Drayton Hall has survived two wars, an array of hurricanes and a major earthquake and today serves as a reminder of the splendor of the Old South. The only plantation on the Ashley River to remain intact from Colonial times until the 21st century, construction on the main house got underway in 1738. From that time until 1974, when the property was sold to the National Trust … [Read more...]

Magnolia Gardens is a love story. It is a romantic garden, an effort to re-create Eden. The Rev. John Grimke Drayton, whose Philadelphia-born wife hated the South, spent a lifetime trying "to create an earthly paradise in which my dear Julia may forever forget Philadelphia and her desire to return there." Through his devotion to Julia, the Rev. Drayton succeeded in designing … [Read more...]