Brookgreen Gardens facts for kids
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Brookgreen Gardens
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Fighting Stallions – by Anna Hyatt Huntington at garden park entrance.
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| Nearest city | Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, U.S. |
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| Area | 9,100 acres (37 km2) |
| Architect | Anna Hyatt Huntington |
| Architectural style | Sculpture gardens |
| Part of | Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens (ID84002045) |
| NRHP reference No. | 78002510 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 15, 1978 |
| Designated NHLDCP | October 5, 1992 |
Brookgreen Gardens is a special place in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, U.S. It's a huge area with beautiful sculptures and a wildlife preserve. The gardens cover about 9,100 acres (37 square kilometers). Here, you can explore different themed gardens filled with amazing American sculptures. There's also the Lowcountry Zoo and nature trails that wind through various natural areas.
Brookgreen Gardens was started by Archer Milton Huntington and his wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington. They wanted a place to show off Anna's sculptures and those of other American artists. It first opened its doors in 1932. The gardens were built on land that used to be four large rice plantations. It got its name from one of these, the Brookgreen Plantation, which existed long ago.
Contents
A Look Back: Early History
The land where Brookgreen Gardens now stands was once made up of four big rice plantations. These were called The Oaks, Brookgreen, Springfield, and Laurel Hill. The main gardens you see today are on what was once the Brookgreen Plantation. This plantation was owned by Joshua John Ward. Before he passed away in 1853, he had over 1,000 enslaved African Americans working on his land. In 1860, his estate was known as the largest slaveholder in the United States.
Only a few old things from these plantations remain today. The Alston family cemetery is still on the grounds of The Oaks plantation. Governor Joseph Alston and his child are buried there. The grave also remembers the governor's wife, Theodosia Burr Alston, who was the daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr. She was lost at sea many years ago. Some people say her ghost still roams the area, looking for her father. You can also see the old rice mill at Laurel Hill, which is all that's left of that plantation. During the American Civil War, soldiers built an earthen wall here to stop enemy ships from coming up the rivers.
The Huntingtons' Vision
Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington from Redding, Connecticut, bought these four plantations. They wanted to create a beautiful garden to display Anna's sculptures. Located on the Waccamaw Neck in Georgetown County, South Carolina, Brookgreen Gardens became the first public sculpture garden in the country. It has the largest collection of American figurative sculptures displayed outdoors anywhere in the world. It's also a special place for nature and history, with a small zoo and a nature center.
The Huntingtons first visited this area in 1929. They loved its beauty so much that they bought almost 9,100 acres (37 square kilometers) of forests, swamps, old rice fields, and beachfront. They planned to have a winter home there, but Anna saw a bigger opportunity. She imagined it as a perfect place to show her sculptures. Archer, whose parents were philanthropists, and Anna gave a lot of land and supported arts and culture across the U.S. For example, Anna's sculpture of Joan of Arc is a famous landmark in New York City's Riverside Park.
Exploring Brookgreen Gardens
Amazing Sculpture Gardens
The Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden features about 1,445 works of American figurative sculpture. Many of these amazing pieces are by Anna Hyatt Huntington herself, but you'll also see sculptures by many other talented artists. Paths and garden trails connect the sculptures, which are placed in unique garden settings, near fountains, or within beautiful landscapes. You can enjoy lovely views of the surrounding scenery as you walk.
A large part of Brookgreen Gardens, about 1,600 acres (647 hectares), was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The sculpture garden section, which is 551 acres (223 hectares), was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1984. This was part of the larger Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens designation. Atalaya Castle is just across U.S. Route 17, which runs through the original Huntington property. A very long sea horse sculpture, created by Joseph Kiselewski, was placed in the gardens in 1942.
The Lowcountry Trail
The Lowcountry Trail won the South Carolina Heritage Tourism Award. It's a boardwalk that goes over a hillside, looking down at Mainfield. This Mainfield is a restored rice field from the old Brookgreen Plantation. For the enslaved African Americans who worked on the plantation, this hill was a path between their daily work and their homes in the village. The tasks of planting, growing, harvesting, and threshing rice changed with the seasons for everyone on the plantation.
Archaeologists have found the remains of four old buildings on this hillside. These include the overseer's house at the top of the hill, along with its kitchen, smokehouse, and another building closer to the rice field. As you walk the trail, you'll see signs that explain what life was like on a rice plantation. There are also four stainless steel figures created by Babette Bloch. These figures represent the Plantation Owner, the Overseer, and an Enslaved African Male and Female.
Lowcountry Trail Audio Tour
You can take a free audio tour along the Lowcountry Trail. This tour teaches you about the history of the area and how important it is to preserve these sites. It winds along the Ricefield Overlook and the nearby rice field.
Zoo and Plantation Sites
The Lowcountry Zoo and the Lowcountry Center are also part of Brookgreen Gardens. You can go on 'Trekker tours' that take you on the backroads of the old plantations. Recent archaeological digs have uncovered the foundations of several buildings at The Oaks plantation. Ponds have been created from the sites where the old 'Brookgreen' plantation house once stood.
Amazing Natural Areas
The part of the property along the Atlantic Coast was later leased to the state of South Carolina. This area is now Huntington Beach State Park. From here, you can take boat tours and see Sandy Island. There's also a self-guided nature trail where you can discover over 2,000 different kinds of plants and animals. You'll see tall longleaf pines, live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and beautiful views of the river and nearby marshland. The gardens work hard to protect this natural environment.
Nights of a Thousand Candles
Every year, Brookgreen Gardens hosts a magical event called "Nights of a Thousand Candles." During this time, the gardens are lit up with more than 2,700 candles and countless other lights. These lights glow among the plants, trees, and sculptures, creating a truly enchanting experience. Tickets for this popular event are available each year for visitors.
The Labyrinth
The Labyrinth at Brookgreen Gardens is found at the north end of the Trail Beyond the Garden Wall. It was first built in 2009 and then redesigned in 2014 by artist Kenny Pellar. Today, staff and volunteers keep it beautiful as a peaceful spot for everyone. You can walk the Labyrinth any time the Gardens are open. However, it might close if the weather or river conditions make it unsafe.
Awards and Recognition
Brookgreen Gardens has received many awards for its beauty and excellence:
- It was named one of the Top 10 Public Gardens in the U.S. by Coastal Living Magazine.
- In 2019, it received the American Public Gardens Association Award for Garden Excellence.
- The Artists’ Fellowship awarded it the Gari Melchers Memorial Medal in 2018.
- USAToday 10Best ranked it #9 in the Best Botanical Garden category in 2018.
- USAToday 10Best also listed its Nights of a Thousand Candles event in the Top 10 for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights in 2018.
See also
- List of botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States
- List of sculpture parks
Images for kids
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Diana of the Chase by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1922)
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Fountain of the Muses by Carl Milles (1949-1955)
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Rice mill 'trunk' site in Lowcountry plantations area
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Athlete, sculpture in garden by Rudulph Evans (1915)
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