Hopsewee Plantation

05/31/2026

Black-bellied whistling ducks in our pond and coming in for a landing!
Have you heard the call of a Black-bellied whistling duck? (Turn up volume to hear). They don't make the stereotypical “quack" like other ducks, but instead they “whistle"!
This video is from last year; even more ducks have returned to us this year! Probably because we’ve added many more nesting boxes for them to raise their young. We can’t wait to see their babies- they look a lot like chubby honeybees🐝
before they look like ducks.
Our pond is perfectly situated in partial shade, close enough to the river, but not too close. The fact that our pond doesn’t have any resident gators also makes it highly desirable for the nesting ducks- and for us too!

05/30/2026

History is like a ‘Way Back machine. It’s all around us, all the time; teaching us if we’ll only listen. Can you hear the lessons in these rocks?
Not just any old rocks, these ballast stones are little time capsules, gently reminding us of our South Carolina history. They’re probably 300 +/- years old, and comprised of a type of stone not local to our area. Although that’s where they can be found.
Sailing ships 300 years ago were of wooden construction, and required great weight to be added below deck to help the ship stay upright in rough waters. A transatlantic crossing in the 1700’s wasn’t for sissies!
So initially, the ships that frequented our South Carolina ports were filled with stones to create that necessary ballast. As the ships approached the harbors, the heavy ballast stones were offloaded overboard to make room for the indigo, rice and other goods that would travel back across the ocean. That’s why you can still see them sometimes on uninhabited beaches at low tide.
Captains grew more savvy as time passed, and started bringing the ballast stones into port and selling them. Streets in Charleston are paved with them. Over time, the smartest Captains learned of our local construction needs, specifically for brick, and started bringing that instead for even greater profits. In Georgetown, pre-orders could be placed for bricks that all matched in color, size, and style. Pretty, matching bricks built the Historic churches and homes there.
Holding one of these heavy, (these are 7 pounds each) stones is like taking a trip back in time. They can tell you about their trip east, the people in England that sold them, and the people here that bought them. Listen well and you might hear the voices of the enslaved souls that built with them.
Come visit us at Hopsewee Plantation!
We have so much History to Share🇺🇸

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

You know we love learning! This well-researched post makes us wonder about the local tribes that inhabited our Santee Delta, the Sewee and the Santee specifically.
We know that both tribes, especially the smaller, Sewee, were particularly good hunters. Their pelts were highly prized, and both tribes traded directly with the new immigrants to the area- the English, Scots, and Irish.
Legend has it that the Sewee grew tired of trading with those they saw as the “ middlemen”, and demanded an audience with the English King in an attempt to cut them out of the trading. After being denied a meeting, the Sewee gathered their best pelts and other products to trade and set out across the Atlantic to England- in the same direction that the English ships arrived.
This already small tribe gathered their youngest and most able-bodied members to make that trip, leaving the elderly and children behind to await their return.
Sadly the ocean made quick work of their canoes; their goods were cast overboard as were many of the crews. Those that didn’t drown were picked up and sold into slavery, probably in the West Indies.
The few remaining Sewee members were incorporated into the Santee and other local tribes. The end of the Sewee nation, and a sad tale of greed and ego. The leader of the Sewee called himself “King Jeremy”.
Jeremy Creek in neighboring McClellanville is named in his honor.
Come visit us at Hopsewee Plantation!
We have so much History to Share🇺🇸

05/29/2026

Join us! Visit DAR.org/join for details!

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Amelia Jenks Bloomer was one of the boldest women of the 19th century. Born in 1818, she became a newspaper editor, women’s rights advocate, and reformer at a time when women were expected to stay silent and obedient.

She became famous for popularizing the “bloomer” outfit — loose trousers worn under a shorter skirt — after publishing and promoting the design in her newspaper *The Lily*. While she did not technically invent the outfit herself, her public support made it nationally famous, and the style quickly became linked to her name.

The reaction was vicious. Newspapers mocked her relentlessly, cartoons ridiculed her appearance, and many people treated the clothing as scandalous simply because it allowed women to move more freely. But the bloomer outfit represented something bigger: comfort, independence, and freedom from restrictive corsets and heavy layers that physically limited women’s lives.

Through *The Lily*, one of the first newspapers written by and for women, Bloomer also spoke about suffrage, education, marriage laws, and women’s rights. She helped normalize the idea that women could speak publicly, publish opinions, and challenge the rules society imposed on them.

What seemed like “just clothing” became one of the earliest symbols of women demanding control over their own bodies and lives.

05/28/2026

Sharing some fun from prior indigo workshop photos! Students dyed oversized sleepshirts, sarongs, and tea towels supplied by the instructor (items vary from class to class), in addition to their own items.
Come join us June 3 or June 6 at 11 am! Preregistration is easy at Hopsewee.com, or call us at (843) 546-7891.
Experience the magic of creating your own work of art with all-natural indigo dye! Learn all about indigo here at the home of indigo baron and Winyah Indigo Society’s first president, Thomas Lynch, Sr. And discover more about one of South Carolina’s most distinguished female citizens, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, the very famous “Indigo Girl”.
Used for the distinctive blue British Naval uniform, indigo was South Carolina’s first cash crop and helped sustain the colony economically during several Colonial era wars.
All-natural indigo dyeing basics are taught as you create 3 items supplied by your instructor. Items vary from class to class. Students are also invited to bring 3 small cotton items of their own to dye.
Various wrapping & dyeing techniques will be demonstrated. It’s big fun y’all!
Items to be dyed and all other materials necessary to create different designs will be provided by the instructor.
Minimum class size is 4 students; maximum class size is 10 students.
Grab your family, friends, neighbors or work family and come make some fun memories playing in the indigo vat at historic Hopsewee Plantation.
Reservations are required and can be made online at Hopsewee.com or by calling us at (843) 546-7891. Come visit💙
Upcoming classes: Wednesday, June 3 and Saturday, June 6- both at 11:00 am.

05/28/2026

We love this for our neighbors at Yawkey! Click on the videos in the comments section to learn more about the American Alligator and Loggerhead Sea Turtles right here in Georgetown County!

At the recent 2026 Southeast Regional Emmy Awards, South Carolina ETV (SCETV) received five Emmy® Awards including an episode of What’s Wild featuring Loggerhead Sea Turtles in the Environmental-Long-Form Content Category. This video showcases management of sea turtles in South Carolina and features the dedicated work of staff at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and the SCDNR Marine Turtle Program. Congratulations to Charles Dymock, Desiree Cheeks, Colin McCawley from SCETV for this production.

To see this episode and check out another episode on the Yawkey Wildlife Center alligator research project click the links in the Comments.

05/27/2026

Happy Anniversary to Charles Pinckney & Eliza Lucas Pinckney, "The Indigo Girl"!
They were married on this day in 1744💙.
The bride was 21 years old, her husband was 45. Theirs was a happy marriage, albeit short, sadly Charles Pinckney contracted malaria and died in 1758.
Come visit us at Hopsewee Plantation, c1740, a former indigo and rice plantation on the banks of the north Santee River.
Home to the first President of the Winyah Indigo Society and Founding Father of the United States, Thomas Lynch, Sr.
Hopsewee is also the birthplace of his son, Thomas Lynch, Jr. who was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence!
Come visit us Tuesdays through Saturdays at Hopsewee Plantation.
💙Indigo Dyeing Workshops- still have some seats left on June 3 and June 3!
Register at hopsewee.com or give us a call at (843) 546-7891. Come play with us in the indigo vat!
We have so much History to Share🇺🇸