Drayton Hall: Life Goes On

by | Feb 2, 2021 | Blog, Books, Community Engagement, Drayton Hall Stories, Education, Family, Outreach, Publication

First on Facebook – February 3, 2021

Click on the blue Facebook logo in the upper right corner above to read all the comments and enlarge the photos.
 
 
Life Goes On. Historic sites remind us of that truth.
 
For centuries, life has been lived out at that one site, Drayton Hall. Hope and disappointment, joy and grief, love and bitterness, laughter and smiles. These photographs from my forthcoming book and website illustrate life’s truth at Drayton Hall.
 
One picture is of the wedding by the Ashley River of Greg Osteen, daughter of Monty and Molly Osteen (whose wedding reception appeared in my Jan. 26th post), and of her husband Kevin Howard with Greg’s grandfather Charlie Drayton; her parents, Monty and Molly Osteen; her brother Drayton, and her two daughters, Molly and Beatty.
 
In two pictures, Greg is measuring her daughters on the growth chart wall where for the last 130 years, her ancestors have been measured by their ancestors, and where as a child, she was measured.
 
In another is the marker identifying Drayton Hall’s founder of 1738.
 
The circle turns.
 
Life goes on, doesn’t it?
 
 

Preview my new book “Drayton Hall Stories: A Place & Its People”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education.  Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.

A frequent writer, speaker, and facilitator about such issues, he can be reached at gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com or through his website at www.mcdanielconsulting.net.

All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.

"Drayton Hall Stories" is now a 4X Award Winner with the SE Museum Conference's James R. Short Award, the Governor's Award in the Humanities, the SC Preservation Honor Award & the Alexander S. Salley Lifetime Achievement Award.

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