Old Shed

This old shed is at Pinckney Historical Site but probably isn't all that old.  What do you think?  60 - 70 years?  About my age I would guess!

Charles Pinckney Historic Site

Charles Pinckney was one of the signers of the US Constitution in 1776 and owned a plantation in the Charleston area consisting of over 700 acres.  Today this small house and about 28 acres is all that remains of the original Snee Farm which his father owned before him.  For more information please click HERE.

Plantation View

This would have been the view from the home at Middleton Plantation.  The original home is gone but was perched at the top of this gentle rise.  You can see the Ashley River and to the right is the mill house pictured below.  The little ponds are called the Butterfly Lakes. 

Plantations

Down by the Ashley River are the old rice fields and the mill house of Middleton Plantation.  This view is of one of the ponds on the property with the Ashley River behind.

Plantations

Now is a great time to visit one of the lowcountry plantations.  This is Middleton Plantation, perched majestically above the Ashley River for all to see when you come around the bend in the river - and that is how most people arrived when Middleton was in it's hay day.  I love the plantations so much.  If you want to see more, please click HERE.

Limerick Plantation - 1707

I actually made Kirby stop and back up so I could go stand in the middle of the road for this picture.  Found on a little back road in Berkley county on our Sunday drive.

The Spring House

I took so many pictures of this old Spring House and I do each time I am at Middleton.  It is so picturesque.  So, you are lucky that I have chose to share only a few of them!

This is the classic view of the Spring House as you approach it on your tour. The lower level is where they kept food items that needed to be kept cool.  No refrigeration like we have.

I liked this upside down Spring house with all the turtles crawling around it.

And some different panoramas.  I couldn't help it.  It was beautiful from so many angles!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!!

Middleton Place Gardens

We took a winter trip to Middleton Place this past weekend.  They were running a special for local folk - $10 admission instead of the usual $25.  We couldn't pass that up, especially with the warm winter we are having.  The day was perfect - warm and sunny.  So unusual for this time of year. 

What amazed me the most about this visit was how beautiful it was even in the dead of winter.  It will take me a couple of weeks to share all the pictures I got.  We were early and the light was wonderful.  Just look at what greeted as we entered the gardens.

 The camellias grow like trees here.  These grew right next to the tree that is covered with Spanish Moss so the moss has mixed with the camellias.  I love the effect of it!  And look at that sky.  It was an awesome day!

Little Bridge

I have always loved this walking bridge at Magnolia Plantation.  It is painted red and is always so inviting - even at the beginning of winter.

The Last of the Color

These azalea petals really aren't the last of the color as the camellias are on their way.  There seems to always be something blooming in the plantation gardens.

Fall is Here - I Miss Summer Already

Fall is here and it is in the air.  Leaves litter my yard.  Soon they all will have left the branches of the trees they so recently joined.  I am sad.  Winter follows and the brown, barren trees will laugh at us.  When that happens, I will have my flowery green pictures to look at to get me through until spring and the return of the green!

Nature Trail at Pinckney Historic Site

 The nature trail at Charles Pinckney is short but delightful!

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site is just a few minutes from my home but I had never been there until this past weekend.  I went early on a Sunday morning when no one else was around.  There is no admission fee and dogs on leashes are allowed.  It is a delightful place full of history and the south.  I don't know which I enjoyed more, the history or the nature walk.  It was all so beautiful!  I will go back!

Charles Pinckney was a principal author and a signer of the United States Constitution. This remnant of his coastal plantation is preserved to tell the story of a "forgotten founder," his life of public service, the lives of enslaved African Americans on South Carolina Lowcountry plantations and their influences on Charles Pinckney.

Cemetery Wall

The wall around this cemetery at Hampton Plantation is beginning to crumble.

Hampton Plantation

Hampton Plantation

About 40 miles north of Charleston sits Hampton Plantation.  Built in the mid 1700's, George Washington visited in 1791 and stood on that porch.  He suggested that the large oak tree you see NOT be cut down even though it blocked the view of the race track.  It is still there in all it's glory.

More Middleton Place

In case you doubt the beauty of Middleton, here are a few more pictures. (You really need to enlarge them by clicking on them to see them properly. Use your browser back button to return here.)

Middleton Place

The south has so much beauty to offer. Middleton Place reigns right at the top!

Yellow Bellies

They live with the alligators but are also possible din-din for those guys.  A very strange relationship for sure.  Sometimes they are actually sharing the sunning ramp.  Do you think the turtles KNOW when the alligator is hungry?

More Scenes from Magnolia Gardens

It will be so much more beautiful when everything greens up but even this is great.  I love the long early morning shadows.

This is a very, very old Virginia Live Oak that is on the plantation.

The Maples are getting their leaves which bloom red and then turn bright green.

This dock is the personal dock of the Drayton Family who still owns the plantation.