Our first day in Charleston was scenic and fascinating. We started where it all began – the original spot on the west bank of the Ashley River (across from the current city) where the original settlers landed and set up a fortified town in 1670. We learned that the settlers came from England and Barbados with the intention of replicating the plantation system used in Barbados in Carolina. The system depended on the abundance of labor using both enslaved African people and indentured servants from England. When the town moved across the river to the current location of Charleston, the area became a plantation. It is now a State Park with a few reconstructed features, an archaeological dig, and a replica of a trading ship. It was very interesting.
From there we traveled up the Ashley River Rd (Route 61) to
the Magnolia Plantation where beautiful gardens have been maintained for 331
years. The plantation set along the edge
of the river has lovely paths through blooming azaleas, daffodils, camellias,
and other plants. Some of the areas are
very wooded and others are more cultivated.
We took the “Nature Tram” which drives you along dikes from the former
rice plantation. We saw alligators,
eagles, and countless water fowl and wading birds.
We toured the mansion which was the third built in that location. The most exciting part of our time was
at the Audubon Swamp Garden. We walked along boardwalks and dikes around swamps full of tupelo trees, and bald cypress. We saw a rookerie of egret and heron
nests. We watched a Great Blue Heron
couple build a nest together. It was
fabulous!
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