Marlene Gray

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens

The nation's last surviving large-scale romantic gardens this property began in earnest as a substantial working rice plantation in the colonial era. Today visitors from around the globe flock to Magnolia, as they have since 1869, to revel in the beauty of her gardens and learn something of the flora & fauna of the Lowcountry region. In the last few years Magnolia has entered into a new phase of the plantation's history with the initiation of an ambitious project in African-American history. From Slavery to Freedom is a program designed to acknowledge the genius of thousands of enslaved Africans brought to the Lowcountry. Bringing with them their know-how and rich folkways these people would shape the culture of our region in ways we are only now coming to comprehend.