I had high hopes of learning more about Eliza Lucas Pinckney and the indigo history of Charleston, South Carolina. However my research did not go according to plan. The dress and shoes belonging to Eliza that were recently conserved by the Charleston Museum were not on display. Dianne and I enjoyed an amazing morning learning all about the history of Charleston, but very little was mentioned if anything of Eliza or indigo. Her dress and shoes were considered too fragile to put on display. Several street names and subdivisions are named after indigo, but nothing really to honor its history and important to the state. I was thrilled by chance to go to the Charles Pinckney national Park one morning by myself to paint watercolor en plein air and discovered an indigo garden. Which makes sense, because once Eliza perfected growing her crop and creating dye from its leaves, she dedicated her entire crop from 1744 to producing seeds to share with her family friends and neighbors. Snee Farm is one of the plantations owned by Eliza‘s great nephew, Charles Pinckney, who was a four-time governor of South Carolina, signer of the US Constitution, and author of one of the constitution’s drafts. More than 30 of his proposals were included in the final draft of the US Constitution. It was at Snee Farm I found the indigo garden. Before the revolutionary war, more than a third of the colony’s exports were indigo… all due to a tenacious 16 year old and her passion for botany. I was thrilled to find the garden. Snee Farm is a magical place. #sneefarm #charleston #indigo #elizalucaspinckney #farm #garden #watercolor #pleinair #history #revolutionarywar @charlestonmuseum #botany #usconstitution (at Charles Pinckney National Historic Site) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUaCby7gv4T/?utm_medium=tumblr
