Basic Information
- Location – Dorchester Creek (a branch of the Ashley River), Summerville, Dorchester County
Original plantation lands were located off SC 165 in the vicinity of Newington Plantation Estates.
- Origin of name – Named after the Axtell's family estate in England
- Other names – Lady Blake's House
- Current status – Residential subdivision
Timeline
- 1680 – Earliest known date of existence
- ? – House built
- 1715 – House burned by Indians in Yemassee Indian War
- ? – House rebuilt by Landgrave Joseph Blake
- 1725 – House destroyed by fire
- 1848 – House rebuilt
- ? – House destroyed by fire
- 1876 – Henry Middleton leased the old grounds and garden to the US Government for an experimental tea farm.
- 1970s – The plantation lands were developed into a residential subdivision.
Land
- Number of acres – 3,000
- Primary crop – Rice
- There is a large double row of oaks on each side of the avenue leading to the house.
- The large garden is thought to have been developed by the Blake family. Most likely based on the grand English gardens of the time and quite formal with terracing and hedges. (Trinkley and Hacker, p. 26).
Owners
- Alphabetical list – Daniel Axtell (1680); Lady Rebecca Axtell (1678); Daniel Blake; Elizabeth Blake (1780); Colonel Joseph Blake; Lady Blake (1711); Henry A. Middleton (1837)
Slaves
- Number of slaves – ?
Buildings
- House called "house of a hundred windows"
Web Resources
- National Register of Historic Places
– Nomination form - PDF - submitted in 1974
– Photographs, architectural overview
- Newington Plantation History: Click here
- A Context For the Study of Lowcountry Gardens - PDF - Michael Trinkley and Debi Hacker, 2007, for the Chicora Foundation.
Print Resources
- Initial references: 4, 45
More about Dorchester County
- Learn more about historic Dorchester County, including the lovely town of Summerville as well as nearby Charleston. We have helpful guides to Summerville history and Summerville libraries and museums – plus Summerville restaurants, Summerville bed & breakfasts, Summerville hotels, and Summerville real estate.
