The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-06-10
PLANTATIONS OF CHARLESTON
RIVAL VERSAILLES GARDENS
Many of Them Still Reflect Old World
Charm and Create a Land of
Make Believe

Harvey B. Goul in Pittsburg Post.
Charleston is city surrounded by
plantations. The wonderful sea is
lands are plantations, and may go up
the thousand waterways, or up the
worst automobile roads in the world
and there are more plantations. These
plantations were and still are, the
source of livelihood of South Caro-
lima.
When one goes TO a sea island plan
tation the road may be stark naked or
lined with Palmetto trees, but when
one goes inland, wherever the road
winds, one passes under the largest
and noblest of oaks, giant splotches Of
n1istletoe. An avenue reaching may
be for a mile or more, with gothic
arches waving with grayish-green
moss, is a curious sensation. There
is something uncaHny about it; a
feeling of "never was," and that is
the most unreal and at the same time
the realest thing that ever w;S.
Rice Industry Lost
These plantations all raised rice
cotton, peanuts and garden truck. The
rice industry has been lost to Char
lesion, but the other agricultural pur-
suits remain. Many of these planta-
tions are the original Kings grants.
drawn up by the philosopher-states-
man, John Loce, and given to the
Englisf aristocracy for development
They date from the time when the
owners were lords proprietors, ceded
and conceived in the days when this
country was established on the old
feudal system of lords, yeomanry, and
vassals or slaves.
One may visit the Magnolia Gar
dens open to the public at fixed fee,
said fee to go to the upkeep of the
garden. These magnolia or azalea
gardens really are one of the floral
wonders of the world. To see them
in full bloom is breath-taking. All the
indescribable shades of the exotic
azalea ranging from an almost pas
sionate poppy-red to a virgin-white
are there, and not one plant, but a
solid field of wall or color. 1t is like
a water colorists dream. One may
rave about cherry blossom time in
Japan but there is nothing superior to
the azalea season in Charleston.
Further back in the country, which
one may approach by one of the back
rivers or by an atrocious automobile
road, lies the Middleton Garden or
plantation. Like the Magnolia Gar
den it is open to the public for a con-
sideration. In many respects it is
superior to the former. In some re-
spects Middleton is like Versailles
Here we get vista and distance. Its
owner was as rich as Croesus and Per
Persephone must have ben his mother
A huge swath of trees at least two
miles long was cut so that he might
have view of the river. At the
side of what was once the house but
which has since burned down, lies the
gardens composed again of gorgeous
azaleas and magnolias.
Like Versailles, they are laid out
in terraces, and there is lower lake
and an upper lake. Of course, wher
one has hundreds of slaves, like The
old Egyptians, one may shovel away
mountain except for the fact thai
there aren't any mountains. Any.
way, it is easy to build huge lakes anc
hew down forest when labor is nc
consideration. And that is what these
men did. They lived like lords, and
they were lords. While there were
undoubtedly certain drawbacks to the
old feudal system, still it had its ad-
vantages-at least for the owners.
The original planters were rich men,
and as rich men go they were the
Rockefellers and Goulds of their peri
3D.. ,They came to this country rich,
and they acquired more wealth as
they developed the land. They sup
uiied the world with cotton and rice
and taers was time when Charles
ton swasvthe maritime center of the
country.
The planters all had their own
boats and when they went up to
Charleston they were rowed up. Thus
it is that we get the different boat
songs as sung and composed by ne
groes. Sometimes each plantation
had it's boat song. These songs come
under the head of songs of occupa-
ton, in which the rythm corresponds
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