Tree Tunnel Shadows Tomotley Plantation Historic Live Oaks Beaufort South Carolina Landscape Art

by Reid Callaway

Title

Tree Tunnel Shadows Tomotley Plantation Historic Live Oaks Beaufort South Carolina Landscape Art

Artist

Reid Callaway

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Tree Tunnel Shadows....by Reid Callaway
Tomotley Plantation Historic Live Oaks
Beaufort SC Landscape Art

The beautiful live oak trees of this old plantation road welcomed my photography as I stumbled upon them after visiting the Old Sheldon Church ruins near Beaufort, SC. Little did I know but it was Tomotley Plantation and the Lord had heard my silent prayer that morning to help me find such a place as this, in the low country of South Carolina to photograph.

Live oak wood is hard, heavy, and difficult to work with, but very strong. In the days of wooden ships, live oaks were the preferred source of the framework timbers of the ship, using the natural trunk and branch angles for their strength. The frame of USS Constitution was constructed from southern live oak wood harvested from St. Simons Island, Georgia, and the density of the wood grain allowed it to survive cannonade, thus earning it the nickname "Old Ironsides". Even today, the U.S. Navy continues to own extensive live oak tracts.

Tomotley consists of 1010.7 +/- acres. Dual half-mile canopied avenues of live oaks planted in 1820 create a beautiful moss-draped passageway into the heart of the Plantation. The entrance and grounds are one of the most coveted in the entire Southeast.
While all Plantations in this region are revered for their ecological significance, Tomotley ranks among the very best. The flora and fauna overwhelm the senses, and along with the abundance of wild ducks are a tremendous variety of coastal birds and wildlife. Approximately 125 acres are still in rice production. Hundreds of years of imprinting make this a hotbed for wild bird species of all kinds including teal, wood ducks, pintails, ringnecks, and many more. Other bird species that are commonly seen are large numbers of egrets, an annual flight of white pelicans, Canadian geese, herons, storks and many others

Approximately 240 +/- acres are old growth quail woods, which are managed by fire and are prime habitat for whitetails and turkey. The mature quail woods surround the Old Sheldon Church Ruins that were formerly owned by William Bull of Newberry Plantation and are not protected by a conservation easement. The remaining 770.7 +/- acres are protected by a conservation easement.

Broken rice fields on the southeastern end of the Plantation offer unique fishing opportunities for tailing redfish, and other brackish water species along Huspah Creek.

The original Plantation house was destroyed in the Civil War. The current Plantation house was built by Robert McCurdy in 1910. There is a second home that was built in the late 1800s after the original house burned, as well as a caretaker's residence, several barns and a stable that survived Sherman's wrath and predates the Civil War."

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June 12th, 2014

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