This land, acquired in 1738 by John Drayton as the center of his extensive indigo and rice planting ventures, was the seat of the Drayton family for seven generations. One of the finest examples of Georgian Palladian architecture in America, Drayton Hall is the only surviving colonial plantation house on the Ashley River. The distinguished South Carolina family included William Henry Drayton, a Revolutionary War patriot, chief justice of South Carolina, and member of the Continental Congress, and Dr. Charles Drayton, governor of South Carolina from 1800 to 1802 and from 1808 to 1812.
