More than 100 acres of marsh land along the Ashley River, including 4,600 feet of frontage across from Drayton Hall, a National Historic Landmark and a National Trust Historic Site, is now permanently protected!

The National Trust placed a conservation easement on the land and conveyed it to the Lowcountry Land Trust, making the acreage now part of a larger mitigation project that will both restore its natural ecosystem and restrict development of the land itself. This is a significant milestone in on our ongoing work with local partners to protect the integrity of the historic and cultural character of the Ashley River Historic District. The viewshed from Drayton Hall is now forever protected!

This is a welcome turn of events, as in March, a circuit court judge issued an order in the lawsuit we filed jointly with the City of Charleston that challenged North Charleston's proposed annexation of a parcel of land located across and just down the road from Drayton Hall. The Court found that neither the National Trust nor the City of Charleston had legal standing to challenge the annexation, leaving the historically significant parcel facing an uncertain future. The court ruling did state, however, that if we did have legal standing, our claim would be legitimate.

We are currently evaluating our next legal steps, but know that our efforts to encourage responsible land use and thoughtful development within the Ashley River Historic District will continue. This work is made possible by supporters like you.