A Tribute to Bob Barker

More than 60 friends gathered in Drayton Hall’s raised English basement and on the lawn outside on Sunday, October 21, to pay tribute to the man who for more than three decades was Drayton Hall’s senior interpretive guide.   Fortune favored A Tribute to Bob Barker with sublimely beautiful fall weather.  Halfway through the two-hour event, guests were invited into the basement for the singing of Happy Birthday to Bob (his birthday is October 20), a welcome by Drayton Hall Executive Director George McDaniel, and a series of brief, but heartfelt tributes from McDaniel, Charlie Drayton, Janie Clayton, Jill Foster, Merrill Benfield, and Gene Brown, who served as master of ceremonies.  Regrettably, Booie Chappell, one of Bob’s longtime colleagues in the ranks of interpretive guides at Drayton Hall, was unable to attend due to ill health.  Besides Drayton Hall, sponsors for A Tribute to Bob Barker included Carriage Properties LLC, Drayton Real Estate, Lois Lane Properties, and Thomas and Denzinger Architects, all of Charleston.

During his remarks, George McDaniel announced that Drayton Hall has created The Robert E. Lee Barker Endowment Fund for Interpretation.  The event program explained the purpose of the fund as follows:

In recognition of and gratitude for his remarkable service to Drayton Hall and the greater Charleston community, and wishing to establish a lasting tribute, Drayton Hall created the Robert E. Lee Barker Endowment Fund for Interpretation in the fall of 2012.  Annual income from this named endowment fund will honor Bob and help facilitate and enhance the interpretation of Drayton Hall throughout all future years.  Tribute gifts to this fund may be made out to Drayton Hall marked Barker Endowment Fund and mailed to 3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston, South Carolina 29414.

Scroll below for some pictures that captured the spirit of this very special afternoon:

Linda Bennett greets Drayton patriarch Charlie Drayton.

From L-R, the man of the hour Bob Barker, Kit Bennett, and Merrill Benfield smile for the camera.

From L-R, Robert Bruner, Linda Bennett, Mike Shewan, Judi Purches, Bob Barker, Pat Patrick, Sharon Bruner, and Ian Purches.

Drayton Hall interim museum shop supervisor Janie Clayton and longtime supporter and volunteer Ian Purches.

Janie Clayton makes some remarks during the ceremony about friend and colleague Bob Barker.

Is Drayton Hall Haunted?

Reblogged from The Drayton Hall Diaries:

First posted by Craig Tuminaro, former Director of Museum Interpretation, on February 20, 2009

A recent comment from a blog reader inspired me to compose a response to the often-asked question: Is Drayton Hall haunted?    I can say with 100% certainty that you can see ghosts at Drayton Hall—ghost marks that is, the faded outlines of pictures and now-missing architectural elements that once adorned some interior walls. 

Read more… 495 more words

In honor of Halloween, some thoughts from a few years back on the always interesting question........

Inspired by Authenticity at Drayton Hall: Intern Kendy Altizer

Preservation Tech Trish Smith, L, and Intern Kendy Altizer, R.

After graduating from college with a dual degree in History and Anthropology, I spent a number of years working in Cultural Resource Management in a variety of capacities in several different states. My focus was prehistoric archaeology and I spent many a happy day out on survey in remote areas of the United States documenting prehistoric and historic resources. I eventually began spending more and more time in the office writing reports and learning the business side of Cultural Resource Management. While I enjoyed the consulting aspect of archaeology, I found myself wanting a different challenge but I wasn’t really sure what that challenge might entail.

Intern Kendy Altizer works with Preservation Tech Trish Smith on the portico.

I visited Drayton Hall for the first time during a vacation to the southeast in 2011 and was really inspired by the feeling of the grounds and the way in which the property has been preserved. During a stroll down by the Ashley River, reflecting on my career path and what I hoped to accomplish, it occurred to me that I was not living up to my potential as an archaeologist and it was time to make the leap and go back to graduate school. Drayton Hall provided the catalyst to see historic preservation in a different way than private consulting often allows. For the first time in many years I found myself genuinely excited about the idea of practicing archaeology in a different capacity. I realized there was so much more I could be doing with my experience; I just needed more education. For years I have wanted to explore opportunities in the southeast and, after seeing Drayton Hall and spending time in Charleston, I thought the low country might be the perfect place to expand my education.

Preservation Tech Trish Smith is covered by historical debris as she pulls down one of the ceiling boards from the portico. To her left is videographer Jay Millard. 

Less than a year later, here I am in Clemson’s Graduate Program for Historic Preservation in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. The highlight of my first semester in the program has been volunteering at Drayton Hall and working with Trish Smith. I had no idea, when I came in to help out in the archives a few Fridays ago, that I would be allowed the opportunity to get my hands dirty. When I came in for work that morning, Trish asked me if I would like to help disassemble the portico ceiling on the front porch of Drayton Hall. I was amazed! This was an aspiring preservationist’s dream! We spent the better part of the day meticulously disassembling the portico ceiling board by board. Each board was mapped on a simple drawing and given a number for re-assembly at a later date. All boards were flagged and placed in the basement for safe keeping. Each board removed from the ceiling was also accompanied by a good amount of historic dust and dirt, which of course ended up all over us. This was truly one of the best experiences I have ever had and I hope to continue to be a part of this project in the future.

Hollywood here we come……

A few weeks back, Drayton Hall welcomed a group of distinguished guests onto our grounds and into the main house for a very exciting project- filming a segment for the PBS documentary “The African Americans: Many River to Cross.” The group included a PBS film crew and the host of the series, scholar and historian Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. (Read more on Mr. Gates impressive background here: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~amciv/faculty/gates.shtml  )

Mr. Gates brought to the site a good friend of Drayton Hall’s, Dr. Bernard Powers of the College of Charleston, to interview for the series. (Learn more about Dr. Powers here: http://history.cofc.edu/about/faculty-and-staff/powers-bernard.php) The documentary is focusing on the history of rice cultivation in the Lowcountry, which was a defining period for Drayton Hall and this part of the South.

From L-R, Dr. Bernard Powers, Catherine Braxton, Skip Gates, Trish Smith, Kristine Morris, Rebecca Campbell, Dr. George McDaniel.

We were also so excited that sisters Catherine Braxton and Rebecca Campbell, descendants of the enslaved at Drayton Hall and members of the steering committee for our African-American cemetery, welcomed Mr. Gates to the site. They presented him with a special gift that commemorated his visit to Charleston and to Drayton Hall- a DVD with excerpted passages from the oral histories of descendants that were recently filmed here, as well as a fanner basket, Carolina rice, and our famous rice spoon. Mr. Gates was delighted and enjoyed speaking with Catherine and Rebecca who are gifted oral historians of African-American history at Drayton Hall. Click here to see a video of their behind-the- scenes meeting.

Rebecca Campbell presents Skip Gates with a present on behalf of Drayton Hall.

Dr. McDaniel, our Executive Director, was thrilled that our site was chosen for such an important documentary. “It was an honor to have historian Skip Gates at Drayton Hall for the program he’s producing on African American history.  Dr. Gates has done so much to promote history in general, and specifically, to engage the public in family history and African American history through his work in public television. The selection of Drayton Hall as a site for his interview with Dr. Bernard Powers illustrates the qualities of this historic site, and it was great to have Dr. Powers, who has been involved with so many of our projects. “

Sisters Rebecca Campbell and Catherine Braxton on the portico of Drayton Hall.

Although visits like this require lots of hard work by our talented staff, they are always worth it, as they merge seamlessly with our mission to educate the public and support historic preservation. The series will premiere on PBS in the fall of 2013. 

The Jubilee Project

Drayton Hall is absolutely thrilled to be involved in the Jubilee Project, a collaborative and fascinating project that includes celebration, education and inquiry related to the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement  - read the official Jubilee Project flyer below and follow the links to learn more. We hope you’ll mark your calendar and join us on some of these dates!  

To mark the publication 150 years ago, on September 22nd, 1862, of the Emancipation Proclamation, the College of Charleston’s program in the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World (CLAW) is pleased to announce the launch of the Jubilee Project, 2013. As a spin-off from the CLAW program’s commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Jubilee Project is a collaborative academic and cultural project extending across the College and City of Charleston, the Carolina Lowcountry, and beyond. The project celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of public education in South Carolina, and commemorates other key events both of 1863 and of the Civil Rights movement in 1963. The coincidence of the anniversaries of these two significant events also prompts us to ask what happened in the intervening century, and to what extent emancipation and equality of opportunity have been achieved up to this day.

Partners in the year-long project include colleges, historical sites, and city, county, and state agencies up and down the coast and across the state, from the Penn Center on St. Helena’s Island, to various Charleston sites, to Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet. In addition, university and college partners will include Claflin, Clemson, Furman, and South Carolina State, as well as the University of South Carolina. The Project’s formal opening will take place on New Year’s Eve, 2012, with a special City of Charleston sponsored New Year’s celebration followed by an Emancipation Day Parade in downtown Charleston on New Year’s Day, 2013. The Project’s closing event will take place on November 19th, 2013 (the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, in which President Lincoln spoke of “a new birth of freedom”) at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Public commemorations and exhibitions between those two dates will address historic events such as the Battle of Gettysburg and the attack on Fort Wagner, as well as key moments in the Civil Rights era, such as when Clemson admitted its first African-American student in Spring 1963, and when both USC and Charleston County public schools followed suit in the Fall.

Jubilee Project highlights also include an exhibition of Civil Rights era photography at the Gibbes Museum, an exhibition of African art at South Carolina State University, the southern regional conference of the American Studies Association, the annual conference of the African Literature Association at the College of Charleston, and a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers at the Avery Research Center.

In addition to these one time public and academic events, the Project aims to have a lasting impact on the way in which South Carolinians think about the history of emancipation and educational access. To that end the Project will collaborate with the Lowcountry Digital Library (lowcountrydigital.library.cofc.edu) in developing long-term digital history projects and online archival collections. We also welcome public participation in the Project. If you or an organization you represent have a suggestion for an event that you would like to stage or would like to be involved in or affiliated with the Project in any way, please contact Simon Lewis at 843-953-1920, or e-mail him at lewiss@cofc.edu.

For information about individual events, please call the event organizer directly. For further information on the Jubilee Project as a whole, please call Simon Lewis at 843-953-1920, or e-mail him at lewiss@cofc.edu.  A complete listing of Jubilee Project events and partners is available at the Jubilee Project website: www.jubileeprojectsc.wordpress.com

Preservation Wednesday celebrates 3rd Anniversary!

Three years ago, in August of 2009, the Drayton Hall Preservation Department was faced with a back-log of artifacts to process from the 2008/2009 archaeological field work; over forty bags of artifacts sat waiting to be washed. Having noticed the enthusiasm that our Drayton Hall Friends displayed over all things archaeological, the Preservation Department created an opportunity for the Friends of Drayton Hall to volunteer alongside the Drayton Hall Preservation Department staff. “Preservation Wednesday” was the result and is a hands-on experience open to Friends of Drayton Hall.

The inaugural meeting of Preservation Wednesday, August 2009. Washing artifacts clockwise from bottom left, Jessica Garrett, Charlotte and Bill Collier, Peggy Reider, Betsy McAmis, Jackie Bowe, Leilani DeMuth and Rita Wilkie.

In the three years that have passed, our Preservation Wednesday volunteers have washed thousands of artifacts, learned the differences in ceramic types, enhanced their archaeological vocabularies, separated and bagged clean artifacts and helped sweep the cobwebs out of Drayton Hall. They also get an occasional behind-the-scenes peek at the larger archaeological collections and come behind the ropes during archaeological excavations for a closer look.

When we began this volunteer program, the Drayton Hall Preservation Department had no idea what a success our experiment would become. It has been a delight to get to know such a wonderful, dedicated group of Drayton Hall Friends! In addition to their continual support of the ongoing preservation efforts at Drayton Hall, they are willing to literally get their hands dirty (make that very dirty!) in order to keep the many Drayton Hall archaeological projects moving along.

During the past year 22 volunteers have contributed 174 volunteer hours to Drayton Hall’s Preservation Wednesday program—2 more hours than the previous year and that was even with breaks in February and July! Over the past three years we have had the pleasure of having 36 different individuals volunteer for Preservation Wednesdays for a grand total of 610 volunteer hours! Upon marking our third anniversary recognition was given to three volunteers who have each volunteered over 50 hours each to the Preservation Wednesday program- Mrs. Jackie Bowe and Mrs. Leilani DeMuth each volunteered 52 hours, and Mrs. Rita Wilkie volunteered 54 hours.

From left to right we have Sarah Stroud, Drayton Hall Archaeologist, Leilani DeMuth, Jackie Bowe and Rita Wilkie. These three ladies are “Preservation Wednesday Stars.” They have each volunteered over 50 hours since the program began.

Our “Preservation Wednesday Stars” were presented with reproduction plaster stars, modeled after the stars found in the cast-plaster ceiling of the lower great hall of Drayton Hall. These stars are created by students from the College of the Building Arts for the Drayton Hall gift shop. Each and every volunteer at Drayton Hall is incredibly valued and the members of the Drayton Hall staff are continually thankful for all of the work that is accomplished with such enthusiasm and enjoyment!

Preservation Wednesday members enjoying lunch at Bishop Gadsden with Mr. Charles H. Drayton III and Porter Smith (d. 2012). From left, Jackie Bowe, Bonnie Sykes, Leilani DeMuth, Gail Morrill, Rita Wilkie, Maryjane Islan, Tony Islan and Sarah Stroud.

If you are a Friend of Drayton Hall and are interested in participating in future Preservation Wednesdays, please contact Sarah Stroud by e-mail (Sarah_Stroud@draytonhall.org) or by phone 843-769-2637. If you would like to become a Friend and participate, you can join on-line through our website.

Seeing Drayton Hall from a Different Perspective

We love working at Drayton Hall….it’s hard to complain when your commute to work involves slowing down for alligators and wild turkey, and taking in a gasp-inducing view of one of the most stunning homes in America. We know, we’ve got it good. But we’re here every day of the week, and sometimes it takes someone else’s perspective on this beautiful place to remind us how incredible it really is. Follow the link below to read a recap of Wisconsin-based freelance writer  Kathlin Sickel’s time at Drayton Hall.

http://www.buckettripper.com/revisiting-american-history-at-charlestons-drayton-hall/

Partners in Plantations: Plantation representatives urge continued connection between France and Charleston

Remember us blogging about our amazing French Intern earlier in the summer? Her name was Margarita Valencia, and she came to us via an exchange program with the French Heritage Society. She did amazing work, and we are so excited about the possibilities for the program moving forward. Click on this link to see the coverage of the internship program in the WestOf Newspaper here in Charleston:

http://www.westof.net/main.test.php?category=news&id=601

What’s behind those lintels?

We’re happy to welcome back to the blog Trish Smith, Drayton Hall’s Preservation Technician. Trish isn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty- you might remember earlier this year she blogged about the re-pointing project on the privvy? Well, she’s at it again….chipping away at the stucco to uncover the brownstone lintels behind it. Read on to see what she discovered……

As the team from 4SE (Structural Engineering firm) was conducting their structural assessment of the portico they became concerned about cracks in the stucco covering the lintels.  Their fear was that the cracks in the stucco were indicative of cracks in the brownstone lintels behind it.

Since the lintels are an important part of the structure supporting the second floor of the portico they were anxious to see them and assess their condition.  Joe and I chiseled away the stucco to expose the brownstone in the areas of concern and were happy to discover that the lintels are in great condition!

We are going to make some test batches of stucco before we repair anything, but we intend to fix our patches within the next few months as time and weather allows.

“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.)