McLeod Plantation, Charleston, S.C.
My friend Charlotte from Charleston through an Artist's Eyes painted almost the same scene I photographed at McLeod Plantation. Good news, kids! Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission took ownership of McLeod Plantation this week, putting the historic site in the public realm where it belongs. Willie McLeod, who died in 1990 at age 104, left his share of the property with the condition that it could be preserved. I can't wait to see what good things come of this!
Wow, it's been a busy week. My office looks like a train wreck. Friday looked like a precious jewel at the end of a complicated obstacle course but we made it, didn't we? Every time I walked past a waiting room today I had to stop for a few minutes to watch the news about the earthquake in Japan. I've watched most disasters through the years in hospital waiting rooms sharing the moment with random strangers. What a terrible event. Those poor people.
6 comments:
I heard about this save through one of my Charleston friends, and I was so happy to hear it. This place was such a green anachronism sitting in all the surburban development of James Island.
Your pictures in the next post are wonderful, particularly against that blue.
Thanks Les. I always enjoy your photos. I can't wait to see what becomes of this place now.
This is good news. Preservation is the key, and having it open to the public is a big bonus!
This is good news. Trust me, this was not an easy piece of land to preserve and STILL may be difficult to fund. The Historic Charleston Foundation has struggled to find a "buyer" for this historic place for years. The costs to repair and maintain the structures on the land would have overwhelmed the Foundation and still might have the same funding problems with the county (although, being a government agency, makes it easier to get through the red tape).
The HCF was wrongfully chastised for selling the land to a private college, but it was the best choice of a difficult situation at the time (Full disclosure, my father-in-law was a past president of the HCF). Again, with tight budgets we're still not out of the woods, but the county is the best choice right now.
JFH
I agree that the HCF should not have been chastised. A good friend of mine is one of the instructors at the ACBA and I have done some freelance research for him with regard to McLeod. Mr. Willie was also an old family friend.
I know exactly what the school was going to do and, more importantly, NOT going to do and it would have been every preservationist's dream had they been allowed (and could have afforded) to go forward. Unfortunately, in addition to their financial issues, they were beat down publicly by a lot of hysterical misinformation put out by an under-informed group supposedly also interested in preserving the place. I will never understand their agenda. The school was NOT going to build on or disturb land that had not already been recently disturbed. And who in their right mind could argue that a school that trains artisans in the preservation arts would not be the perfect caretaker? Having said all that (and getting off my soapbox now) I also agree that the PRC is the next best choice and I am excited to see the result. I do hope that they take advantage of the expertise of the professors and students at ACBA.
-LAM
I've been following what I could in the paper but it sounds like you both know more than I do about it. I'll be glad to see it preserved and available.
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