The Women Who Made Magnolia

It’s Women’s History Month! We’ll be introducing you to some of the women of Magnolia Plantation and Gardens throughout history. To begin, meet Julia Drayton Hastie, the sole female owner of Magnolia. Julia owned Magnolia from 1891 until her death in 1920. The gardens were built for her mother as a gesture from her father, Rev. John Grimké Drayton.

Julia often spent time in the mountains of North Carolina, not only to escape the Charleston heat, but to spend time with her younger sister, Ellen, who lived there year-round.

In 1883 Julia and her husband William Hastie, built the house that is now Summerville’s Linwood Inn, on a plum site—nearly two acres in the center of town—one block from the Summerville train station. The Hasties remained at Linwood until 1903, when they took up residence full-time at Magnolia Plantation, making Julia one of the first women in the region with a true “upstairs/downstairs” in the home. Julia Drayton Hastie died in November 1920 while in Flat Rock, NC. She was buried in the family plot at St. John in the Wilderness. On property, we honor her with a special camellia species - now in bloom!

Julia’s mother, Juliana Ewing Drayton, the muse of the Gardens, also played a significant role in Magnolia history. uliana, originally from Philadelphia, met Reverend John Grimké Drayton while he was visiting family. They married in 1840, and moved to Magnolia. The couple divided their time between Magnolia and the Grimké family's Charleston home at 42 South Bay fronting the harbor. Today the site is a national historic landmark known as the William Gibbes House located at 64 South Battery.

When John developed a respiratory illness, doctors recommended time outdoors. Meanwhile, Juliana was having trouble adjusting to South Carolina rural life. He began to focus on rebuilding the gardens of Magnolia.

His goal: "to create an earthly paradise in which my dear Julia may forever forget Philadelphia and her desire to return there."

While Juliana’s true feelings about the gardens are unknown, she must have enjoyed them and spending time at Magnolia.  It is believed that the woman in the plaid dress in the below image taken by the Mathew Brady Photography Studio, is Mrs. Drayton in the gardens with her children, husband and a young enslaved boy.

Sara Calhoun Simons Hastie

Sara married C. Norwood Hastie in November 1913.  The wedding was held at St. Michaels Church in Charleston with a reception that followed at the home of the bride’s aunt, the Villa Margherita. Sara and C. Norwood eventually became the parents of three children: C. Norwood Hastie Jr., J. Drayton Hastie Sr., and Sara Calhoun Hastie.

Sara was known as a wonderful hostess and entertained the who’s who of the time (think the influencers of the early 20th Century) at Magnolia for thirty years.  Her guests included poets, first ladies, inventors and military heroes; notable visitors included George Gershwin, Henry Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Orson Welles. In the early 20th century, the impressionist painter William Posey Silva painted his "Garden of Dreams" series featuring Magnolia and became a friend of the family.

It is believed that Sara was the first woman to drive a car in Charleston. The "Debutante" camellia was created in her honor.

After the death of her husband, Sara moved to downtown Charleston and lived on the Battery in the Roper House at 9 East Battery. Beginning in 1953, Sara's elegant apartment was a regular feature on the annual house tours conducted by the Historic Charleston Foundation, and was photographed in 1956 by Samuel and Narcissa Chamberlain for their book ”Southern Interiors of Charleston, South Carolina.”

Sara Calhoun Simons Hastie died in 1981, she was laid to rest in the churchyard of Old St. Andrews Parish Church.

You can learn more about each woman on the Magnolia House tour!