Drayton Hall Plantation–Charleston, SC

There are many plantations in Charleston that you can visit. Years ago we had visited Boone Hall in North Charleston and so this time we decided to see Drayton Hall on the south side of town. Of course that was due partly to the fact our rv park was located on the south side of town!

Drayton Hall is different from many of the other plantations in that it is the oldest unrestored plantation house open to the public.

 

Drayton Hall, is in the South Carolina "Lowcountry"  about 15 miles  northwest of Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the best examples of Palladian – Georgian architecture. The house was built for John Drayton and was begun in 1738 and completed in 1742, using both free and slave labor. John’s parents lived in the plantation next door, but as John was the youngest son, he was not in line to inherit Magnolia Plantation. Therefore he built his own. In building it, his primary focus seemed to be in impressing his guests.

The seven-bay double pile plantation house stands in a 630-acre site that is part of the plantation based on raising indigo and rice. Drayton Hall is the only plantation house on on the Ashley river to survive the American Revolution and Civil War intact.

Seven generations of Drayton heirs preserved the house in all but original condition, though the flanking outbuildings have not survived: an earthquake destroyed the laundry house in 1886 and a hurricane destroyed the kitchen in 1893. The last Drayton to own Drayton Hall stated in her will that no improvements were to be made to the house – no electricity and no plumbing! The descendants then decided that the best idea would be to sell to the National Historic Society!

Drayton Hall was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

The ‘public’ rooms were always very elaborate in order to impress guests. The ‘private’ rooms were more plain and basic. Below are pictures from ‘public’ rooms.

The amazing ornate wall decorations:

The bricked in doorway below once had a door, but it never went anywhere. It was put there just to match the other door on the same wall. Everything had to balance, so there were always a matching pair of everything.

The staircase on the left was used by slaves to bring food into the dining room. The staircase on the right was for taking guests up to the elaborate second floor.

The Ashley River is not only a beautiful place to relax, it was also the primary route into Charleston.

The drive up to a plantation home is always very impressive.

Surrounding the plantations are acres of swamps.

While the house stands intact, the grounds no longer have the elaborate gardens which were once there. However, you can do a walking tour with a printed guide and imagine the masses of camellias, azaleas, and garden paths.

The tour guides were very informative and entertaining and we thoroughly enjoyed our look into plantation life on the Ashley River. Tomorrow it is on to Savannah!

Happy travels to you!