Celebrating the National Day of Listening at Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall was proud to support the National Day of Listening! Haven’t heard about it yet? Head on over to Story Corps’ website to check it out and get in the know by clicking here. Our Executive Director, George McDaniel, has been a proponent of oral history for a long time- he loves getting out of the office and sitting down with people near and far to hear their story. We sat down with him for a cup of coffee yesterday and asked him some questions and heard why he decided to participate.

Q: Hi George! Thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk about Story Corps, and why you feel so strongly about recording oral histories. If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell us what you decided to record for the National Day of Listening?

A:  Of course I’ll share. I decided to sit down and really tell the story of my experiences in Vietnam from 1969 and 1970. I hadn’t ever taken the time to write down any of those experiences, and I wanted to record them for my sake, my kid’s sake, and for posterity. I only have a few pictures of my time there and I was beginning to worry that the story would be lost if I didn’t record it.

Q: Why is it important that these stories be recorded? Couldn’t you just email them to your kids or write them down somewhere?

A: You could do that- from my perspective it isn’t really important how you record them but that you record them at all. But when you record something, hearing that person’s voice really gives you a sense of the person themselves- oral histories have a power to them because of that. You get a fuller picture of that person, you hear their own pacing. It’s also an easier  process- recording something in this way allows the story to flow more freely than trying to write it down, and it comes out more naturally. Just sitting down to answer these questions is a whole lot easier than writing down my thoughts on paper.

Q: You’ve done so many oral histories over your long career. Are there any seminal moments you’ve had that really stick out when someone was telling you a story?

A: Although there are many, I’d say the best involve Richmond Bowens (for new readers, click here to learn more about Mr. Bowens). One day we were out doing an excavation of his home site on the property, the actual site where he was raised as a child. According to the 1910 census report, there were 11 people living in the house at the site where we were digging. It said that the house was headed by his grandmother and that there were aunts, uncles, and cousins living there. During the excavations of the yard, the archaeologists had found very little debris or any remnants of material culture from the site- the most basic explanation and interpretation for this would have been that this large family lived in abject poverty. But Richmond was there and was able to tell us that the census taker had been mistaken- it was only he , his mother and father that lived in the house there. Furthermore, his mother was a stickler for cleanliness. At least once a day the yard was swept clean and their house was always neat as a pin. My other really special memory from that day was when we found a piece of a cut glass bowl during the dig. Richmond immediately recognized it as one of their nicer pieces that had held candies and goodies at Christmastime. This example shows how oral histories really give history a human dimension, and tell a more complete story.

Q: In this fast paced high-tech world, how important are efforts like Story Corps?

A: So important. They’re documenting the variety of the American experience by heading to different regions and getting a really good demographic cross-section. It’s also important because it prompts people to tell their stories to family members and others after they record it. After I did my recording, I was inspired to tell friends and family who I’ve never opened up to before about my time in Vietnam. In this way, Story Corps serves as a catalyst to get people talking. It creates storytellers who tell their experience to people. Then those listeners are prompted to become storytellers as well and tell their stories. It serves a great purpose.

Q: How important have oral histories been in interpreting Drayton Hall?     

A:   Oral histories have enabled us to record the history of this site from a variety of perspectives. We’ve talked to so many members of the Drayton family and the enslaved families that lived and worked on this site. We are also talking about starting to do oral histories of longtime staff members like Bob Barker who worked here from the first year the site opened to the public and just recently retired. We’re getting to a point where we need to start thinking about the history of the site and the history of the organization that runs it. One of the more powerful oral histories that we have from the Draytons is Charlie Drayton’s reflection on deciding to sell Drayton Hall to the National Trust after seven generations of ownership. (To see parts of the clip, click here. Fair warning: have a tissue handy) We also spoke to his daughter Anne Drayton Nelson about that decision, and she reflected on her Dad’s decision, calling it the courageous, right thing to do. Oral histories are powerful stuff.

George, thanks for sitting down with us, and thank you for preserving so much history for future generations!

“The French Connection:” WestOf Newspaper

Friends, 

Every year, we wait in anticipation as June rolls around and we get to meet our newest intern from the French Heritage Society Internship program that we are lucky enough to participate in. (See here for more information.) This year we were paired with Margarita Valencia, and we’re happy to report that others are noticing how exciting this program is. Read below for the most recent press on Margarita’s work!

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

French National School of Landscape grad designs uncovered gardens at Drayton Hall

by Kristin Hackler
Staff Writer

Earlier this month a new face arrived at Drayton Hall, fresh from the halls of the French National School of Landscape Architecture in Versailles, France. Her name is Margarita Valencia, and until June 24, she will be working in a newly uncovered section of Drayton Hall’s gardens to develop a landscaping design inspired and guided by historical documents.

The section she will be exploring was uncovered over the course of several years starting in 2004. As Drayton Hall staff worked to remove invasive species such as Chinese Tallow, Eleangus, and Chinaberry from 15 acres of land surrounding the main building, it was discovered that the area had been terraced and planted for ornamental purposes. In fact, old maps from the collection of the second owner of Drayton Hall, Charles Drayton, indicated the existence of a pathway along the south property as part of a possible pleasure garden walking experience.

French landscape architect Margarita Valencia will work with Eric Becker, Drayton Hall’s Manager of Lanscapes, in restoring recently uncovered gardens.

Since the philosophy of Drayton Hall is to have as light an impact on the historic landscape as possible, Carter Hudgins, Director of Preservation and Education, was quick to point out that this plan will not be a restoration but rather preservation. “We’re not in the business of landscape re-creation. This will be landscape preservation. We’re basically removing junk plants and trees so the terraces will survive,” says Hudgins. “Margarita’s work will not only help to redefine the elaborate terraces, but will give such features prominence through the establishment of a planting plan that, once implemented, will return native trees, historic shrubs, and their colors to one of early America’s most significant estates.”

Drayton Hall and Magnolia Gardens were the first to offer internships through the French Heritage Society exchange student program in 2010. Each year, three students arrive for a month to study at the historic plantations and this year, Middleton Place is also participating in the exchange.

“The school was looking for places for their students to fulfill their studies abroad and we thought it was a perfect fit,” says Eric Becker, Landscape Horticulture and New Facilities manager The students are participating in either a two or four year study with L’Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage Versaille (the French National School of Landscape Architecture] where they work and learn in Versailles. Margarita’s project plan will help us to manage and maintain the stability of the terraces, enhance the walking experience, and provide new space for further interpretation of the gardens.”

Using Drayton Hall’s 2004 Landscape Master Plan as a guide, Valencia’s design will carefully consider the connection of the pathway with the main house, river, ponds, the forest, and other important views. At the same time, she will be researching the ornamental native plants mentioned in the plantation’s diaries, journals, and letters in order to determine what plantings will be most evocative of the past.

One of the reasons the French Heritage Society was particularly enthused to work with Drayton Hall is due to the fact that Andre Michaux, a well-known French explorer and botanist, is on record as having given shrubs to Charles Drayton between 1784 and 1820. According to a 2003 article in the Southern Garden History Society’s spring newsletter, Magnolia, “From entries in Charles Drayton’s diary and his plant lists, his close friendship with Michaux is evident.”

“I chose to work at Drayton Hall because I like the architecture and landscape,” says Valencia. “I studied architecture at the university as well as landscape design because I want to work in both, and this was the best place to develop that. I’m also looking to improve my knowledge about the Latin names of plants,”

Valencia’s work will be integrated with the efforts of past exchange students who also worked on overlay planting plans and implementation, conceptual renderings of spaces, and research of the Drayton papers.

Drayton Hall plans to begin sourcing and installing the recommended and approved plants by early 2013. Employees at Drayton are particularly excited about this portion of the preservation plan as it is likely they will discover further evidence of the history of Drayton Hall and the historic gardens in the process. Becker did note, however, that the digging and planting will be closely observed by the Drayton Hall architect.

Drayton Hall is located at 3380 Ashley River Road. For more information, visit http://www.draytonhall.org or call 769-2600. For more information about the French Heritage Society student exchange program, visitwww.frenchheritagesociety.org/education/student-exchange-program.

Click here to access the article online. (Note that in the original article, Eric Becker is mistakenly identified as Carter Hudgins.)

What is it?

During the 18th century, wax seals were frequently used in the Lowcountry to close, mark, and authenticate important documents such as legal records. In practice, a small portion of melted sealing wax, formed from beeswax or a combination of resin, shellac, plaster, turpentine and coloring agents was placed on a document and then pressed with a seal matrix to create a seal. (Fig. 1) Typically, the seal matrix was personalized and embossed with the user’s initials, coat of arms or motto.

Figure 1. A fragment of a wax seal.

Numerous wax seals are held within Drayton Hall’s archival collection, including one example associated with a land grant issued by the Lord’s Proprietors. While no actual seals themselves survive in the collections, portions of several 18th century seal matrixes called “fob seals,” (Fig.2) have been found in the archaeological record of Drayton Hall. Formed from copper alloy, these seals were constructed with swiveling mounts that would have been originally been inset with an

Figure 2. Three fob seals measuring approximately 2.5" x1"

intaglio gem or engraved silver or copper disc. Given their 18th century date, these objects might have held the seal matrix of John Drayton or his son Charles. Hopefully, other important and complementing artifacts will be recovered through continued archaeological research.

“Preservation Wednesday” Celebrates First Anniversary and Reflections from an Intern

Madeline Graham washing artifacts

“My name is Madeline Graham; I am a rising senior in the Historic Preservation Department at the College of Charleston interning with Drayton Hall’s Preservation Department. Each day is filled with new tasks and fascinating discoveries. Throughout the summer I have worked with interns from other institutions as well as the entire staff of the Preservation Department. There are so many ongoing projects that there is never a dull moment!  I am always very busy with tasks that I feel contribute to the overall success of Drayton Hall and its preservation goals.   

These interesting tasks include photographing furniture for archival purposes and organizing museum collection materials into archival cabinets. One of the major projects I have been involved with includes cleaning and labeling artifacts discovered during the archaeological excavations. Something always sparks my interest in every bag of artifacts I clean. I have come across artifacts such as shoe buckles, a variety of ceramics, and even animal bones! Once washed, each artifact requires a label. This process is very time consuming, but is also very important to the cataloging process. I am glad that I have gotten to work with the Drayton Hall team and look forward to upcoming projects!”

   The process of washing excavated artifacts is an ongoing one at Drayton Hall and any other active archaeological project. Once the artifacts are excavated, each fragment is washed in order to then be labeled and finally cataloged and analyzed. For every one hour in the field, it takes archaeologists 8-12 hours in the lab to prepare the artifacts for analysis. The archaeologists at Drayton Hall are very lucky to work at a site so rich in history.  Since active archaeological excavations resumed on the property in the fall of 2008, however, the number of artifacts in need of processing had reached into the hundreds of thousands! A volunteer based program, “Preservation Wednesday,” was developed to assist the Preservation Department with this task.

Mr. Charles H. Drayton III

  “Preservation Wednesday” is a hands-on experience open to Friends of Drayton Hall who are invited to work as volunteers alongside of our Preservation Department Staff. This month marks the first anniversary of our Preservation Wednesday program. During the past 12 months, 26 individuals have participated including numerous Drayton Hall Friends, enthusiastic staff members volunteering their time, and even members of the Drayton family—including the wonderful Mr. Charles H. Drayton III who often heads up our washing table! The 26 participants have booked an astounding 264 hours wielding toothbrushes to diligently clean our amazing collection of artifacts! The Drayton Hall Preservation Staff is consistently blown away by the enthusiasm of this group and is humbled by their dedication to our ongoing archaeological projects. We thank all of the participants for making an idea for a hands-on Friends experience a successful reality!

Preservation Wednesday Volunteers

If you are a Friend of Drayton Hall and would like to participate in future Preservation Wednesdays, please contact Drayton Hall Archaeologist/Preservation Coordinator, Sarah Stroud at Sarah_Stroud@draytonhall.org or call 843-769-2637. Preservation Wednesdays are held the third Wednesday of the month from 10am-Noon. 

For more information about becoming a Friend of Drayton Hall go to: http://www.draytonhall.org/support/become_member/, or visit Drayton Hall in person and become a member on-site to receive your silver-plated rice spoon! 

 

Watercolor Mystery Solved! (So Far.)

The Mystery Watercolor dated 1765.

Watercolor Mystery Solved! (So Far.)

I’ve been asked to recount the story of the historical detective work that led us to identify the owner of the mysterious watercolor of Drayton Hall, dated 1765, which was sent to us anonymously in September 2007. I’m happy to do so, especially since it means I can acknowledge and thank all the people, including my fellow detectives, who contributed to its success -– because without them, there would be no story.

To begin: in September 2007, I received the copy of the watercolor you see in the image above, purported to be dated 1765. There was no note, and the envelope was simply postmarked Winchester, VA, zip code, 22602-6754. Prior to its arrival, no one had seen such an image of Drayton Hall, nor had the prominent presence of colonnades even been suspected. In fact, no 18th-century image of Drayton Hall had ever been found, the earliest having been dated to c. 1845. But was the watercolor authentic? And who owned it?

To answer the first question, architectural historians and archaeologists have been hard at work, with promising, though not conclusive, results to date.

To answer the second question required historical fieldwork in Winchester itself. Since I’d done similar sleuthing for historical houses for the National Museum of American History, Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village, and other museums, I hoped that what I’d learned could still be of use, so I took up the challenge.

Upon receipt of the copy of the watercolor, I called the post office in Winchester to ask if they could identify the location of the 9-digit zip code, but they politely refused, citing privacy policies. I then followed the first rule of fieldwork: start with who you know. So I called Elizabeth McClung, director of Belle Grove, the National Trust historic site near Winchester, and she advised me to contact Becky Ebert, county archivist, who “knows everybody.”

The envelope it was mailed in - postmarked Wincester, VA.

It took me a while, but last April I was in Virginia and called Becky, and drove over to Winchester and met with her. She proved to be quite knowledgeable and tactful, and kindly introduced me to her friends with the post office. Though they were interested in helping Becky and me, the rules for privacy protection still prohibited them from telling us the location of the “6754” of the zip code. They asked me to write a letter, which they might or might not deliver. I did, with Becky’s help, but received no reply.

The mysterious watercolor had aroused so much interest among our staff and others striving to solve this mystery. Among them was Anne Drayton Nelson, daughter of the last owner of Drayton Hall and a devoted friend, who called me in June, saying that a friend of hers had gone online and found that the “6754” referred to Bedford Drive in Winchester. Outstanding! Now we knew where it was -– not a single residence but a street. I “Google-earthed” it and saw it was a short cul de sac in a suburban development. With the street name in hand, Dawn Brogan, my executive assistant and fellow detective, was able to go online and identify the names of each of the Bedford Drive residents.

The opportunity to visit Bedford Drive came in late June because I was in Washington for National Trust meetings. From there I rented a car, drove to Winchester, and the next morning Becky and I headed over. To give credibility and to serve as “leave-behinds”, I carried with me Drayton Hall brochures, copies of our newsletter and of the recent Preservation magazine with the article about Drayton Hall, plus copies of the watercolor itself and my business cards.

When we arrived, I saw a lady walking down to her mailbox, and thanks to Dawn’s list of residents, I knew she was Mrs. Nancy Nettlerodt. So I walked over to her, saying “Hello, Mrs. Nettlerodt, I’m George McDaniel from Charleston, SC, and I’m here trying to solve a history mystery, connecting Winchester to Charleston, and with me is Becky Ebert, county archivist. “ Becky had remained in the car, but when Mrs. Nettelerodt heard her name, she exclaimed, “Oh, I know Becky. I was just with her mother this morning!” So Becky got out, and they hugged, and Becky explained the mystery we were trying to solve.

The History Sleuths of Winchester, VA

While Mrs. Nettlerodt didn’t recognize the picture, she was eager to help and introduced Becky and me to her immediate neighbors. None recognized the watercolor, but Blaine Dunn, who lived across the street and who’s very interested in history, offered to take us around to the rest of the neighborhood. He introduced us to Janet Colt and other neighbors, who were intrigued, but unable to identify it. Blaine then volunteered to continue the search since there were a number of neighbors not at home. I gave him copies of my materials to give to them.

Helpful Bedford Drive Residents

Becky and I then went to the offices of the newspaper The Winchester Star, where Becky had set up an interview with editors Adrian O’Connor and Frances Lowe. Their interests too were piqued by the mystery, and after extensive conversations and reviews of my materials, they volunteered to run a story the next week. I then left Winchester, disappointed in part because we hadn’t found the owner but satisfied that the fieldwork had been complete. I was just going to have to wait.

The Winchester Star article by Adrian O'Connor

The next Tuesday, Blaine Dunn called to say that he’d not had success but some good possibilities remained. The next day he called with great news: he’d found the owner! It was one of his neighbors, who had not been at home during the day, and the man wanted me to call him. I did so that night and had a most informative and enjoyable conversation. He wishes to remain anonymous.

On Friday, Becky called to report that Adrian O’Connor had great news. The owner had also responded to the story in the newspaper and had acknowledged to Adrian his ownership of the watercolor. So both fieldwork approaches — the neighborhood search and the newspaper story — had brought results.

In early August, Carter Hudgins, our director of preservation, and I are going up to meet with Becky and the watercolor’s owner. Anne Drayton Nelson, daughter of Charles Drayton, the last owner of Drayton Hall, is going to accompany us since she lives in Montpelier, VA. Matt Webster, former director of preservation at Drayton Hall and now architectural conservator at Colonial Williamsburg, may be joining us. Together we hope to examine the original watercolor and resolve a number of questions: Is it authentic to c. 1765? Are there watermarks or other telltale evidence to support that date? Does the clarity of the original enable historians to discern more clearly clues about the 18th-century site plan and architecture of Drayton Hall? Was, for example, the colonnade a walkway or simply a colonnaded wall or screen, which is what archaeological evidence to date is suggesting.

There will be more to follow, but this concludes the fieldwork phase of the research on the still-mysterious watercolor of Drayton Hall, c. 1765.

- Dr. George W. McDaniel, executive director, Drayton Hall

The 2008 Archaeological Field School– What did they find?

Click on the video below to see the results of the first ever Drayton Hall Archaeological Institute.

Archaeological Institute Day 5

The fifth and final day of the Archaeological Institute got off to a quick start with all participants showing up early for the day’s work.  Rather than commencing the day at 9am, all were busy excavating by 8am!  The objective of the day was to clarify all features associated with the masonry wall exposed in the previous days.  Following a thorough trowel cleaning it became clear that a series of post holes mirror the shape of the masonry wall as they appear to curve around towards the north flanker building.  Such suggest that the original collonade may have been built of brick (front foundation) with wood used as structural material sunk into the ground as supporting posts in the rear.  Wood appears to have also been used above ground and covered with plaster to appear as stone. Thus the majority of the collonade would have been formed from wood- a material that could have been quickly dismantled in the event of a natural or cultural disaster such as a hurricane or war.

Work will continue on site next week as Drayton Hall’s archaeological staff finishes recording the week’s discoveries.  This will be followed by additional work with excavated artifacts.

Archaeological Institute Days 3 and 4

Work has continued in the search for the possible connecting wall between the Drayton Hall main house and it’s north flanker building.  On day 3 of the institute, evidence of the connecting wall was found in unit DH961. A series of 6 bricks were found laid end to end with mortar between.

Day 4 of the Institute began with a thorough trowel cleaning of the site to identify features in the soil.  Work continued through out the day in unit DH961 to expose the connecting wall.  As the excavation move forward a stepped footer was identified beneath the course of 6 bricks identified on Day 3.  This stepped footer could support the weight of a colonnade, the continued excavation of the site on Day 5 may unearth many answers and possibly make us ask new questions.

Archaeological Institute Day 2

Posted by Carter Hudgins, Interim Director of Preservation/Site Archaeologist

10/28:  Day 2 began with a tour of the main house. Under the guidance of interpreters Joe Mester and Kate Ruhf, participants learned about the architectural and social history of the site within the context of the archaeological work being conducted. This was followed by a brief ceramics presentation by archaeologist Sarah Stroud. Using artifacts from the Drayton Hall study collection, Sarah discussed the technical and decorative characteristics of the ceramics unearthed on Day 1. This was particularly helpful to Institute participants as they were able to assign dates to the artifacts uncovered.

After lunch, excavations continued.  Edward Crawford and Stan Younce continued to dig around a utility line installed in 1985.  Ironically a series of postholes was found below the modern utility. This may be associated with the 18th century colonnade wall, but could also relate to the pre-Drayton house thought to have been located in this area.

Work continued in a second unit where Shelby Nelson, Terry Satterfield, Brandie Dunning, and Ray Satterfield found what is likley evidence of the pre-Drayton structure. At the end of the day a concentrated layer of brick and mortar was identified along with large bones (pig and cow) and pottery sherds from a large earthenware vessel. Future work will expose whether this assemblage is linked to pre-Drayton activity, and whether the material is part of a building.

Another important activity got under way today as Joe Mester, Brandie Dunning, and Terry Satterfield took turns washing excavated artifacts. As a general rule, 6 hours of laboratory time are required for every hour of work conducted in the field. Washing and sorting artifacts is the first step in the laboratory process.

Images from Day 2 can be found on Drayton Hall’s Flickr page– click here.

2008 Drayton Hall Archaeological Institute: Day 1

Posted by Carter Hudgins, Interim Director of Preservation/Site Archaeologist

10/27:  Today, Drayton Hall’s Archaeological Institute hit the ground digging!   Participants Brandie Dunning, Terry Satterfield, Ray Satterfield, Shelby Nelson, Stan Younce and Edward Crawford started work alongside Drayton Hall Preservation Department staff in the hopes of shedding new light on the history of the site.

A detail of the 1765 watercolor. The yellow circle indicates the area under investigation.

The week-long Institute focuses on the northwest corner of the main house where a large colonnade may have once connected the main house to the north flanker.  An identical wall would have also connected the main house to the south flanker giving the architectural complex a grand, symmetrical appearance. While the colonnade is no longer present above ground, it is anticipated that traces of the walls may remain below ground.

With the expectation of finding the footprint of the colonnade, Sarah Stroud and I established a site grid and laid out six excavation units anticipated to span from one side of the colonnade to the other. Following the establishment of a site grid excavation began!

A great deal of the work on Monday focused on excavating the upper layers of modern fill concentrated around the house. Topsoil and grass were first removed along with soil associated with a drainage line established in the 1980s. Work then continued with the examination of the historic layers below.

At the end of the day on Monday excavation of a pair of 5’X5’ units was well under way. Numerous artifacts dating to the 1700 & 1800s were found along with concentrations of slate that once served as roofing material. As work continues, more artifacts and features from the 18th century are expected to surface.

Take a look at some of the images of the work under way by clicking here.