[4] Snee Farm was acquired by Colonel Charles Pinckney in 1754 from widow Ann (Scott) Allen and her second husband, John Savage, who was a Charleston merchant;[8] he developed its 715 acres for the commodity crops of rice and indigo.

The younger Pinckney used Snee Farm as a working plantation and country estate (it was conveniently accessible to Charleston by boat) until about 1816, when he placed the property in trust to settle debts.

The Coastal Cottage at Snee Farm is typical of its time, and representative of a vernacular style for country living, although it also features some refined spaces for entertaining.

Following the passage of enabling legislation by the United States Congress, the National Park Service purchased the current site.

Because the site no longer has any structures associated with the Pinckneys, details of their time on the property are limited to archaeological and documentary work.

[4] The contemporary museum on the historic site includes artifacts from the Pinckneys and later owners of Snee Farm spanning almost 200 years.