Stony Landing Plantation – Moncks Corner – Berkeley County

— Stony Landing Plantation House © Mike Stroud, 2009 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Western branch of the Cooper River, Moncks Corner, Berkeley County
  

  Located on Stony Landing Road off US 52
  

• Origin of name – Named for the high grade of lime-rich clay found on the plantation (1)
  

• Other names – Stone Landing; Stoney Landing

• Current status – The plantation is now part of the Old Santee Canal Park. The house is open for tours.
  

Timeline

• 1678 – Earliest known date of existence (2).
  

  Sir Peter Colleton received a land grant of 12,000 acres. The property became known as the Fairlawn Barony (2).
  

• 1700s – Stony Landing was an important to the transport of supplies for the colonists. Supplies were carried up the Cooper River then off-loaded at Stony Landing where they were then taken westward via the Cherokee Path. Conversely, rice planters of northern Berkeley County brought their crop to Stony Landing for transportation down the river to Charleston (1).
  

• ? – Sir John Colleton IV and wife Anne Fulford inherited the Stony Landing land (2).
  

• 1777 – Colleton died and Stony Landing went to his daughter Louisa Carolina Colleton Graves (2).
  

• ? – Louisa's son Samuel Colleton Graves was the next owner (2).
  

• 1823 – Graves died and his widow retained the property (2).
  

• 1839 – John H. Dawson purchased the 2,319 acres called Stone Landing from the Graves estate (1 and 2).
  

• Circa 1843 – House built (1)
  

  John H. Dawson built a modest house to be used as a second home (1 and 2)
  

• 1861 – Dr. St. Julien Ravenel owned the plantation. Dr. Ravenel gave up his medical practice to concentrate on chemical and plant research (1)
  

• ? – The Confederate semi-submersible torpedo boat, the Little David, was designed by Dr. Ravenel and constructed at the plantation (1).
  

• 1910 – Sen. Edward James Dennis, Jr. purchased the plantation for use as a winter home (2).
  

• 1989 – The Old Santee Canal Park opened (1).
  

Land

• Number of acres – 2,319 in 1839; 622 in 1910; 195 in 1989 (1)
  

• Primary crop – Stone brick and building lime (1)
  

Owners

• Chronological list – Sir Peter Colleton (1678-?); Sir John Colleton IV and Anne Fulford Colleton (?-1777); Louisa Carolina Colleton Graves (1777-?); Samuel Colleton Graves (?-1823); Graves Estate (1823-1839); John H. Dawson (1839-?); Dr. St. Julien Ravenel (1861); Sen. Edward James Dennis, Jr. (1910-?)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• The house is constructed with hand-hewn timbers. It has been restored including period reproduction furniture and is open for tours (1).
  

References & Resources

1. Stony Landing House history by Old Santee Canal Park: Click here then scroll down and click Stony Landing Plantation
   

2. Spirit Hunters of the South

3. 30-15 Plantation File, held by the South Carolina Historical Society
   

4. Jane Ockershausen, The South Carolina One-Day Trip Book (McLean, VA: EPM Publications, 1998)
   
   

5. J. Russell Cross, Historic Ramblin's through Berkeley (Columbia, SC: R.L. Bryan Company, 1985)
    Order Historic Ramblin's through Berkeley

6. Maxwell Clayton Orvin, Historic Berkeley County, South Carolina: 1671-1900 (Self published, 1973)
    Order Historic Berkeley County, South Carolina: 1671-1900

7. SC Highway Historical Marker Guide - online database by the SC Department of Archives & History
   

8. Norman S. Walsh, Plantations, Pineland Villages, Pinopolis and Its People (Virginia Beach, VA: Donning Company Publishers, 2007)
    Order Plantations, Pineland Villages, Pinopolis and Its People
   

Contact Information

1. Old Santee Canal Park
   900 Stony Landing Road
   Moncks Corner, SC 29461
   

   Telephone: 843-899-5200
   Website: Click here