Drayton Hall will close at 1:30pm on Saturday, December 21, 2024. We will return to normal hours on Sunday, December 22.
Voted the Best Place to See by Condé Nast Traveler.
Voted the Best Place to See by Condé Nast Traveler.
Drayton Hall Preservation Trust is always grateful for donations to our decorative arts collections that reflect the long history of Drayton Hall. This year we received two wonderful 18th century engravings of William Henry Drayton (1742-1779) who was the eldest surviving son of John Drayton (1715-1779). The engravings were published in London in 1783. The engravings were made from portraits painted by Pierre Eugène du Simitière (1737-1784) in Philadelphia in 1779. The name du Simitière is likely familiar to followers of Drayton Hall as he is the same Swiss-born artist who painted the 1765 watercolor of Drayton Hall. William Henry Drayton and du Simitière crossed paths in Philadelphia when William Henry was serving as one of South Carolina’s representatives to the Second Continental Congress. du Simitière’s collection of Revolutionary portraits is rare in hindsight in that it included both George Washington and Benedict Arnold. Unfortunately, William Henry Drayton died during his term in Philadelphia in 1779, the same year his father, John, died fleeing the British in Charleston. We are delighted to have not one, but two likenesses of William Henry Drayton in our collections now thanks to Mr. James Langhorne.
-Sarah Stroude Clarke, Director of Museum Affairs
It was nearly fifty years ago that brothers Charles and Frank Drayton wrestled with the future of their family’s homeseat- Drayton Hall. Privately held by the Drayton family for seven…
Read MoreImagine looking at a drop of pond water under a microscope and seeing the tiny universe of things that suddenly come into focus. You probably expect that a biologist could…
Read MoreDrayton Hall Preservation Trust has been awarded the 2024 Prize for Excellence and Innovation from The Decorative Arts Trust. This award will help fund the conservation of the Great Hall…
Read More(843) 769-2600
info@draytonhall.org
3380 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC 29414
Open Wednesday - Monday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Closed on Tuesday (gate closes at 3:30 pm). The gate will accept no cash transactions.
