Day 30, February 19, Boone Plantation

My original goal of visiting Boone Plantation then Fort Moultrie didn’t work out as planned. I was under the impression that they were near one another. I was out of the Holiday Inn by 8:50 a.m. The skies were cloudy with patches of blue, the temperature was 58 degrees, odometer read 15875.6 and I had a quarter of a tank of gas. Brandi, one of the waitresses, told me it was supposed to rain today. It felt warmer than the day before.

As heavy as the traffic had been all morning, when I pulled out of the parking lot, there wasn’t a vehicle in sight. That was good timing as right by the hotel, there are two other highways converging onto 17 along with vehicles trying to pull out of the hotel. I crossed the Ashley River and headed into the modern part of Charleston. It wasn’t a big deal, just lots of lights and traffic. Then there were the ramps; up, under, over, up and staying to the left, then right with other highways veering off both left and right and still Rte. 17N climbed. There it was. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and it was up and up further. I picked up the camera and randomly shot hoping to catch something. Halfway across at the apex of the bridge, I crossed into Mount Pleasant. Then it was down the other side and I was over the Cooper River.

The exit for Fort Moultrie and Patriot Park was the next exit to the right. I was told Boone Plantation would be a left which I figured would be “just up the street.” I drove and drove and at this point, the traffic was heavy. Plans for Fort Moultrie fell by the wayside.

I reached Boone Plantation at 9:20 a.m. The temperature had risen to 61 degrees and the odometer was 15888.4. It was quite a distance from the fort. The guy at the ticket booth at the entrance was very nice and we chatted a bit as I paid my entrance fee. Unlike the other places, the one fee covers everything; no extra charges for house tour, coach tour, or any of the talks.

I drove towards the big house, but had to pull over and stop for photos. Here was the famous Avenue of Oaks and it was gorgeous! A scene in Gone with the Wind was filmed here years ago although most the movie had been made elsewhere.

The parking signs were weird, all saying “Additional Parking.” I never saw a spot that just said “Parking.” I parked near a small cotton field where I was told later they now just use it for demo purposes; plant it every year and harvest in the spring. This was the closest I’ve ever come to one. What an amazing plant. Wait ‘til you see pictures. Signs said do not pick cotton due to boll weevil beetles. The song kept running through my head, “Oh, when them cotton balls get rotten, you can’t pick very much cotton…” I would have liked to have seen how they work with the cotton to turn it into fabric.

I didn’t put on my sweater because it felt warm. Perfect weather for walking about except the sky was totally gray and a cool breeze came up. (At least today’s photos won’t have shadows.) The woman at the Information and Tour Schedules little house said the coach would be leaving in about 15 minutes and I would need a sweater or coat as it gets cold out along the perimeter of the property. I went back to the truck for the sweater.

The coach pulled up to its stop as I was heading back. I could see it behind a rundown building that shored up with timbers and staging so I took the shortest route instead of walking along the roadway. I had time to take photos to add to my Abandoned and Windows collections.

That first step onto this open air coach was quite tall. I had to physically pull myself up using the hand rails. I sat in the front seat facing forward. As more people got on, a woman from San Diego sat in front of me in the seat that faced to my left. I was hoping no one would sit there. She blocked my view. The driver, across the aisle, was actually two seats back from me (with no seats in front of him.) That was weird.

Boone Plantation is actually the oldest working farm in America. Produce is sold at Boone Farm further up Rte. 17. Out of about 5,000 acres, the current family still owns 738. As we rode along, Bob not only talked about the history, but explained how the farm operates today. They use a system called plastic gardening (not sure I got the term right.) The plastic is 1 ml thick, comes in five foot wide rolls and fits into a tractor attachment. As the tractor drives along, it makes a raised bed in the soil and lays down the strip of plastic. Workers come along and do the planting by hand. (I don’t know if they poke the holes in the plastic for the plants or if the hole is already there.) The plastic protects the plants and all the nutrients and irrigation is held better. Bob said that production increased significantly with this type of gardening.

He also talked about the various vegetables grown here… just about anything and what’s great is that they have produce growing all year; different vegetables or fruits for each season. Strawberries have to be replanted every year because the heat of the summer kills off the plants.

This plantation had changed hands many times. The original planter was the second son of a wealthy British family. The rules back then said that only first sons inherit, so the second son moved to Barbados hoping to make his fortune there. When King Charles II was giving land grants in what is now S.C., Boone left Barbados and came here being given something like 200 acres. He eventually married a wealthy local landowner’s daughter and was awarded more acreage as part of the dowry.

The old rundown building that I’d photographed earlier was originally the Cotton Gin House. Bob said that the “gin” in cotton gin was actually a shortened term for engine. They are trying to fix up the building.

Another law was that land the king granted had to be used to send produce back to England. Cotton was the best choice, though indigo and rice were also popular. Slaves were needed to help clear the land and it took many years and eventually the property had over 5,000 acres.

Rice was a poor crop for this plantation because the Boone River was tidal and the waters too brackish. Brick making became the main focus besides the cotton and Boone Plantation became for its bricks.

After the Civil War when there were not enough slaves to operate big plantations, acreage was sold off and other means had to be established for making money. Planters lost fortunes. A subsequent owner planted a pecan grove which did very well until Hurricane Hugo wiped out almost all the trees.

As we rode around on this bumpy ride and Bob also pointed out areas of interest like the fields now used for Civil War reenactments, the one use for a huge corn maze every year, and the places used for Halloween events. He mentioned that the forests we now see had once been cleared for fields. I asked about the thick vines that grew everywhere. He said that’s wisteria. The plantation owners would send all over the world for various plants never realizing the harm some could cause.

After the coach tour, I wandered down Slave Road where there were nine buildings of former slave quarters. Now each has video, recordings, and artifacts and storyboards of the lives of slaves. There was a law in S.C. that said it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write. I also went out to the Cotton Dock. This was where the cotton bales and produce would be loaded onto barges to be taken to Charleston. Depending on tides, that could take up to twelve hours. The current building and dock on the Boone River is a reproduction of an older building destroyed by a hurricane.

By this time, the wind had picked up something fierce. It felt like my hair was blowing straight up in the air. I walked back to the big house just in time for a tour. We only got to see five rooms on the main floor because the current owners still use the rest of the house. Wow, what a house! Pam explained that it was important that the wealthy prove their wealth by displaying impressive pieces. Although a lot of the original furnishings were gone, the place has been filled with items that would depict the typical eras.

Two things that stand out in my mind were the cantilevered staircase and the eleven foot free standing mirror.

One of the stories is that a rich man from Canada bought the place and put in a cellar. No one told him that you can’t have basements in Low Country. Needless to say, the cellar flooded. There is a small area where there is still a wine cellar and we got to get a glimpse (couldn’t see much) down those stairs.

Back outside, I wandered for a short ways along the river, but the tide was out. I strolled through the gardens enjoying the vibrant flowers in bloom. I took photos all around the house. No photos could be taken inside, of course. I finally made my way back to the truck just in time for it started raining. It was 12:15 and the temperature had risen to 65 degrees.

As I drove north on Rte. 17, the temperatures fluctuated between 57 and 60. I crossed the N.C. border at 2:45 with the odometer at 15999.3. Periodically I tried taking pictures on the move. In Shallotte (pronounced with a long o) I stopped at a Golden Corral for a buffet dinner. It was way too salty. Further up the road, I pulled off to stay at a Comfort Inn.