Join Historic Columbia for “Celebrating 60,” a community event from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, to mark 60 years of the organization’s historic preservation work and to open the new Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center.
This free event will feature tours of the greenhouse and Hampton-Preston Mansion, gardening talks and special presentations, lawn games, indigo dyeing, and local food trucks.
Owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia, the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens is a historic site most often associated with the socially and politically influential antebellum planter-class families from which it draws its name. During their time at the urban estate, the property became renowned for its extensive native and exotic plantings that filled most of the four-acre tract on which the main house still stands today.
Celebrating 60 will take place from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 13, at the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens, located at 1615 Blanding Street. Admission is free!
Photos Courtesy of Cohn Corporation by Todd Lista with Park Avenue Photography
Free Admission
2022/03/13 - 2022/03/13
Additional time info:
Guests can dive deeper into the world of gardening and the history of the Hampton-Preston site, while enjoying games, activities, and food and drink from Belgian Waffle Food Truck, Drip, Kombi Keg and Mary’s Arepas.
Historic Columbia’s director of grounds Keith Mearns will lead garden tours at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. covering the six sections of the Hampton-Preston gardens, including the Henry Michael Powell Memorial and Children’s Garden, the Hiram Powers Fountain Garden, the east and west arboretums, the interpretive brick plaza, and the greenhouse and nursery.
House tours of the Hampton-Preston Mansion will be available from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia, the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens is a historic site most often associated with the socially and politically influential antebellum planter-class families from which it draws its name. During their time at the urban estate, the property became renowned for its extensive native and exotic plantings that filled most of the four-acre tract on which the main house still stands today.
Indigo dyeing sessions at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. will give children and their parents an overview of traditional dyeing techniques, how indigo came to South Carolina, what indigo cultivation looked like pre-American Revolution, and modernized dyeing techniques today.
Lawn games, like potato sack races and hoop rolling, will be offered at 2 p.m., and guests can complete a scavenger hunt throughout the afternoon for a chance to win prizes.
Special sessions include Q&A with Amanda McNulty, the host of the Emmy-award winning show Making It Grow on SCETV, at 11:30 a.m. From 1:30 – 2 p.m., Jenks Farmer, a plantsman, garden designer, curator and author, will sign copies of his latest book, Crinum. Columbia Museum of Art will also be onsite to promote the upcoming Art Blossoms event being held May 5-8, 2022.
Additional opportunities include rental tours available at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Guests who wish to rent a Historic Columbia venue can secure their date with a $60 deposit and receive 10% off rental rates, if a deposit is received on March 13. Those who join Historic Columbia through a new or renewed membership at Celebrating 60 can enjoy a discounted $60 household membership and receive a 60th anniversary t-shirt.
Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens