Drayton Hall - Charleston, South Carolina

Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall was built in 1738-1742 by John Drayton Sr and served seven generations of the family.  

It was a rice and indigo plantation and the interior reflects a family with great wealth.  The original structure had flanking outbuildings but one was destroyed in the Charleston Earthquake of 1886 and the other building did not survive an 1893 hurricane.  

 Painting of Drayton Hall from late 1700's.  

 An immense brick structure by both colonial and modern standards. The bricks were made on site.  

 A surviving picture of Drayton Hall from post Civil War.  

The Interior

The vast majority of the home is still original and shows intricate details in wood working and carved plaster

 Hand carved ceilings and details that surround it

 These rooms are entry and receiving rooms

 Most southern homes have cross entrances to allow for cool breezes and ventilation

 The beautiful staircase and an orb - if you believe in orbs.  I photographed dozens in just about every room

 The upstairs ballroom.  

 The detail is stunning even after 250 years.  

 Hidden staircase that was probably used by servants.  

 Hidden trap floor door, possibly to allow family members to escape in case of emergencies. 

 You can still notice the circular drive which can be seen in the Post Civil War photo

 Basement---huge huge basement 

The Grounds and Gardens - replete with stunning color

Fort King George Georgia

Fort King George

Fort King George was erected in 1721 and is a reconstructed replica of the original located in the historic town of Darien, Georgia.  The fort burned and was abandoned in 1732.  However in 1735 John Oglethorpe gathered some Scottish Highlanders to re-establish the post and turned it into a thriving little town and economy based on the lumber industry. 

Early drawings, maps and platt maps of Darien

Platt map of Darien in 1776

The Fort

Seventeen known British soldiers who died while serving at Fort King George

Ruins of the sawmills and tabby homes

Colonial Midway Georgia

Colonial Midway is a quaint and historic little town in Georgia that was home to two Signers of the Declaration of Independence:  Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall

This home is now a very impressive museum.  Pictures were not allowed but I was pleasantly surprised at the extensive collection they had.  Tours lasted about two hours which included the church and cemetery grounds.  The Docent can marvel you with wonderful stories of that house and its family members.  

The Kitchen as an out building

The Midway Church is very impressive inside and has had very little modernization.  

A fascinating feature is the curved balcony and it is in one solid piece.  

This was the oldest stone marker I found dated in the 1750's

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