A Visit to Mepkin Abbey at Monck’s Corner, SC
“Peace to All Who Enter Here”
Entrance Drive for Mepkin Abbey
Mepkin Plantation was owned by Henry Laurens in the mid- to late 1700s. It was purchased by Henry and Clare Boothe Luce in 1936, and in 1949, the Luces gave to property to the Roman Catholic Church to establish a Trappist Monastery. Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Mepkin Abbey Entrance Road
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) and Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Tulip (Tulipa sp.)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Majestic Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) and Palmetto (Sabal palmetto)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
G.G. Gerbing Indica Azalea (Rhododendron indica 'G.G. Gerbing')
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Bird House and Spanish Moss
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Young Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Wood Carving Created by David Drake from a fallen live oak that was felled by Hurricane Hugo in 1989
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Ponds in The Luce Garden
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
The Luce Garden History
In 1937, Clare Booth Luce commissioned Loutrell Briggs, famous NY and Charleston landscape architect, to design a garden near the high bluff above the Cooper River. Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Statuary in The Luce Garden
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
The Luce Garden Stairs designed by Loutrell Briggs
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Two Axes of the Luce Garden Intersect at the Large Live Oak
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
The Luce Garden Designed by Landscape Architect Loutrell Briggs
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
The Luce Garden Designed by Landscape Architect Loutrell Briggs
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
The Luce Garden Designed by Landscape Architect, Loutrell Briggs
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Gravesite of Henry and Clare Boothe Luce
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Ancient Live Oak with Indica Azaleas
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Wrought Iron Gates at the Luce Cemetery
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Alligators Sunning on the Banks of the Pond
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Ponds in The Luce Garden
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Atamasco Lily (Zephyranthes atamasca)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides var. michauxiana)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Cooper River Overlook
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Remnants of the Rice Dike System Dating Back to Henry Laurens' Ownership in the mid to late 1700s.
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Cooper River Overlook
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Live Oaks in Various Stages of Development. Some are centuries old while younger trees slowly grow to take the elder's place. There are over 500 live oaks in the Gardens.
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) and Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
Fashion Indica Azalea (Rhododendron indica 'Fashion')
Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University
