Drayton Hall, in the Carolina "Low Country" near Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the handsomest examples of Palladian architecture in North America. The house was built for John Drayton, begun in 1738 and completed in 1742, using both free and slave labor. The seven-bay double pile plantation house stands in a 630-acre site that is part of the plantation based on indigo and rice. Drayton Hall is the only plantation house the length of the Ashley River to survive the Revolutionary and Civil Wars intact. Seven generations of Drayton heirs preserved the house in all but original condition, though the flanking outbuildings have not survived: an earthquake destroyed the laundry house in 1886 and a hurricane destroyed the kitchen in 1893 [1]. Charleston, South Carolinas oldest city Motto: Aedes Mores Juraque Curat Nickname: The Holy City, The Palmetto City Founded 1670 Incorporated County Berkeley and Charleston Counties Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. ... A villa with a superimposed portico, from Book IV of Palladios I Quattro Libri dellArchitettura, in a modestly priced English translation published in London, 1736. ... There is no single indigo plant. A variety of plants have been used to produce indigo dye. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southeastern Asia and to Africa. ... The Ashley River is the name of multiple rivers. ...

The house has a deep recessed double portico on the west front, both shading the house from afternoon sun and offering open-air summer living space. The floor plan of Drayton is Palladian, with a central entrance stair hall, containing a symmetrical divided staircase, backed by a large saloon, flanked by square and rectangular chambers [2]. Pedimented chimneypieces in the house are in the tectonic manner popularized by William Kent. There is fine plasterwork in several of the rooms of the main floor, which is raised above a half-basement. William Kent (born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, c. ...

Drayton Hall is managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which opened the house to the public in 1977 and presents both sides of the historic plantation economy exemplified by Drayton, black and white. A first guide to the house, Drayton Hall was published in 2005. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization which was founded in 1949 to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities. ...

References

• Drayton Hall homepage
• Great Buildings on-line: Drayton Hall
• Historic photographs and plans of the interior
• South Carolina Plantations: Drayton Hall