The Ponds Plantation – Ashley River – Dorchester County

— The Ponds Plantation © Brandon Coffey, 2011 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Basic Information

• Location – Great Cypress Swamp, East bank of Ashley River, Dorchester County

• Origin of name – For the two ponds on the property (3, part 1)
  

• Other names – Weston Hall; Percival

• Current status – A residential housing community
  

Timeline

• 1682 – Earliest known date of existence when The Ponds was born through land grants.
  

  Andrew Percival was the first owner of record of the 2,000 acre tract. He established a "fortified plantation" on the property (1, part 2) (3, part 1).
  

• 1716 – The Yemassee Indians became unhappy with the English abusing their rights and encroaching on their land which lead to a massacre on April 15, 1715 in Pocotaligo. This upheaval spread throughout the Lowcounty. Plantation owners fled to Charleston leaving their property unprotected from the Indians that were invading. In 1716, Colonel George Chicken and his militia marched north from The Ponds Plantation and defeated the Indians (3, part 1 & 2).
  

• 1723 – The Donning family became owners of the plantation (1, part 2).
  

• 1765 – The Donnings sold the plantation off in pieces (1, part 2).
  

• ? – William Henry Drayton owned The Ponds and raced horses at the plantation. Drayton repeatedly mortgaged The Ponds in an attempt to pay off other debts (3, part 2).
  

• 1818 – John Schulz purchased The Ponds (1, part 2).
  

• 1830s – The current house was built and was the third one to be constructed at The Ponds (1, part 1).
  

• 1865 – The Schulz family sold the plantation to Edward Lotz (1, part 2).
  

• 1911 – The Simmons family purchased The Ponds and worked the land as an active sweet potato farm, raised cattle in the 1950s and then leased much of the property as fishing and hunting land in the late 1900s (1, part 2) (3, part 1 & 2).
  

• 2006 – Greenwood Communities and Resorts purchased the plantation and developed it into a housing community (1, part 2).
  

— Side of The Ponds Plantation House © Gazie Nagle, 2014 —
(Do Not Use Without Written Consent)

Land

• Number of acres – 2,000 in 1682 and in 2003 (3, part 2)
  

• Primary crop – Rice early, then cypress lumber, sweet potatoes, cattle (1, part 2) (3, part 2)
  

Owners

• Alphabetical list – Donning (1723-1765); Doyley; William Henry Drayton; Glaze; Greenwood Communities and Resorts (2006-present, 2012); Edward Lotz (1865-?); Andrew Percival (1682-?); John Schulz (1818-?); Schulz Family (?-1865); Simmons (1911-2006)
  

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?

Buildings

• The house that is currently standing is the third to be built at The Ponds Plantation. It has been restored and is currently used as the main amenity center for the housing community (2).
  

References & Resources

1. The Historic Farmhouse: Part 1 | Part 2

2. The Ponds Farmhouse, Pavilion Recognized for Excellence in Architecture, (Summerville Journal Scene, April 23, 2009)
   

3. Information contributed by Charla Springer from:
   Bo Peterson, From Swamp's Murky Past, Tale of Plantation Emerges - Part 1 (PDF) | Part 2 (PDF) (The Post and Courier, February 10, 2003)
   

Contact Information

• The Ponds
  326 Hundred Oaks Parkway
  Summerville, SC 29483
  

  Telephone: 843-376-3281
  Website: Click here