Two Charleston plantations were the victims of attempted arson on Sunday night, but the fire was started in a ditch and was quickly extinguished.
Charleston County deputies were investigating the fire, which was started on the roadside between Magnolia and Drayton Hall plantations.
Deputies said a person found and extinguished the small fire about midnight. The individual also located what appeared to be two Molotov cocktails.
Charleston County plantations will now have increased patrols in the area, deputies said.
Carter Hudgins, president of the Drayton Hall Preservation Trust, said trust officials didn't learn about the fire until 2:50 p.m. Monday. An employee at Magnolia Plantation wasn't aware the fire had occurred when asked about 3:30 p.m.
"There's a lot of anger and hostility towards plantations right now," said Hudgins.
But he feels Drayton Hall has a duty to share the accurate, and often negative, history of the Lowcountry. "We learn from it so we can create and live in a better society," Hudgins said. "We're not in the business of whitewashing our shared American pasts."
In recent years, there's been a lot of chatter about attacking Charleston plantations, including burning them down, he said. They've received a few threats, but this is the first attempted arson he knows about.
But that violence just "sets us back further," he said.
The arson attempt is an active investigation and no suspects have been identified, authorities said. Anyone with information can call investigators at 843-202-1700.
Neither plantation immediately responded to requests for comment on Monday afternoon.
No further information was available on Monday.
