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INTERIORSof

vol. 27 no. 3 spring 2010

Readers of Interiors know that Drayton Hall is interna-tionally acclaimed for its architecture and remarkable state of preservation. The main house, flanker buildings, garden house, privy, and the 19th-century caretaker’s cottage are in-valuable resources that illustrate the trajectory of American history, design, economics, and adaptation. Equally impor-tant, though less well known, is Drayton Hall’s extensive

archaeological collection of more than one million artifacts.

Recovered during archaeological campaigns from the 1970s to the present, these artifacts help to fill the voids of history that persist due to gaps in historical documentation. While often only fragments, each artifact tells a story about past peoples and events. We are now able to more fully comprehend these

by Carter C. Hudgins, Ph.D., Director of Preservation

FILLING THE VOIDS OF HISTORY: THE DRAYTON HALL ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTION

3380 Ashley River Road, Charleston SC 29414Phone: 843-769-2600 Fax: 843-766-0878www.draytonhall.org dhmail@draytonhall.org

Director’s Notes–George W. McDaniel, Ph.D.

THE CHOICES WE MAKE The mission of Drayton Hall, a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is to preserve and interpret Drayton Hall and its environs, in order to educate and inspire people to embrace historic preservation.

Charles Drayton, second from left, with his family at a recent ‘Family Fun’ First Saturday Program at Drayton Hall.

cover photo: Fig. 1, Fragments of mochaware from the late 18th century. Capitola King, project intern and a senior at the College of Charleston, is intrigued by the large amounts of this ceramic type, a brightly colored decorative technique found on English ceramics from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. For King, “the most interesting part of the IMLS project was study-ing how ceramic types and decorative techniques evolve through time.”

Craig Tuminaro, Director of Museum Interpretation, Page 6“This spring, we’re making great progress in completing our work on the African American Memorial at the cemetery, and looking at new ways to expand the visitor’s experience on site and beyond. “

Rikki Davenport, Curator of EducationPage 6“Every spring I look forward to seeing how excited the visiting students are to be at Drayton Hall. Their excitement really is contagious!”

Eric Becker, Landscape & Horticulture Coordinator, Page 3“As this is my first spring at Drayton Hall, I look forward to discovering many new things.”

Carter Hudgins, Ph.D, Director of Preservation - Cover story, pages 4 & 6“Spring is Drayton Hall’s New Year! With the arrival of warm weather we can renew work outside and further projects dedicated to archaeology and preservation.”

Monte Parsons, Director of Individual Giving, Page 7“Picnics!”

Jessica Garrett, Director of Development, Page 7“There is nothing I enjoy more than stealing a few sunny minutes to read a book on a bench by the Ashley River.” Photo Credit: Taylor Stewart

DRAyTon HALL SITE CounCILAnthony Wood, chairmanElizabeth Alston, Don Balderson, Mary Ravenel Black, Lonnie Bunch, Mimi Cathcart, Edward Crawford, Dr. Elise Davis-McFarland, Jane deButts (emeritus), Charles Drayton (emeritus), Chad Drayton, Frank Drayton, Frances Edmunds (emeritus), W. Eric Emerson, Susan Friberg, Carl Gable, Phil Gaines, Stephen F. Gates, Helen T. Hill, Benjamin Lenhardt, Sandy Logan, Peter McGee (emeritus), Suzanne Pollak, Chad Prosser, Connie Wyrick (emeritus)

ExECuTIvE DIRECToRGeorge W. McDaniel

InTERIoRS STAFFKristine Morris, editornatalie Baker, graphic designerRobert A. Johnson, volunteer proofreader

WInTER 2010 EDITIon - ConTRIBuToRS We asked our contributors what they are most looking forward to this spring...

This last year constituted a special chapter in my life because it marked my 20th anniversary as director of Drayton Hall. Although it wasn’t easy leaving behind great friends and family in Atlanta, these two decades have been special to my family and me, for we have made many new friends, and I have had the pleasure of working with the talented and dedicated members of our staff and site council. These

people have inspired, sustained, and guided me as I’ve tried to chart a course for this remarkable site, truly one of our nation’s architectural treasures.

We all have to make choices in our lives, and as I reflect on my own, I see how the choices of others shaped mine. I want to take this opportunity, therefore, to recog-nize the choices of Charles Drayton and his brother Frank in 1974. The brothers had inherited Drayton Hall, their family’s home for seven generations, from the es-tate of Charlotta Drayton, their aunt. The entire site, and especially the main house, required substantial investments for upkeep and repairs, plus taxes had spiked.

options were plentiful because the Charleston region—especially west of the Ashley River—was growing rapidly as were the suburbs of other cities of the post-World War II new South. But one option would suffice. As Charles explained, he received a telephone call from a man who had heard Drayton Hall might be for sale. Charles asked what he intended to do with the property, and the man said, “I’d like to develop a golf course or two, and maybe use the main house as a club house.” “no way!” declared Charles Drayton.

The result was that Drayton Hall was purchased by the national Trust for Historic Preservation and the State of South Carolina. A number of Charlestonians, such as Frances Edmonds, then president of the Historic Charleston Foundation, took the lead in enthusiastically leading that preservation campaign. Their roles constitute a story unto themselves. But none of their campaigns would have taken place had it not been for the initial choice of Charles and Frank Drayton. unfortunately, Frank has passed away, but Charles, now 91, is very much with us. He’s still active with Dray-ton Hall and just recently spent a delightful day participating in a family program on the Revolutionary War with his daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

one of the things that is unique about Drayton Hall is this living legacy—the fact that four generations were here participating in a program commemorating a turning point in our nation’s history, a turning point to which Charles’ namesake, Charles H. Drayton (1743-1820), had pledged his “life and sacred honor” as an of-ficer in the Continental army here in Charleston. In 1776 that Charles Drayton made

a bold and fateful decision at a crossroads, as did his great, great, great-grandson Charles two centuries later. As a result, our lives today have been much enriched. Thank you, Charles.

And I would be remiss if I did not also thank you, our wonderful members in the Friends of Drayton Hall, who choose year after year to support our mission and thus help ensure our survival for generations to come. Thank you, Friends.

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landscape preservation at drayton hallBy Eric Becker, Landscape and Horticulture Coordinator

(photos top:) Images l-r, before and after: Drayton Hall’s main entry drive; corrective measures create a more open, inviting entrance.

Before and after views from the amenities area to the museum shop. Invasive species and scrub vegetation have been removed to highlight the majestic grand oak in this area and restore the path network. Future work will be conducted this spring to plant native wildflowers.

Look for a profile on Eric Becker by author Peg Eastman in the April 8 issue of the

Preserving Drayton Hall’s historic landscape requires constant effort. Too much or too little rain, a wind storm, or the growth of invasive species can

all threaten historic landscape features. To meet these challenges and those posed by the simple passing of time, Drayton Hall has implemented several programs that target specific elements of the landscape, including its 300-year-old live oaks, the 18th-century system of earthen embankments and canals, and its historical vistas.

A comprehensive maintenance program implemented three years ago has yielded great benefits for many of the centuries-old oaks that stand vanguard over the landscape. Caring for these trees involves not only regular pest protection and intense fertilization, but also selective pruning to lessen the threat of wind damage and the installation of lightning rods to protect trees during the

electrical storms that mark the end of many a summer day.

over the past few years, Drayton Hall’s landscape team has also cleared invasive trees and shrubs from the earthen embankments and canals that comprise the over 200-year-old water network surrounding the main house and lawn. Doing so removes obstructions to the water network and reduces root damage to the embankments themselves.

Together these efforts have highlighted many of the site’s historical vistas, including the one everyone experiences coming down the main entry drive. Thanks to the removal of scrub growth and corrective pruning, the live oaks seem to draw visitors down the road even more so than before, eventually opening up to reveal a panorama dotted with the noble architecture of their trunks and limbs supporting a cloud of leaves and moss.

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artifactual voices thanks to financial support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

In May of 2009, Drayton Hall was noti-fied that its application to the IMLS Conservation Project Support pro-gram grant had been accepted. The proposed project, in keeping with the conservation-related goals of the grant program, set out to gain physical and intellectual control of Drayton Hall’s archaeological collection by reorganiz-ing the artifacts according to where they were excavated, packaging them in protective archival materials to facili-tate analysis, and studying fragile metal artifacts in preparation for future conservation initiatives.

Also, the IMLS grant enabled the Preservation Department to temporar-ily hire a project team consisting of archaeologist and Ph.D. student Sarah Stroud and three student interns from the College of Charleston. Through-out this process, the department has made startling discoveries in the labo-ratory that illustrate how some of the most important archaeological finds are made indoors rather than out in the field.

“The sheer volume and depth of arti-fact types is what impresses me about the Drayton Hall archaeological col-lection,” explains Sarah. “only a small percentage of the overall property has been archaeologically examined, and yet we have a collection of artifacts whose size and scope is far beyond what is typically associated with one place or family. The artifacts cover centuries of occupation and represent the lives of native Americans, Afri-cans, and Europeans who, at one time, made the Drayton Hall property their home. Discoveries about each of these cultural groups make the Drayton Hall collection the most exciting to me.”

Ashley Moore, a sophomore at the College of Charleston, has enjoyed her experience with the IMLS project

FILLING THE VOIDS OF HISTORY...continued from front

so much that she has decided to add Archaeology as a Minor. Ashley’s inter-est is native American history, and she enjoys working with artifacts associated with non-European cultures. “We have organized box after box of Colonoware (Fig. 1, cover image), which I learned is a ceramic type that resulted from African and native-American ceramic traditions coming together during colonization. Because Drayton Hall’s landscape has been preserved for centuries, artifacts such as these survive from both the historic and pre-historic periods and enable us to learn about multiple generations of Lowcountry inhabitants and their legacy.”

In fulfilling Drayton Hall’s mission of preservation and interpretation, each artifact will be digitally photo-graphed and the digital records will be organized and catalogued so that— ultimately—the collection can be made accessible to the public. Also, as work continues in the field and the labora-tory, we will be updating our members on new developments through future issues of Interiors, our website, blog, and special members-only events where you’ll be among the first to hear the stories that these centuries-old artifacts are ready to reveal.

If you are interested in assisting the Preservation Department, we have volunteer opportunities available, including our popular Preservation Wednesdays, the third Wednesday of every month, where members wash artifacts and sometimes make amazing discoveries. Visit www.flickr.com, keyword: Drayton Hall Preservation Wednesdays. Please contact Carter Hudgins at (843) 769-2617 or carter_hudgins@draytonhall.org.

right: An example of colonoware found during Drayton Hall archaeological excavations. This fragment of a handled jug was found close to the main house during the excavations of the 1970s and may have been produced on site by enslaved African Americans.

Pictured clockwise from front left: archaeolo-gist Sarah Stroud and project interns Capi-tola King, Ashley Moore, and Kayla Varney.

left Top: Chinese Imari porcelain fragment, c. 1750, discovered at Drayton Hall. Kayla Varney, project intern and a

senior at the College of Charleston, describes the gilded Chinese export porcelain found in

the collection as “representing the wealth of John Drayton as well as his desire to follow

current European styles associated with imported goods from Asia.” Bottom image:

Actual Imari plate with matching detail owned by George Subkoff of George Subkoff

Antiques. Photo credit: Ed Freeman, Freeman Productions, LLC.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas.

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Eighth Graders from E.L. Wright Middle School, Columbia, SC, taking part in one of Drayton Hall’s many standards-based education programs.

Examining an 18th-century watercolor of Drayton Hall with l-r: Carter Hudgins and Anne Drayton Nelson. Photo by Scott Mason, the Winchester Star.

Director of Preservation, Carter Hudgins, left, taking staff from the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau on a private tour of Drayton Hall’s attic.

Sunny Hills Travel from Fullerton, CA, enjoying an authentic step back in time at Drayton Hall.

above: Speaking at a press conference on the impact of proposed threats to regional conservation efforts.

N E W S M A K E R S

1989 - newly appointed.

Addressing guests at Drayton Hall’s African-American cemetery during the Richmond Bowens Tribute in September 2008.

two site council members, l-r, Carl Gable and Susan Friberg, master a new skill as they sift for artifacts at an archaeological site near the main house.

left: Discussing preservation efforts during a house tour.

Dr. George McDaniel recently celebrated his 20th anniversary as Executive Director of Drayton Hall. Here, a brief look back...

For additional images from Dr. McDaniel’s 20 years as director of Drayton Hall, please view www.flickr.com/draytonhall/georgemcdaniel-twenty-years

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by carter c. hudgins, ph.d., director of preservation

WHAT IS IT?

left: Paul Woodward, conservation specialist from Richard Marks Restoration, Inc., carefully removes layers of modern latex paint from the portico columns. All modern paint will be replaced by lime wash to enable the limestone columns to absorb and release moisture naturally.

Detail of graf-fiti recently discovered on the portico columns. Reading top to bottom, one can see the upper computation includes numer-als 79, 55, and an unknown number. The lower equation reads 11, 4, 4, & 19.

The early part of the year at Drayton Hall began with the sounds of African drums, yells of “huzzah!”, and the tap-tap of secret messages as families enjoyed our new ‘Family Fun’ First Saturday Programs. Based upon Drayton Hall’s award-winning education programs and designed for families with children ages six through twelve, they tell the story of Drayton Hall and its earlier inhab-itants through fun interactive activities and crafts.

In honor of Black History Month, the series began on February 6th with A Day in the Life of a Colonial Plantation. Interpreters described the inner workings of a colonial plantation and, particularly, the contributions that Africans and Afri-can Americans made to Drayton Hall. Children learned about colonial cooking, worked as a blacksmith’s apprentice, played musical instruments with African traditions, and made take-home indigo-dyed rag dolls and clay pinch pots.

The March 6th program highlighted the American Revolution and the role of Drayton Hall, which served as an encampment for both British and Patriot soldiers. An enthusiastic group of families, including four generations of Charles Drayton’s family (see photo, page 2), learned about camp life, tried on uniforms, practiced drilling, and got to see how pirates helped to win the war for the Patriots. Children enjoyed creating their own take-home cloth checker-board, an item that soldiers could easily fold and pack in a knapsack.

Commemorating the anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter, the April 3rd program focused on the Civil War, including the life of soldiers and civilians. Children had fun constructing a “shebang” for shelter, decoding secret mes-sages, feeling what it was like to crawl through the hatch of the Hunley, and making their own take-home poke bags.

The upcoming May 1st program will focus on how the landscape of Drayton Hall has changed over the past 300 years and how it has shaped people’s culture. Families will discover how colonists, native Americans, and enslaved people used plants and animals from their environment to help them survive. Children will test water samples for contaminates, see how recycling can help preserve our environment, investigate artifacts, and make their own native- American-inspired jewelry.

by rikki davenport, curator of education

new ‘family fun’ first saturdays

These programs offer wonderful opportunities for family outings in a beautiful historic setting. As an educator and a parent, I love seeing the children enthusiastic about learning and excited about being at Drayton Hall.

Editor’s Note: Your last opportunity to have your family join in the fun is on Saturday, May 1st, from 10:00am to 11:30am. The cost of the program is $7.00 per family for members and $7.00 per family plus the regular gate admission for non-members.

“The American Revolution: War Comes to Drayton Hall.” Interpreter Betsy Kleinfelder shows what life was like for soldiers camping at Drayton Hall. Photo Credit: Ali Turner

“A Day In The Life of a Colonial Plantation.” Curator Rikki Davenport, right, teaches families how to make indigo-dyed ragdolls. Photo Credit: Ali Turner

Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com (keyword: Drayton Hall) to view more ‘Family Fun’ First Saturday images. You do not need a Facebook account to view the page. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc.

A geological deposit? Graffiti? A fossil? Recent preserva-tion initiatives to remove layers of harmful modern paint from the columns of Drayton Hall’s portico have revealed graffiti in the form of mathematical computations. Future research will determine whether such writing is associated with Charles Drayton (d.1820) and his efforts to repair the portico in 1815. Writing in May of that year, Charles mentions that an artisan named “Schnirle came . . . & took the pillar down safe & clev-erly.” The discovered graffiti may be evidence of the calcula-tions executed by Schnirle to correctly align and balance the new column. If true, this is the only written evidence surviving from Drayton Hall’s historic craftsmen.

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over the last few months, we’ve traveled hundreds of miles, reuniting with long-time Friends of Drayton Hall and finding new Friends. of course, all the roads we traveled lead back to Drayton Hall and to our mission of securing the future of this national treasure. Greetings from Spring Island, Atlanta, Charleston & Beauforton December 3rd, 2009, in response to an invitation from Ruthie Edwards,

a Friend of Drayton Hall, members of our senior staff participated in the Lowcountry Institute at Spring Island. on January 19th in Atlanta, Barbara and Chuck Slick, Carter and Hampton Morris, and Carl and Sally Gable hosted a reception and lecture by Dr. George McDaniel. Drayton Hall returned their hospitality on March 19th with a tour and picnic for guests who at-tended these two events.

on January 28th, Reba and Harry Huge, who live in Charlotta Drayton’s former home in Charleston, invited the Drayton clan and Friends for Dr. Carter Hudgin’s presentation on the Drayton family. High-lighting the evening were personal reflections from Charles Drayton, his son Chad and daughter Molly osteen, his nephew Frank Drayton, and grandson Shelby nelson.

In Beaufort, SC, in March, Suzanne and Peter Pollak hosted Dr. John McCardell, a Southern history schol-ar and incoming vice Chancellor of The university of the South, who spoke about the Civil War and historical memory.

Where to next? New York! Italy!Drayton Hall takes to a national stage when a major Palladian exhibition opens April 2nd at the Morgan Library in new york City Palladio and His Leg-acy: A Transatlantic Journey will feature thirty-one original Palladio drawings from the Royal Institute of British Architects, on view to the public for the first time in over thirty years. Rare architectural texts will illustrate the jour-ney from Italy to north America of Palladio’s design principles of propor-tion, harmony, and beauty. Also on exhibit will be a plaster model of Drayton Hall by the famed English architectural modeler Timothy Richards. Friends of Drayton Hall are invited to a private tour and reception on April 7.

This September, Drayton Hall and the Center for Palladian Studies in America will lead a group of Friends to the veneto region of Italy on a study tour entitled A Privileged View of Palladio’s Veneto. Carl and Sally Gable, own-ers of villa Cornaro, will welcome the group with lunch and an inside view of life in a Palladian villa.

To learn more, contact Director of Individual Giv-ing, Monte Parsons at 843.769.2635 or monte_parsons@draytonhall.org

l-r, two of our wonderful hosts for the January 19th lecture: Barbara Slick and Carter Morris.

George McDaniel, left, with Reba Huge. Reba & her hus-

band, Harry, graciously hosted a presentation by Director of

Preservation Carter Hudgins at their home in Charleston.

PRESERVATION PAYS

How to Turn Modest Donations into Big Dollars

by jessica garrett, director of development

Imagine this: fifteen years ago, you made a $712 donation to Drayton Hall, and you’ve been contributing ever since. Some years you’ve given $20; other years you’ve made no donation at all. In total, you’ve donated more than $9,000, but the value of your gifts is now more than $51,000. How can this be?

you had the foresight to establish an endowment fund in your name. Rather than spending your donations each year, Drayton Hall invests gifts in that fund. As the principal of the investment grows, so does the income. That ever-growing income is used to preserve Drayton Hall, but the principal always remains invested in order to perpetuate the fund.

Getting StartedWhen you make a gift to an endowment fund, it can either be outright or deferred (such as through a bequest). Either way, your one gift can turn into a legacy of annual gifts long into the future.

Suppose you’d like to make sure Drayton Hall receives $5,000 every year, even after your lifetime. As part of the national Trust, Drayton Hall spends 5% of a rolling three-year average of its endowment each year. To calculate the amount needed to perpetuate your gift, divide the annual gift amount, $5,000, by the amount called for in the spending policy, 5%, and you get $100,000. So, contributing $100,000 would continue the $5,000 annual gift indefinitely.

If the value of the endowment fund grows beyond the spending amount, so does the income. For example, if the fund shows a net return of 10% in one year, part of the returns would be reinvested, resulting in a higher annual gift in future years.

To learn more about endowment gifts, please contact Jessica Garrett at 843-769-2601 or via email at jessica_garrett@ draytonhall.org.

DRAYTON HALL ON THE ROADby monte parsons, director of individual giving

Copyright © The Stelter Company, All rights reserved.This information is not intended as legal advice. For legal advice, please consult an attorney. Figures cited in examples are for hypothetical purposes only and are subject to change.

Palladio and His Legacy: A Transatlantic JourneyThe Morgan Library & Museum, New York, April 2 - August 1

image right: Andrea Palladio, Measured drawing of the Arch of Jupiter Ammon, Verona, ca. 1540;

RIBA Library Drawings & Archives Collections

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Total Recovered Fiber All Post-Consumer Fiber

PAID

10%

UPCOMING EVENTS at DRAYTON HALL

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In Nature and Culture: Man’s Use of the Lowcountry Environment, families discover how the colonists, native Americans, and enslaved people used the plants and ani-mals from their environment for survival. Children test water samples for contami-nates, investigate artifacts, make their own native-American-inspired jewelry, and more. Ideal for families with children ages 6 through 12. $7.00 per family for mem-bers; regular gate admission plus $7.00 per family for non-members.

This behind-the-scenes exploration of the house provides a new understanding of and appreciation for the technical aspects of the site’s design, construc-tion, and preservation efforts. The first Saturday of every month, beginning May 1st, 8:30am to 10:30am. Space is limited and advance reservations are required. Admission is $25 per person, $20 for Friends of Drayton Hall, and includes a light breakfast. To reserve, please contact natalie Baker at (843)769-2638 or natalie_baker@draytonhall.org.

Preservation Tech TourMay 1 — 8:30am to 10:30am

Introduces children to the lives of many former Drayton Hall inhabitants, including native Americans, colonists, and Revolutionary War soldiers. Recom-mended for children ages 5 through 12. Monday through Friday, 9:00am to noon. $135 per child per week for non-mem-bers; $115 for Friends of Drayton Hall. Contact Rikki Davenport at (843) 769-2607 or rikki_davenport@draytonhall.org or visit www.draytonhall.org.

Colonial Carolina Summer CampTwo Sessions starting July 12

‘Family Fun’ First SaturdayMay 1 — 10 am to 11:30am