Vacation Rick: The Extraordinary Ashley River Corridor--22 miles of Antebellum history

Friday, April 1, 2016

The Extraordinary Ashley River Corridor--22 miles of Antebellum history

Beginning at Slands Bridge in Summerville and extending 22 winding miles through thick stands of moss covered oaks and dense marshes to the site of Charleston's first settlement in 1670, its brackish waters and pluff mud shoreline is saturated with early Antebellum history. Including the Colonial Dorchester settlement and the Ashley Barony site, it was both a thoroughfare and a lifeline in the hand of early Charleston for its dependent downstream settlements and expansive plantations.

Relatively undisturbed by the passing of time, it is unparalleled in its historic significance and natural value. People by the droves come from all over the United States to its shores to drink in its tranquility and wonder at its one-time opulence. Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, Drayton Hall, and the lesser known Runnymede Plantation are poetic names enduringly written on its adjoining signposts that welcome visitors to its riverside gardens and reflective ponds. Rich with a wide variety of fish and wildlife, these scenic vistas are all a part of the extraordinary tidal river named after the 1675 Chief Lord Proprietor of the Carolina Colony, Anthony Ashley Cooper.

With 26 separate sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated a State Scenic River, this was and is the Ashley River Corridor. Enjoy the pictures of the Ashley River.