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Drayton Hall Plantation is located along the historical Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina. Construction of the plantation house began in 1738, when the acreage was purchased by John Drayton. It took four years to complete construction utilizing the labor of European and African-American craftsmen.
By the 1750s, the plantation had established itself in both the indigo and inland rice trades. The 600 acres encompassed these as well as table crops and elaborate gardens. As with most plantations of the colonial times, it was maintained by enslaved African-Americans. By the time Charles Drayton, John's son, acquired the property in 1790, there were up to 25 dwelling houses and workshops of the enslaved African-Americans. A number of these families lived in the same cramped quarters at any given time. The plantation held upwards of 100 enslaved peoples at the peak of its planting and harvesting periods.
What makes Drayton Hall Plantation so remarkable is that it survived the Revolutionary and Civil Wars intact. There are several stories about how it survived the Civil War without being vandalized and destroyed. One story published by Harper's Monthly in December of 1875 states that the plantation was spared by an African-American slave who supposedly led the Union soldiers to believe that the plantation was owned by a "Union man". A more popular oral tradition of how the plantation house was spared has been handed down for generations. Dr. John Drayton (1831-1912) had quarantine signs posted on the road leading to the plantation and along the river entrance to keep the Union soldiers from entering his property. One version states that he sent his family away upon hearing that the Union soldiers were heading into the Charleston area. He apparently stayed behind to nurse some house slaves who had fallen ill with the smallpox, while another version explains that the slaves were not ill but were prepared to feign illness if the opportunity presented itself.
After the Civil War, the livelihood of the plantation was threatened by the emmancipation of the African-American slaves. Dr. John Drayton was a physician as well as a planter, but it was evident during the post-war years that he depended greatly upon the income from his plantation crops. Thus, he was facing financial ruin. In 1875, as acting guardian of the estate, he decided to lease it to the Charleston Mining and Manufacturing Company. Phosphate continued to be mined on the estate until the early 1900s.
Drayton Hall Plantation was acquired by brothers Charles and Francis Drayton in 1969. The house remained in the Drayton family until the 1970s, when it was sold to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The house has been preserved in its original condition rather than having been restored, and is still without running water and electricity. It remains unfurnished on the inside as not to take away from the interior. Reminents of the past still exist throughout the grounds as well. The house and gardens are open to the public year round, except for certain holidays.
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