Murrells Inlet, SC - Brookgreen Gardens, Sculptures and Wildlife Preserve - # - The Nature In Us

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A dream come true. Six hours on 300+ acres of gardens and sculpture (1400+ pieces) and wildlife preservation area. 3-25-11
Read my blog post for more info about Brookgreen Gardens.
View photos of Atalaya Castle, Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington's winter home, built while they were designing Brookgreen Gardens.

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Overseer's House - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
The overseer managed the day-to-day operation at Brookgreen Plantation by monitoring farm machinery, livestock, and supervising the daily work of slaves. As an intermediary between slaves and their owner, his position was sometimes reflected in the layout of the plantation. His residence was often located between that of the planter and the slave village. Sometimes slaves were used as overseers. In this instance, as sons of African chiefs or kings, and of Muslim heritage, they were prized for their literacy and were well respected by other slaves due to their social status. Rice plantations operated under the task system. Each slave completed an assigned daily task based on skill, gender and age. Most tasks were designed to last the whole day and personal time came only after the task was completed. In September was the harvest and all slaves were in the fields to bind the plants into sheaves and carry them to flats waiting in the canals. In the mid-1880's, no longer serving its original function, the overseer's house was moved from this site to a location next to the plantation house site where, today, it is the entrance of the Brown Sculpture Court.

Plantation Animals - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
Before the introduction of the internal combustion engine, animals were a central feature of daily life in America, and certainly at Brookgreen Plantation. Horses, mules and oxen pulled wagons and plows. Cattle, pigs, and chickens were raised for food. Sheep provided wool for sale off the plantation. The breeds living here are known to have existed before the Civil War. After years of hybridization, today's farm animals are generally very specialized. By contrast, animals in use in the 19th century were typically multipurpose, hardy, and able to subsist on less than ideal forage. These "thrifty" animals of pure ancestry are now relatively rare survivals. Sounds much like the people of today also, doesn't it? :-)

The Marsh Tacky Horse - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
A historic breed, this horse traces its roots to "drop off" stock brought over the Atlantic by Spanish explorers and settlers in the 1500's. For several hundred years the barrier islands and swampy regions of coastal SC and GA were home to the Marsh Tackies. This breed is closely related to the Bankers ponies of teh Outer Banks of NC and the Cracker horse of Florida, also Spanish "drop off" stock. Characteristics specific to the Marsh Tacky are narrow shoulders, a sloped rump, a stripe down the back, faint stripes on the legs and a mellow disposition. Their short stature (between 14-15 hands in height), sure footedness, large heart and high level of stamina enable them to maneuver in swampy terrain without panicking or getting stuck in the mud. Today there are fewer than 250 Marsh Tackies remaining.

Dominique Chicken - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
Kept for eggs and meat, chickens were too common to warrant a written record. They were often owned by the slave population, offering a source of hard cash as well as a diet supplement. Dominique chickens were common in N. America by the mid-18th century, prized for their good temperment, medium size, ability to forage, and brown eggs. Watch video of these chickens at beginning of album.

VIDEO: Dominque Chicken - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
Kept for eggs and meat, chickens were too common to warrant a written record. They were often owned by the slave population, offering a source of hard cash as well as a diet supplement. Dominique chickens were common in N. America by the mid-18th century, prized for their good temperment, medium size, ability to forage, and brown eggs.

Red Devon Milking Cows - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
The first Red Devons arrived in America in 1623. Prized for their docile and hardy nature, these cattle were used on the plantation for meat, milk, and as oxen. An ox is a castrated bull that, with proper training, can be used to haul wagons and to plow fields. Both male and female Red Devons have horns.

Timber Wolf Family, William Henry Turner (b. 1935), Bronze, 1990 - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
A self-taught artist, William experiments with modeling and casting techniques, and has built his own foundry in order to have greater control over the creation of his work. At a young age, he became interested in taxidermy and sculpture after Robt. H. Rockwell, noted animal sculptor and curator of the American Mus. of Natural History, retired near Turner's home and eventually became his mentor. In 1989, Turner was commissioned by the museum to create this work as a memorial to Rockwell.

Native Animal Habitats - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
Plantation agriculture transformed the landscape of the Lowcountry in the 18th and 19th centuries as it worked its way up tidal rivers like the Waccamaw. A geometric pattern of rice fields was carved out of the swamps. Upland woods gave way to settlements, pastures and crop fields. Some species of animals common in the old landscape, like the Carolina Parakeet and the Passenger Pigeon, disappeared forever, victims of habitat loss and rapacious hunting. Large predators - black bears, cougars, and red wolves - were pushed deeper into the remaining woods, although they occasionally posed a threat to the growing numbers of domestic livestock. Smaller mammals such as foxes and bobcats adapted to the changing enviroment. In the Native Animals Habitats many of the birds, mammals and reptiles of the Lowcountry past are again at home in the natural landscape. Some of these animals, a large number of which are unreleaseable into the wild because of injuries or having been raised by humans, are part of Brookgreen, others are free-ranging residents of the land.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
This heron is 23-28 inches tall. It has a wingspan of almost four feet. It is a medium-sized heron with a stocky body and short legs and neck. It has a black crown and back, gray wings and a white underside. Adults have red eyes and yellow legs and feet. In breeding season adults have two long white plumes on their heads. Females and males look alike, but females are a little smaller.

Overseer's House - Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC 3-25-11
The overseer managed the day-to-day operation at Brookgreen Plantation by monitoring farm machinery, livestock, and supervising the daily work of slaves. As an intermediary between slaves and their owner, his position was sometimes reflected in the layout of the plantation. His residence was often located between that of the planter and the slave village. Sometimes slaves were used as overseers. In this instance, as sons of African chiefs or kings, and of Muslim heritage, they were prized for their literacy and were well respected by other slaves due to their social status. Rice plantations operated under the task system. Each slave completed an assigned daily task based on skill, gender and age. Most tasks were designed to last the whole day and personal time came only after the task was completed. In September was the harvest and all slaves were in the fields to bind the plants into sheaves and carry them to flats waiting in the canals. In the mid-1880's, no longer serving its original function, the overseer's house was moved from this site to a location next to the plantation house site where, today, it is the entrance of the Brown Sculpture Court.

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