Tag Archives: Historical

Bridges In Magnolia

November 21, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

Heading to a local marsh we cut through the old garden area of Magnolia Plantation. While I didn’t have the right gear with me the other morning I gave in and grabbed a few snapshots.

This day they opened the gates prior to dawn to give photographers early access. I think five different photographers were scattered around.

Our shortcuts include bridges since the old garden was built around swamps. Above is ‘the red bridge’ used to cross over one. Magnolia does have maps of the grounds, it’s big, but we have our own names for places. Not creative but if you tell a local photog a big gator is by the red bridge, well we all know the same spot.

Sun was coming up through the back marsh trees, it was pretty, so even though I had to shoot at 150 mm I figured it would be OK.

And of course the ‘long white bridge’, descriptive not creative.

This bridge is a southern icon. Small miniatures are in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. It was first built in the 1700’s. Engagement and wedding photos are a daily occurrence, just not at dawn.

It was dark when the above was taken. You can’t help yourself when here with a camera. I’ll add this to 7 billion other shots.

BTW, one of the huge Live Oaks crashed down on the bridge last year. Flatten part of it. You can see how big those old trees are.

To repair the bridge, exactly as it had been for 300 years, was a big project. They found old Black Cypress trees, the same age as the original logs, at the bottom of swamps and had artists recreate every detail.

While working from small boats they had an ongoing audience. Of course they were Alligators, it’s a swamp.

We live just down the road so Ellen has many posts documenting the repairs at www.PassingByPhoto.com.

Magnolia Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina.

Historical, Landscape, Shooting A Grand Old House, This and That, What I Saw

Hopsewee Plantation – 1735

November 19, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 4 Comments

We spotted the building from the Santee River the previous day. While it wasn’t a clear enough view for a photograph it was obviously an old plantation. Having a cell in your pocket (OK, Ellen’s pocket) is an amazing tool when out here.

Below was taken from the river bank, next day after we found it. Plantation homes always faced the river, roads were few.

The original name here was Hopsewee-on-the-Santee, a rice plantation. Built in 1735, I can’t even imagine how. Even now this is ‘out there’.

This was the home of Thomas Lynch, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and served as a Lowcountry rice plantation. He was lost at sea not long after the declaration’s signing while traveling to Barbados.

Like many Santee plantations, it was abandoned during the Civil War. After the war, rice was never planted again, but the Lucas family continued to occupy Hopsewee. In September 1949, Col. and Mrs. Wilkinson bought the house and family still occupied it.

This is another plantation out here built from Black Cypress trees. Almost indestructible.

Historical, Landscape, Marsh, Swamp, Wide Photographs, Wildlife

In The Rice Fields / Plantation

November 16, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

This gave me a completely different perspective viewing an old plantation and the rice fields.

We photograph many old plantations, however we see them from a modern perspective. By that I mean I drive or walk there. They were built when the rivers and creeks provided access, there were no roads to many of them.

Below is the first view of the Hampton Plantation as we came in through the creek. The same view and trip as the 1700’s.

Below is the Hampton Creek, the plants along side are rice. The creek was surrounded by rice fields. Rice when harvested went back the way we came on small barges.

The rice growing now is not the original ‘Carolina Gold’ harvested here. It has been taken over by the first crops, wild rice. Knowing wild rice grew here was one of the reasons we became the British Empires rice farmers.

Rice growing in the old fields.

Another thing I learned was how common the Bobolink once was. And how they were the plantations biggest enemy. The bird migrates to South America each fall, with stops in the South Carolina fields. Plantations had people out in the fields all fall chasing the birds as the landed. A large flock could clean an entire crop if left alone.

Hampton Creek, South Carolina.

Historical, Landscape, Shooting A Grand Old House, This and That, What I Saw

Lunch With Statesmen And Poets

November 11, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

I sat in a rocker here the other day to eat what we had packed for lunch. An OK lunch, but the company was excellent.

This porch, as it is today, has seen our first president George Washington, several signers of the Declaration of Independence, famous authors, and our Poet Laureate Archibald Rutledge.

Not bad, but I bet they didn’t have a ‘ham and cheese hero’ for lunch.

The Hampton Plantation was built in 1735.

Wood never lasts very long marshes and wet weather. Except Cypress wood. It doesn’t burn well, insects dislike it, and the strength is like steel. We looked at all the original structure inside and even the original indigo dye used for paint is still intact.

Hampton Plantation along Hampton Creek, South Carolina.

Charleston, Historical, Landscape, Shooting A Grand Old House, What I Saw

Plantation Formal Garden

November 7, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 2 Comments

A bit of a time machine found on a walk.

Ashley River, Middleton Plantation, South Carolina.

Charleston, Historical, Landscape, What I Saw

Plantation Grounds From A Hill

October 30, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography Leave a comment

One of the few hillsides around here is behind the Middleton Plantation grounds. We walked the ridgeline heading over to the Ashley River a week ago. Having a short lens and backup camera I grabbed several wide photographs.

The first image is of the original Plantation Chapel.

The grounds still have one of the largest formal gardens in the US, first created in 1741. The Civil War destroyed much of the Plantation with the gardens falling into disrepair until restored in 1901 by the one of the original families.

Above, the foreground ponds are part of the gardens, however the pond water in the far background was actually the start of the rice fields.

I usually only walk this trail once a year to shoot the spring flowers. The views are nice so I may try a visit up there mid winter, might be nice.

Black and White, Historical, Landscape, Monochrome, Shooting A Grand Old House

1800’s Architecture, Monochrome

October 27, 2021 Ted Jennings - TPJ Photography 4 Comments

I was hooked after the first old house we visited here, even before leaving New England.

The older buildings in Charleston have many of the same architects we know from the monuments and government buildings in Washington DC. There was wealth here before the US Civil War. Tiffany & Co. even had an office and designers in Charleston.

From 1800 until around 1862 the only thing left to spend money on was a person’s home. Make it grander than your neighbors. And they did.