View of the marshland, located downriver from Drayton Hall, a National Historic Landmark (Drayton Hall)

At a time when development is encroaching on the former plantations of South Carolina's Ashley River corridor, just outside Charleston, a donation of marshland is a silver lining.

At a ceremony tomorrow, the Historic Ricefields Association will present the deed to marshland to Drayton Hall, a National Trust Historic Site built in 1738.

"For more than a decade, we have been fighting inappropriate development that would ruin the vistas from Middleton Place, Drayton Hall, and other historic sites along the river," George McDaniel, executive director of Drayton Hall, said in a statement.

The S.C.-based association bought the 43.8 acres from Plum Creek, a timber-management company, for $21,900.

Because of development pressure, in 1994 the National Trust named the Ashley River Corridor one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Read more about preserving Middleton Place on Preservation Online >>

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