The next plantation along Ashley River is Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. Accessible through a long line of stately oaks, the plantation house and gardens are just a short walk from the parking area.
The present house is the fourth generation of a design that began in 1760. Burnt to the ground by Sherman's troops, the house was rebuilt and modified over the years until, in 1995, the present owners added the tall columns and modified several of the front windows. We toured the home, and gleaned a glimpse into the life of plantation owners over the years. Rice was the big crop of the Charleston area prior to the Civil War, and created a wealthy upper class that could "summer" in the northeast or even Europe, even as we might take a summer vacation to the mountains. Penniless after the destruction of the Civil War, the family, using money from friends and family in the north, began mining for phosphate, which was used for fertilizer. Profitable, but not environmentally friendly, the strip mining practices soon ran out of land. Timber became another profitable crop during the rebuilding of the South, but many families could not afford the labor required for rice and moved into town and started businesses there. The plantation buildings fell into disrepair unless some family member decided to remain there.
After touring the house (sorry, no photos), we walked the grounds, admiring many of the beautiful flowers and plants.
Water, of course, was vital to the rice crop, and the Gardens follow a path along the Ashley River.
Three miles farther west on the Ashley River Road, past Rhett Butler Drive, lies Middleton Place, which is home to the oldest landscaped gardens in America. The formal gardens are laid out following the principles established by Andre' le Notre, the landscape architect of Louis XIV's Versailles. A 45 degree by 45 degree by 90 degree right triangle superimposed on Henry Middleton's garden shows the precision of the original design.
We started our tour in the Middleton Place House. The only remaining building of the three-building residence that was the home of the distinguished Middleton family. The complex consisted of the Main House, which dated from the early 1700's and two "dependencies", or "flankers". These building were built a few yards away from the main house, and housed Library of some 10,000 volumes, a music room, and many paintings and prints. The other flanker provided offices and sleeping space for visiting friends and family.
All that is left of the main house is a jumble of bricks. On the right, the grand entry fireplace is still imaginable, and the entry steps still remain. Union troops used the books from the library to set fire to the home and the north flanker on February 22, 1865. The South Flanker was damaged but was able to be restored after the war, and served as a family residence until 1975.
This would have been the view from the Main House, looking toward the Ashley River.
Our wonderful tour guide showed us through the home (again with the no photos thing, ya'll). She has been a volunteer here for 26 years, and there was never a question asked that she could not answer. She knew the history of every piece of furniture (all family pieces, of course), and had the genealogy of the family down pat. Good job!
A long walk in the afternoon heat gave both Donna and I a rosy glow, but the grounds were so beautiful that we had to give it a try. This view is from what is called the Lower Walk.
Terraced hillsides embrace the Butterfly Lakes near the Ashley River.
In a secluded nook, we spotted a gorgeous red bird. This photo doesn't do it justice, but it was completely red. A flash of red in the sunlight was the last we saw of it. Anyone have an idea what it might be?
The grounds are dotted with secluded and shady spots. This Wood Nymph, by Rudolph Schadow, from about 1810, is a survivor among many family owned statues that were destroyed during the Civil War.
The Middleton Oak keeps watch over the river. It is now some 85 feet tall with a circumference of over 37 feet, and was named a "Constitutional Bicentennial Tree" in 1989. It marked an Indian trail long before Englishmen came to the Low Country.
The Octagonal Sunken Garden served as a bowling green for many years. It is one of the three formal gardens laid out on the hypotenuse of the great triangle central to the garden plan.
Which create the shape of a butterfly's wings.
Be careful where you walk in the south! Little reptilian friends are everywhere there is water. This little 4 footer gave us the evil eye as we walked by.
So, it wasn't quite the cool, collected, restful day we had envisioned, and we both began to wilt this afternoon, but it was great to see these two plantations nonetheless. We have already grown to dislike the traffic and convoluted road system hereabouts, so it took us about 45 minutes to return home.
Unfortunately, I had neglected to enable the generator auto-start feature, and the power was out in the park, leaving Sasha in a sweatbox without air-conditioning. We tried a reset, but soon saw that we were in the middle of a brown-out, so we started the generator and turned the ac on. Sorry about the "no generator" rule....ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and a hot dog and a hot wife (!) will make a man to go to extreme lengths! Supposed to be a T-Storm tonite, so mebby that will cool things off. Hope so!
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