Brookgreen Gardens is a

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

garden and

wildlife preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, located just south of Murrells Inlet, in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The property includes several themed gardens featuring American figurative sculptures, the Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

s in nature reserves on the property. It was founded by

Archer Milton Huntington Archer Milton Huntington (March 10, 1870 – December 11, 1955) was a philanthropist and scholar, primarily known for his contributions to the field of Hispanic Studies. He founded The Hispanic Society of America in New York City, and made ...

, stepson of railroad magnate

Collis Potter Huntington Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested i ...

, and

Anna Hyatt Huntington Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (March 10, 1876 – October 4, 1973) was an American sculptor who was among New York City's most prominent sculptors in the early 20th century. At a time when very few women were successful artists, she had a thrivi ...

, his wife, to feature sculptures by Anna and her sister Harriet Randolph Hyatt Mayor, along with other American sculptors. Brookgreen Gardens was opened in 1932. It was developed on property of four former rice

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, taking its name from the former

Brookgreen Plantation Brook Green is a small hamlet on the Isle of Wight located at Brook on the Back of the Wight. It is owned by the National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity ...

, which dates to the antebellum period.

Early history

The property that now comprises Brookgreen Gardens was four rice

s. The plantations from south to north were The Oaks, Brookgreen, Springfield, and Laurel Hill. The current gardens and surrounding facilities are located completely within the former

, which was owned by

Joshua John Ward Joshua John Ward, of Georgetown County, South Carolina, is known as the largest American slaveholder,Joseph Alston Joseph Alston (1779 – September 10, 1816) was the 44th Governor of South Carolina from 1812 to 1814. Early life and career The son of William Alston, he was born in All Saints Parish near Georgetown, South Carolina. Alston attended the ...

and his child are buried in the cemetery. The same grave is a memorial to the governor's wife

Theodosia Burr Alston Theodosia Burr Alston (June 21, 1783 – January 2 or 3, 1813) was an American socialite and the daughter of the third U.S. Vice President, Aaron Burr, and Theodosia Bartow Prevost. Her husband, Joseph Alston, was governor of South Carolina dur ...

, daughter of

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805. Burr's legacy is defined by his famous personal conflict with Alexand ...

, who was lost at sea. Her ghost is said to haunt the Grand Strand, looking for her father. The rice mill at Laurel Hill is all that stands of that plantation today. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Confederates built an earthen structure on the grounds to block

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

ships from coming into the tidal rivers.

The Huntingtons

Archer and

Redding, Connecticut Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,765 at the 2020 census. History Early settlement and establishment At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-d ...

purchased the four plantations in order to develop gardens to showcase her sculptures. Situated on

Waccamaw Neck The Waccamaw Neck is a long narrow peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Waccamaw River in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The town of Pawleys Island is located on the Waccamaw Neck, as well as the unincorporated mainland area, which inc ...

Georgetown County, South Carolina Georgetown County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 63,404. Its county seat is Georgetown. The county was founded in 1769. It is named for George III of the United Kingdom. Geo ...

, between the

Waccamaw River The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles (225 km) long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1,110 square miles (2886 km²) in the coastal plai ...

and the Atlantic coast, Brookgreen Gardens is the country's first public sculpture garden. It has the largest collection in the world of figurative sculpture by American artists in an outdoor setting. It is also a nature and historical preserve with a small

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

and a nature exhibition center. Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington first visited the area in 1929. Because they were captivated by its beauty, they purchased nearly of forest,

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

, rice fields, and

beachfront A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past ...

. They intended to establish a winter home on the coast, but Anna saw the potential of the property. They began to develop her vision of making it a showcase for her sculptures. Archer, son of

philanthropists Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Arabella Worsham Huntington and stepson of

Collis Huntington Collis Potter Huntington (October 22, 1821 – August 13, 1900) was an American industrialist and railway magnate. He was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker) who invested ...

, and Anna have donated property and contributed to U.S. arts and culture in a number of states. Her sculpture of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

is a feature of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

's Riverside Park.

Public landmark

Sculpture gardens

About 1,445 works of American figurative

are displayed at the Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden. Many of the works are by Hyatt Huntington, but other artists are also featured. Walkways and garden paths link the sculptures in their distinctive garden, fountain, or landscape settings, with vistas of the scenery surrounding them. A area of Brookgreen Gardens was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978. The sculpture garden portion, , of Brookgreen Gardens was included in the designation of

Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing two formerly-united properties associated with sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973) on the coast of Georgetown County, South Carolina. The district include ...

as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1984. and Atalaya Castle is just across U.S. 17, which cuts through the former combined Huntington property. The sculpture gardens includes works by: * Robert Alexander Baillie *

Gutzon Borglum John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American sculptor best known for his work on Mount Rushmore. He is also associated with various other public works of art across the U.S., including Stone Mountain in Geo ...

* Joseph Lorkowski Boulton *

Clio Hinton Bracken Clio Hinton Bracken (1870–1925) was an American sculptor. A native of Rhinebeck, New York, Bracken studied with Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Her mother was a painter and sculptor, and she shared studio space with her cousin, Roland Hinton Perry ...

Cornelia Van Auken Chapin Cornelia Van Auken Chapin (August 7, 1893 – December 4, 1972) American sculptor and animalier born in Waterford, Connecticut. She was known for her stone models of birds and animals, which she largely carved directly from life and without pre ...

* Henry Clews * Joseph Bailey Ellis * Sally James Farnham * Joseph Charles Fleri *

Vincent Glinsky Vincent Glinsky (December 18, 1895 – March 19, 1975) was an American sculptor. He is especially noted for his architectural decorations. Life Vincent Glinsky was born in Russia on December 18, 1895 and emigrated to America just before World ...

* Karl Gruppe * Ethel Painter Hood *

Edith Howland Edith Howland (1863–1949) was an American sculptor. Born in Auburn, New York, Auburn, New York (state), New York, Howland studied with Gustave Michel, Daniel Chester French, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens; she received an honorable mention at the Pa ...

* Cecil de Blaquiere Howard *

Leo Lentelli Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...

Donald De Lue Donald Harcourt De Lue (October 5, 1897, Boston, Massachusetts – August 26, 1988, Leonardo, New Jersey) was an American sculptor, best known for his public monuments. Life and career De Lue studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and la ...

* Albino Manca * Edward Francis McCartan *

Eleanor Mary Mellon Eleanor Mary Mellon (1894–1979) was an American sculptor. A native of Narberth, Pennsylvania, Mellon studied with Robert Ingersoll Aitken, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth, Charles Grafly, Edward McCartan, Victor Salvatore, and Adolph Alexander W ...

* Roland Hinton Perry * Attilio Piccirilli * Furio Piccirilli * Horatio Piccirilli *

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. From a French-Irish family, Saint-Gaudens was raised in New York City, he trave ...

Louis St. Gaudens Louis Saint-Gaudens (January 1, 1854 – March 8, 1913) was a significant United States, American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation. He was the brother of renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens; Louis ...

Marion Sanford Marion Sanford (February 9, 1904 - February 1987) was an American sculptor known for her bronze portraits of women engaged in everyday domestic activities. Early life and career Sanford was born to American parents in Guelph, Ontario and was ra ...

Janet Scudder Janet Scudder (October 27, 1869 – June 9, 1940), born Netta Deweze Frazee Scudder, was an American sculptor and painter from Terre Haute, Indiana, who is best known for her memorial sculptures, bas-relief portraiture, and portrait medallions, ...

Amory Coffin Simons Amory may refer to: Places * Amory, Mississippi **Amory Lock **Amory School District * Amory-Ticknor House, Boston *Amory Hall (Boston) * Vance W. Amory International Airport, island of Nevis Other uses *Amory Adventure Award, a Canadian Venturer ...

Erwin Springweiler Erwin may refer to: People Given name * Erwin Chargaff (1905–2002), Austrian biochemist * Erwin Dold (1919–2012), German concentration camp commandant in World War 2 * Erwin Hauer (1926–2017), Austrian-born American sculptor * Egon Erwin Kisc ...

* Charles Eugene Tefft

Lowcountry Trail

Winner of the South Carolina Heritage Tourism Award, the Lowcountry Trail is a boardwalk that crosses the hillside overlooking Mainfield, a restored rice field of the former

. For enslaved African Americans on Brookgreen Plantation, this hill was a bridge between the world of daily work and life in the slave village beyond the crest of the hill. The rhythms of life – planting, growing, harvesting, threshing – changed seasonally for everyone on the rice plantation. Archaeological survey and excavation projects have revealed the remains of four structures on the hillside: the site of the overseer's residence at the apex of the hill, and its kitchen, smokehouse and dependency closer to the edge of the rice field. Along the trail, interpretive panels that describe life on a rice plantation and four stainless steel figures have been placed to represent the Plantation Owner, the Overseer, and an Enslaved African Male and an Enslaved African Female. These figures, created in stainless steel b
Babette Bloch
serve as visually compelling figures to draw visitors along the trail and to interpret an account of each person's role in the economic and social system of a Lowcountry plantation.

Lowcountry Trail Audio Tour

The Lowcountry Trail Audio Tour is a public education program that emphasizes historic preservation. The tour winds along the Ricefield Overlook and adjacent rice field and is free with garden admission. A 30-minute fictional story about life on Brookgreen Plantation unwinds progressively as listeners walk the trail.

Zoo and plantation sites

The Lowcountry Zoo and the Lowcountry Center are also on the property. 'Trekker tours' are conducted on the backroads of the former plantations. Recent archeological work has uncovered the foundations of several buildings at The Oaks plantation. Ponds have been created from the former 'Brookgreen'

plantation house A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole. Plantation houses in the Southern United States and in other areas are known as quite grand and e ...

sites.

Natural areas

The Atlantic Coast side of the property was later leased to the state of

to form

Huntington Beach State Park Huntington Beach State Park is a 2500 acre coastal preserve and state park near Murrells Inlet, in Georgetown County, South Carolina. It has a large sandy beach, few beach-goers, and numerous wild birds to watch over the seasons. History The pa ...

. Boat tours are available from here with views of Sandy Island. A

self-guided tour A self-guided tour is a self-governing tour where one navigates a route oneself as opposed to an escorted tour where a tour guide directs the route, times, information, and places toured."self-guided adj." The New Oxford American Dictionary, sec ...

of the nature trail shows off the 2000 identified species of life, including

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Un ...

draped live oaks, and vistas of the river, and nearby

marshland A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

. The gardens make every effort to preserve the natural environment.

Nights of a Thousand Candles

Every year, the Brookgreen gardens are lit up with more than 2,700 candles and countless lights set among the plants, trees and sculptures of the garden. Tickets for the same are available every year for visitors.

Awards and recognition

* Top 10 Public Gardens in the US by ''Coastal Living Magazine'' * American Public Gardens Association Award for Garden Excellence, 2019 * Gari Melchers Memorial Medal from the Artists’ Fellowship, 2018 * ''USAToday'' 10Best - #9 in Best Botanical Garden category, 2018 * ''USAToday'' 10Best - ''Nights of a Thousand Candles'' Top 10 in Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights category, 2018

Photo gallery

Image:Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture15.jpg, ''Fountain of the Muses'' - by

Carl Milles Carl Milles (; 23 June 1875 – 19 September 1955) was a Swedish sculptor. He was married to artist Olga Milles (née Granner) and brother to Ruth Milles and half-brother to the architect Evert Milles. Carl Milles sculpted the Gustaf Vasa sta ...

(1949-1955) Image:Cowboy Brookgreen Gardens.JPG, Resident alligator named Cowboy at Lowcountry Zoo Image:Rice trunk.JPG, Rice mill 'trunk' site in Lowcountry plantations area Image:Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture51.jpg, ''Athlete'' - sculpture in garden by

Rudulph Evans Rudulph Evans (February 1, 1878 – January 16, 1960) was a sculptor. Early life Rudolph Evans was born February 1, 1878 in Washington, D.C. to Frank L. Evans, the descendant of a Quakers, Quaker family, and Elizabeth J. Grimes, the daughter o ...

(1915) Image:Forest Idyll Brookgreen Gardens.jpg, ''

Forest Idyll ''Forest Idyl'' (sometimes spelled ''Forest Idyll'', but originally titled "Idyl") is a bronze statue created in 1924 by Albin Polasek while he was head of the Sculpture Department at the Art Institute of Chicago. There are several copies of th ...

'' by

Albin Polasek Albin Polasek (February 14, 1879 – May 19, 1965) was a Czech-American sculptor and educator. He created more than 400 works during his career, 200 of which are displayed in the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, Flori ...

(1924)

References

External links

*
Brookgreen In Infrared

*
Brookgreen Gardens - Murrell's Inlet, SC
{{authority control Art museums and galleries in South Carolina Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United States Museums in Georgetown County, South Carolina Outdoor sculptures in South Carolina Gardens in South Carolina Zoos in South Carolina National Historic Landmarks in South Carolina Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums National Register of Historic Places in Georgetown County, South Carolina Protected areas of Georgetown County, South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina Protected areas established in 1932 Art museums established in 1932 1932 establishments in South Carolina Huntington family