By the 1840s, the rice planters in the Georgetown District were gentlemen of leisure. The construction of the rice plantation system was complete, overseers, and to a less extent drivers managed fields and slaves. Planters employed factors to market and sell their crops and bankers to handle their money. With their finances managed for them and discipline administered by resident overseers, the job of the planter was to provide for their families and slaves. Therefore, the final generation of antebellum rice planters lived their lives traveling and merrymaking.
Each year, at the end of May, out of fear of contracting malaria, commonly referred to as "country fever" by the planting families, the rice planters moved away from their plantations and did not return until the first week in November. During the summer and fall months most planters spent time with relatives or friends in other parts of South Carolina or in other states; some spent time abroad in Europe. The most popular in-state retreats of the Georgetown planters, were Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, Charleston, and a small community on the Pee Dee River called Plantersville.
The most frequented of these retreats were Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet. Located at the sea shore, these twin communities are among America's oldest resorts. For the Pee Dee families who had to cross the Waccamaw River in order to get to the beach, getting to their summer refuges was a long hard trek, but for the Waccamaw families whose land stretched from the river to sea, it was closer and more convenient. One Pee Dee woman, Elizabeth Waties Allston Pringle, recalled her family's annual pilgrimage to the coast. She wrote:
All of our belongings, servants, horses, cows, furniture were loaded on to lighters and propelled seven miles through broad rivers and winding creeks to Waverly Mills where they were disembarked and traveled four miles by land, but when we reached this paradise on the Atlantic we felt repaid for it.
The Allston family, like the other planting families, traveled with everything they would need for their six month period away from home. Families spent weeks packing. Resembling small armies as they travelled, planters annually moved everything from kitchen utensils and clothing to pianos to their summer refuges. When Mrs. Adele Petigru Allston asked one of her peers, Mrs. Elizabeth Weston, why she took so many servants to Charleston, Mrs. Weston replied, "We can not possibly separate husband and wife for six months; so Harry, the coachmen, has to have his wife and children, and the same with the cook, and the butler, and the laundress." Mrs. Weston informed Mrs. Allston that each summer, "We have to take fifty individuals with us in the move, I mean children and all."
Pawleys Island, a resort community since the late 1700's, began to expand after the 1820s due to the growing wealth of the planters and their increased leisure time. When the hurricane of September 1822 destroyed most of the older buildings, the residents quickly built new houses on their property.
To accomplish the rebuilding, planters sent skilled carpenter slaves and cypress timber by boat to restore the community. One rice planter, Plowden Weston, had slaves cut the materials for his summer home to size and labeled at his plantation so that his house could be quickly assembled on his beach front property. The planters built many notable homes at their summer resort, including Edward Heriot's Woodland, Joshua Ward's Magnolia and Retreat houses, Robert Allston's Cannan and Jacob Alston's Sunnyside. Andrew Hassel, a full-time resident of Pawleys Island resided at Cedar Grove. Most of the houses had wide porches facing the Southwest and Southeast, the directions of the prevailing winds, while others had piazzas that encircled the entire structure.
By the 1840s, Pawleys Island, a strip of land one-fourth mile across, at its widest point, and less than four miles long was clearly more popular than Murrells Inlet. Robert Mills, during his visit to the resorts wrote, "The good things of this life, are here really enjoyed by the inhabitants in abundance; for the land and the ocean lay their treasures at their feet." A Northern visitor to Pawleys Island in 1851, wrote more descriptively, "I rode over to one Pawleys Island which is three miles long, with a fine beach on the ocean side, some 6 or 8 houses, plenty of trees &c, [sic] separated by a creek from the main land which we forded."
For summer recreation, the planters created a social club, the Hot and Hot Fish Club, where they dined on extravagant meals, drank choice wines and entertained themselves by fishing, hunting, racing their horses, playing 10 pin and billiards. To satisfy their stomachs while tending to their masculine pastimes, the hunters constructed small clubhouses made of pine logs at central locations in the forest where they met to take breaks, sip on fine wines, and enjoy their kill which slaves prepared.
While the planters entertained themselves with their convivial gatherings, their families kept busy around the summer home. Adele Allston wrote to her husband Robert Allston, "I walk the causeway every morning after breakfast, and stroll upon the beach and sand hills in the afternoon." During these summer vacation, parents allowed their children to enjoy the early morning hours but required them to keep up with their studies. After dinner the children enjoyed "swimming in the surf, horseback riding on the beach, and on rainy days, the great privilege of reading fiction."
Whether at home or on vacation, the Georgetown planters involved themselves in religious activities. The Episcopal faith, the religion of the planter class, boasted three fine churches in Georgetown. In town, the elite worshipped at Prince George Winyah Church. At home in the country, they attended either All Saints Church on the Waccamaw or Prince Frederick on the Pee Dee River. While at the beach, plantation owners and their families flocked to All Saints Parish Episcopal Church at Pawleys Island.
In July 1832, the planters and their wives, in conjunction with Reverend Alexander Glennie, the pastor of All Saints Church, formed the All Saints Sunday School Society. Its function, "to afford religious instruction to the children of the Parish, according to the Protestant Episcopalian Church Sunday School Union." The society created a constitution with rules and held elections each year for the offices of president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, as well as for three directors.
In 1838 the All Saints Summer Academy, directed by David D. Rosa opened. By 1843, the school serviced both male and female students and offered a "complete English education" to anyone who could afford tuition: $20. per term for students over 12 years of age and $10. for students under 12. Latin, Greek, French, music and drawing classes required additional fees. Classes began on January 2 each year and the school expected the students to provide their own furniture. Board and "washing" fees cost an extra $13.50 per month. In 1854, Peter Waties Fraser donated 300 feet of land at Pawleys Island for the purpose of building a summer rectory. The erection of this home for Reverend Glennie was the church's final expansion into the beach community during the antebellum years.
Many Pee Dee and Black River rice growers, especially the individuals who could not afford good overseers, escaped the malaria-ridden swamps by simply moving further up the Pee Dee River to the safety of the pine lands. From there planters could make random checks on their estates and still enjoy good health during "the sickly season." In 1852 these summer residents incorporated this 350 acre resort and formally named it Plantersville. Even after the area began to attract outsiders, the resort remained the preferred vacation spot of the Black River and Pee Dee families due to its close proximity to their homes.
Other Georgetown planters took refuge from the unhealthy Low Country by residing in Charleston during the summer and fall. Some who owned houses there were Joshua Ward, Francis Weston, Plowden Weston, William Algernon Alston, John Tucker, Robert Allston, Charles Alston, Thomas Alston, Jacob Alston, and more than twenty others.
Since the gentlemen took their ideas of liberty and secession with them on their vacations, George C. Rogers, Jr. contends in his book, The History of Georgetown County, that the presence of these planters and others from throughout the Low Country influenced the Charleston merchant class to vote for secession in 1860. Rogers claims that the Low Country planters, primarily those from Georgetown and Beaufort, aided by Robert Barnwell Rhett, the fire-eater politician, journalist and proprietor of the Charleston Mercury, dominated the city and persuaded Charlestonians to seek independence from the United States.
Usually during the first week in November, they returned home. Winter was the time when the planters entertained each other by holding large lawn and garden parties during the day, as well as dinner and evening parties. Although the men had the Planters Club on the Pee Dee and the Winyah and All Saints Agricultural Society for amusement during the winter months, they primarily regarded this season as the time for family gatherings, weddings and holiday celebrations.
For example, at one such gathering, in the winter of 1849 Joshua Ward gave a dinner party at Brook Green in honor of his daughter Penelope's marriage to Dr. Allard Belin Flagg. The Heriots, Belins, Petigrus, LaBruces, Vaux, several of the Allston and Alston families, Izards, Pringles, Poinsetts, Reads, some of the Westons and Fords and all of the Waccamaw families were guests. According to one guest, "the party was kept up till the we sma' hours, and there was one who greatly enjoyed a regular old fashioned country dance to the music of sundry country fiddles."
When recalling a plantation wedding, one Santee River resident wrote,
I let myself loose to the enjoyment of the hour; danced all night, spent the next day in walking, riding and other sports to which the party gave themselves up before dinner and reappeared in the evening ready to dance with the most determined. At that time the wedding festivities always continued two nights, nor were the guests expected to leave the house until the third day.
Another gentleman from the Georgetown countryside recalled the formality of plantation weddings in his memoirs:
When marriages were celebrated on these river plantations the guests came from as much as twenty miles in boats rowed by stalwart negroes. They remained for the night and continued the festivities the next day. On the return voyage the negro oarsmen kept time to their oars with improvised songs in honor of the bride and groom.
During the holiday season the planters displayed what they referred to as "their true patriarchal spirit." Although the roads were unpaved, families from throughout the Georgetown countryside, as well as from the city, traveled about visiting friends and kin. The planting families decorated their manor homes beautifully with holly, and egg-nog, ginger bread and assorted cakes were in abundance.
Christmas in the Georgetown District was a time of celebration for all Christians, whether master or slave. At Chicora Wood, the home of Robert Allston, the celebration lasted for three days, and the only work done on the plantation during that period revolved around necessities such as preparing food for the family and tending to the livestock. On Christmas Eve, Allston set off fireworks for everyone's delight, and his daughters helped all the children hang their stockings because even the slave children expected a visit from St. Nicholas.
For a week before Christmas, the whole plantation unit was busy preparing gifts for one another. On Christmas morning the family and their slaves feasted and exchanged tobacco, fruit, candy, dolls, and handkerchiefs. Then the whole plantation community gathered on the front piazza of the house and danced to music the slaves played on fiddles, triangles, jaw-harps, and assorted sticks and bones. The dancing and partying continued throughout the three-day holiday, with dancers and musicians taking turns on the piazza, while others feasted on beef and pork and drank alcohol.
On Christmas Day 1856, the year that Robert Allston became Governor of South Carolina, there was a special celebration at his household. Mrs. Allston recalled, "The next morning there was a great demonstration, the negroes coming up as usual to greet their master the Gov. They made a great noise and drank the Governor's health in many a stout glass of whiskey."
On some plantations the planting family and their slaves went caroling. Plowden Weston handed out passes to his slaves so that they could visit their friends and family members at nearby plantations. Christmas was a popular time for slave marriages. Although not legal, most planters promoted slave marriages as a way of securing the next generation's labor force. The newly wed couples were usually toasted by their owners and granted an additional three-day vacation from their duties.
New Year's was another holiday which earned the whole community another three-day period of rest, visitation and celebration. On New Years' Day, masters gave annual rations of clothing, blankets and shoes to the slave families.
Although the winter and spring months were usually the months that the planters spent at home, some chose to travel throughout the United States or abroad. However, the place they visited most frequently was Charleston. There they relaxed in leisurely walks along the Battery promenade, through White Point Gardens and around Rutledge Avenue Pond. With seasonal pools for bathing during the day and music at night, Charleston's social life revolved around those areas year round. In the evenings, the sounds of brass and woodwind instruments or vocalists, pianists and violinists entertained the crowds strolling or riding in the cool night air viewing the harbor. While at the battery, those with an appetite for sweets could enjoy refreshments such as ice cream and pastries.
The Georgetown elite intermingled with Charleston society by attending weddings, musicales, soirees, debutante balls, dances, masquerades and parties sponsored by such prominent groups as the St. Cecila Society, the Cotillion Club and the Charleston Jockey Club. These organizations held their gatherings at such exclusive auditoriums as the South Carolina Institute Hall on Broad Street, Military Hall on Wentworth Street, and Hibernian Hall and the New Charleston Theater on Meeting Street. Throughout the year, the merchant class reigned in Charleston, but during February the city was in the hands of the planting class. In this unofficial capital of the Low Country, they displayed their wealth in flamboyant fashion.
The frock-coat dominated the wardrobe of an 1840s gentleman. Meant to be worn with knickers and full shirts, it featured a deep collar and wide lapels and was often edged with braid. Another popular style, more formal in design, was the patterned or embroidered waistcoat worn with tight fitting trousers which fastened under the instep. Men's accessories of the period were the cravat and gutta perch. During this decade ladies wore hooped dresses with sloping shoulders and tight sleeves. Women's accessories included ermine muffs, tasseled hand bags and parasols for outdoor events. Their tightly flower-trimmed bonnets had deep crowns and large brims which framed and complemented their faces. During the evening, ladies wore dresses with provocatively low cut bodices, minimal headwear and feathers or pearls in their hair.
During the 1850s, although fashions did not change, the number of garments required for gentlemanly attire proliferated. Besides the morning frock, dress and overcoats, men wore paletot cloaks with contrasting collars and slit armholes. The popularity of cravats declined and proper neckwear became a bow or shoe-string. By 1856 the introduction of the caged crinoline relieved the weight of women's petticoats. Layered flounced skirts became popular. Ladies still preferred dresses with sloped shoulders and hats that tied firmly under their chins. However, bonnets no longer had deep crowns and brims. Women adorned their "round" hats with long, wide ribbons and wore their creations further back on their heads. Very small, beautifully decorated parasols were the rage. Hand-bags were also minuscule and neither served much purpose. One prevailing purse design was the "miser" which had fringe at one end and tassels at the other, while another was made of netting and beads. During the evenings, ladies wore snake-like jewelry and headwear made of pearls and flowers set far back on their heads.
Of all the societies in Charleston during the antebellum period, the St. Cecila Society held the most formal balls. Elizabeth Pringle recalled that during her visit to Charleston in 1850, her family received invitations to three or four balls each week, and that the St. Cecilia Society held a ball every ten days. Pringle claimed that the women in her family always wore French designed dresses to the St. Cecilia Society balls, which were the "most exclusive and elegant balls of them all." The balls were centered around social intercourse, fine wines, food and dancing. Popular dances of the era were the waltz, polka, and the maruka, collectively referred to as "round dances." Proper ladies were not expected, and some were not permitted, to partake in "fast" dances due to their pace.
In 1762, the women of Charleston founded the St. Cecila Society as a musical organization; however, by the 1840's, the society had become more of a cotillion club than an organization to provide quality music to the socially refined. The society held their largest ball annually during February (just before lent) in Hibernian Hall on Meeting Street. A contemporary remarked that "the membership remains exclusive and its affairs somewhat secret." Even today, the club remains secretive and its historical records and membership lists remain off-limits to non-members.
The Charleston Jockey Club was another popular Charleston organization with which the Georgetown planters belonged. Founded in 1793, this organization was part of a fifteen-track circuit of Jockey Clubs that existed in the state during the antebellum period. The Charleston Jockey Club held its races at the Washington Course near Charleston. The Charleston races occurred, by rule, on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday preceding the first Wednesday in February. One Georgetonian who frequently visited the track noted, "The Ladies of Charleston always turned out in full feather on these occasions, and the grandstand was filled with lovely ladies who took intense interest in the horses which were then owned by gentleman of note."
At the Washington Course, the races began each day at 1:00 PM. The first day's races were four mile heats; the second day, three mile heats and the third day featured two mile heats. Daily entry fees for members were $20., $15. and $10.; non-members paid double. The daily purses varied depending upon the number of entries in each race.
The Jockey Club required a $40. annual fee from its members which
defrayed the cost of the races, to maintain the track and to pay
for dinner parties, such as the one held annually on the Wednesday
following the races. The club held its annual ball on the Friday
following the races; this event signaled the end of the state's
professional race season. According to one Georgetown race fan,
this dance was "the largest and grandest" of them all.
Usually, at the end of the race season the planters returned home
to their manor houses in the countryside to enjoy their estates
and the closeness of their small, yet extremely affluent, social
organizations.
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