Drayton Hall, which was built in the year 1738, is considered as a National Historic Landmark. It served as a big rice plantation during its' heyday, until it was bought in 1974. Up to now, Drayton Hall continues to be the oldest unrestored plantation hall in America still open for tours.
Drayton Hall became the staging grounds of the British during the American Revolution, and was shaken by the 1886 earthquake, yet it remains to be one of the few architectural landmines that remain intact and close to its original condition.
The main house, located near the Ashley River, has been home to seven generations – from John Drayton, who built the house in 1738, to Frank and Charles Drayton, who sold the house in 1974 to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP.) Now, NTHP continues to make preservation road at the centuries-old Drayton Hall.
Aside from its great historical value, the exterior of the main house is heralded as one of the greatest examples of an architectural type known as Georgian-Palladian.
As one of the oldest historic markers in the country, Drayton Hall's present mission is to preserve the landmark, which serves as a historical and educational figure to tourists from all over the globe.