The deed to 43.8 acres of marshland along the Ashley River near Drayton Hall will be presented later this month to officials at the historic landmark.

The marshland was acquired from Plum Creek, a timber management company, by the Historic Ricefields Association, an organization dedicated to preservation in the Lowcountry.

The marsh parcels are located on the west bank of the Ashley River and downriver from Drayton Hall. The association paid $21,900 for the property.

HRA Secretary Joe Carter learned about the parcels six years ago through the state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management and had been working since then to acquire them for a subsequent donation.

Carter said the acquisition fits HRA’s mission to preserve the scenic values in South Carolina.

George McDaniel, executive director of Drayton Hall, lauded the sale of the land from Plum Creek and the subsequent donation to Drayton Hall as an example of stakeholders working together to protect such important environmental resources as the Ashley River before threats arise.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Ashley River Region one of the 11 Most Endangered Places in America. It is a diverse habitat of forested freshwater wetlands and salt marshes bordering a number of historic plantations, including Drayton Hall, Middleton Place and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.

McDaniel said his organization has been fighting inappropriate development in the area for more than a decade. Such development would ruin the vistas from Drayton Hall, Middleton Place and other historic sites along the river, he said.

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