Established in 1931 on four former rice plantations by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, Brookgreen Gardens is a nonprofit outdoor museum and a National Historic Landmark recognized for Anna Hyatt Huntington’s significance as an artist and patron of the arts and for Brookgreen’s exceptional interpretation of American heritage. Thousands of acres in the Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve contain evidence of the great rice plantations of the 1800s, and Brookgreen Gardens brings to life important historical elements of the South Carolina Lowcountry through programs offered on foot, by boat, and by overland vehicle. The Oaks Plantation History and Nature Trail includes the archaeological site of the former plantation house, the spring house foundation, the Alston family cemetery, and the slave village, while the Lowcountry Trail presents archaeological digs revealing the remains of three structures and offers insight into the lives of the plantation owner, the overseer, and the enslaved Africans.