The Ashley River

The Ashley River is a tidally influenced, Coastal Plain river that extends approximately 30 miles from Cypress Swamp to its mouth at Charleston Harbor on the Atlantic Ocean. It was the primary reason that plantations such as Magnolia were built along this corridor.  The earliest name for the Drayton plantation, “Magnolia-on-the-Ashley,” reflects this relationship.  The river provided the perfect environment for rice cultivation, which was the principle cash crop of these plantations in the Lowcountry during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

The river parallels the Ashley River road, which was the first road stretching into the interior of South Carolina used by both Native Americans and the earliest settlers. However, the Ashley River was the main mode of transportation for the Drayton family to and from Charleston. While it might take an entire day to travel by horse or carriage to Charleston, the city could be easily reached by boat in just under three hours. It was of primary importance to commerce, as large plantation flatboats loaded with rice and other goods were taken to Charleston to be sold. A replica of one such flatboat can be seen along the river at Magnolia. The river later became the primary mode of transportation for the first tourists to the Garden as steamboats brought visitors in by the hundreds from the 1870s through the early 20th century.

Because of its beauty and historical significance, the Ashley was designated a South Carolina Scenic River in June 1998, making it the first State Scenic River established in the Lowcountry. With this designation, the Ashley gained statewide recognition as an outstanding resource and became the sixth river in South Carolina to achieve this special status.