Brookgreen Gardens

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Brookgreen Gardens


Date opened	1932
Location	Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, USA
Land area	10,000 acres (40 km²)
Website

Brookgreen Gardens
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Architect:	Anna Hyatt Huntington
Added to NRHP:	April 15, 1978
NRHP Reference#:	78002510^[1]
Governing body:	Private

Brookgreen Gardens is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve just south of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

1 Early history
2 The Huntingtons and all that followed
3 References
4 External links
5 See also
6 Gallery

[edit] Early history

Originally, what is now Brookgreen Gardens was six separate rice plantations. The actual gardens was Brookgreen Plantation. To the south of Brookgreen Plantation lay the Alston's plantation. Its tie to fame is that the owner's wife was the daughter of the infamous Vice President Aaron Burr, Theodosia Burr Alston. On a trip to see her father as govenor of New York, her ship was lost at sea. Her gohst is reported to still wander the grounds of the plantation serching endlessly for her father. Also to the south, lay to Oak's plantation. To the north, lay the Laurel's plantation. During the Civil War, Confederate troops dug an earthen fort to prevent Union Troops from entering the system of creeks and canals vital to survival of the rice plantations.

[edit] The Huntingtons and all that followed

It is the creation of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington of Connecticut, who purchased the old Brookgreen rice plantation and some neighboring land to open the garden to the public in 1932. Situated on Waccamaw Neck in Georgetown County, South Carolina between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic coast, it is the country's first public sculpture garden and has largest collection of figurative sculpture by American artists in an outdoor setting in the world. It is also a nature and historical preserve with a small zoo, and a nature exhibition center.

Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington first visited the property in 1929. They were captivated by beauty of it, so they purchased nearly 10,000 acres (40 km²) of forest, swamp, ricefields and beachfront. They intended to establish a winter home on the Atlantic, but Anna saw the potential of the property and they quickly began to develop her vision. Archer, stepson of philanthropist Collis Huntington, and Anna have donated property and contributed much to US arts and culture in a number of states. Her sculpture of Joan of Arc is a feature of New York City's Riverside Park.

The Atlantic Coast side was later leased to South Carolina to form Huntington Beach State Park.

Brookfield Gardens was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.^[1] The sculpture garden portion, 551 acres (2.23 km²), of Brookgreen Gardens was included in the designation of Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens as a National Historic Landmark in 1984.^[2]^[3] Atalaya Castle is just across U.S. 17 which cut through the former combined Huntington property.

About 550 works of American figurative sculpture are displayed at the Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden. Many of the works are creations of sculptress Anna, but other artists are also featured. There are boat tours to Sandy Island and a self-guided tour nature trail to show off the 2000 identified species of life, including majestic longleaf pines, Spanish moss draped live oaks, and vistas of the river and nearby marshland.