offset by a white chair rail that flanks a simple fireplace surround, glass-fronted built-in bookshelves, and a cornice with heavy dentil molding.

Centered on the east wall of the foyer is an arched opening, with fluted pilasters and keystone, that accesses a short hallway that steps down to the double door entry of the dining room.

The modest dentil cornice, fireplace surround and chair rail are painted white, matching the treatment in the library.

The countertops are made of Monel, and the narrow oak flooring continues into the large kitchen designed to facilitate grand-scale entertaining.

The private family quarters (not open for public tours) are found on the second floor and are accessed by a hallway featuring arches with fluted pilasters and keystones.

On axis with the front facade of the house, the allée consists of 88 live oak trees and one magnolia, that are evenly spaced.

The gateposts are topped with ball finals, hung with formal wrought iron gates and, along with a brick serpentine wall, enclose the forecourt of the house.

Open lawns at each side of the entry drive are flanked by formal gardens with brick-paved paths, laid among large live oaks and planted with camellias, azaleas and Noisette roses.

Visitors arriving to the house in the 19th century by carriage would have driven through the tunnel of oaks, and past the many slave quarters to the left of the road.

These dwellings were continuously occupied by enslaved workers, then free sharecroppers for nearly 150 years, making them incredibly significant to the history of the site.

On the wide forecourt directly in front of the house are two pergolas, constructed in 1993 as part of the ongoing efforts to enhance the gardens.

The machinery to process cotton is no longer found, and has since been used as a guest house, restaurant and gift shop by subsequent owners.

This building has been renovated and reopened in September 2023 with a new visitor center, a museum that spans over three hundred years of history, a new gift shop, and historic event rental space upstairs.

Many structures that house slaves were made from wood, and were easily removed from agricultural landscapes when the owner decided they no longer wanted a visual marker of the history of the enslaved on their property.

While domestic enslaved workers would have cooked, cleaned, and performed many other tasks for the Boone, then Horlbeck families, slavery was illegal in 1935 when the historic house was built.

Such limited interpretive exploration may be attributed to the site's lack of a curator, or curatorial staff to do more research and writing for the public's benefit.

But re-patterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.”[20] Representatives from Boone Hall Plantation issued a statement to Fox News saying, "We treasure all our relationships with couples that have chosen to get married at Boone Hall, and, when needed, respond to them in private, honest, and personal discussions to address any concerns they may have.

[22] The grounds and buildings of Boone Hall Plantation have appeared in a number of major motion pictures and TV series: