The Long Bridge

Built in the 1840s by Reverend John Grimké Drayton, the Long Bridge has become a lasting symbol of Southern beauty, gentility, and grace. Painted white with crisscrossing pickets, the bridge is simple in design.  Its arc is divided into three sections, each of which forms the image of an ellipse when reflected in the mirror of the still blackwater lake.  Beginning just outside “Flowerdale,” the heart of the Garden, the bridge spans a natural river marsh that was diked in the early 1700s to create a rice field, one of the principle cash crops at Magnolia during the 18th century. Following the decline in rice production in the early 19th century, the rice field was deepened to form a lake, which became a major feature of the now naturalistic English garden. While it is the most famous bridge on the property, it is only one of seven beautiful bridges located throughout the Gardens.